The Memo: Trump struggles to extract himself from Epstein mire

President Trump is trying, yet again, to climb out of the political mire into which he has sunk over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

On Wednesday, Trump sought to pin the blame on unnamed Republicans for getting “duped” by Democrats over the lack of new revelations about the disgraced financier and sexual predator.

“It’s a hoax,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, where he was meeting with the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamid Al Khalifa. “It’s started by Democrats. It’s been run by the Democrats for four years.” 

Trump further complained that “some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net and so they try and do the Democrats’ work. The Democrats are good for nothing other than these hoaxes.”

Such claims point to a deep level of frustration on the president’s part about a controversy that — unusually for him — has left his own base discontented.

His anger was also apparent in a social media post on Wednesday morning, where he lamented about a supposed Democratic-pushed “SCAM” over Epstein. Trump griped that “my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bull----’ hook, line and sinker.”

It remains to be seen whether his appeal to party and personal loyalty will be enough to quell the storm. Trump’s strategy cuts against years of speculation on the right that more skeletons were about to fall out of Epstein’s closet.

Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) have both called for the appointment of a special counsel to look deeper into the Epstein matter.

The political problem, in short, is that the Trump administration has delivered far less than they once promised.

Staunch Trump allies, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI director Kash Patel and deputy FBI director Dan Bongino had suggested major revelations about Epstein were at hand. 

In previous years, during former President Biden’s administration, Trump’s eldest son Don Jr. and future-Vice President Vance had implied there were nefarious reasons why the public had not learned more about Epstein’s activities.

Epstein had myriad connections to the rich, powerful and politically influential. A deal he struck with prosecutors when he was first investigated almost two decades ago has been widely criticized for its leniency. 

He pleaded guilty to prostitution-related charges at that point. At the time of his death, he faced new and more expansive charges revolving around the alleged sex trafficking of minors.

Trump himself called Epstein a “terrific guy” in a 2002 New York magazine profile, in which the future president also referred to Epstein’s liking of women “on the younger side.”

This was before Epstein had ever been investigated. He and Trump later fell out.

Epstein was also acquainted with powerful Democrats, including former President Clinton. Clinton wrote in a book published last year that he found Epstein “odd” but that he had “no inkling of the crimes he was committing.”

As far as the Trump base is concerned, the expectation that some new information was at hand was stoked anew by a February interview Bondi gave to Fox News. There, she said that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review.”

But earlier this month a joint, unsigned memo from the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) asserted that there was, in fact, “no incriminating ‘client list,’” nor any “credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.”

The memo also asserted that Epstein had indeed killed himself in his cell at a New York City detention facility in August 2019. Speculation and lurid rumors have long swirled about Epstein’s death.

The pouring of cold water on all the speculation about Epstein has created chaos for Trump.

Bondi and Bongino were widely reported to have had a confrontation about the issue, and Bongino was rumored to be considering resigning. No resignation has materialized and Trump has backed Bondi. 

The president did so again on Wednesday, saying that his attorney general had promised to release any further “credible” information and asking rhetorically, “What more can she do than that?” 

Democrats have upped the pressure, with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) pushing a congressional measure that would have forced a release of the so-called Epstein files. One Republican member, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) backed Khanna’s effort.

Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday sought to close down perceptions that he was breaking with Trump on the topic.

In an interview published the previous day with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, the Speaker had said Trump “should put everything out there and let the people decide” the facts on Epstein.

But on Wednesday, he told reporters at the Capitol, “We’re for transparency. I’m saying the same thing the president is — that, I mean, you need to have all of the credible information released for the American people to make their decision. We trust the American people. And I know the president does as well.”

For now, though, the fire over Epstein has not yet burnt itself out.

The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage. Additional reporting: Mike Lillis.