A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday denied a request by the Trump administration to release grand jury transcripts from an investigation into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, stymying efforts by President Trump to blunt criticism from many of his supporters.
Either that or it's a great relief.
AND: Follow on NYT headlines:1. "Polls show Republicans breaking with Trump over the Epstein files" ("The incident has revealed a schism among Mr. Trump’s base, with anger over the Epstein files appearing more concentrated among the traditional Republican wing of the party. Republicans who do not identify as part of Mr. Trump’s MAGA movement were more likely to be dissatisfied with how the administration has handled the files...").
2. "Attorney General Alerted Trump He Was Named in Epstein Files/It was not clear in what context Trump’s name was raised in the files" ("One person close to Mr. Trump, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity, said that White House officials were not concerned about the latest disclosures given that Mr. Trump’s name appeared in the first round of information that Ms. Bondi released").
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73 comments:
Obama appointee, for what it's worth.
so what are they hiding, one wonders, me things the swamp had longstanding associations with Epstein, they want to keep hidden, see William Burns as one example
Federal judge rules on Trump's request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts ~ Fox News
The Trump administration literally conceded in its own motion to unseal the Epstein grand jury documents that the court could not unseal them. The government even cited the very case law that prohibits it—prompting the judge to note that, by their own admission, the court lacks the authority to unseal them.
Trump, Bondi & Fox all tell their sheep that they are going to release the Epstein grand jury transcripts while they are quietly conceding to the court that there’s no legal basis to unseal them. As usual, they count on their base to buy the BS from the propagandists
Now just release the rest of the files and let's move on.
'Highly Pissed Off' should also be a choice. Be a shame if they leaked, somehow.
even after his plea deal, the moths in academia, in media and government, stuck to Epstein like glue,
Yes, Donnie clearly wants as much transparency as possible in this matter and has been quite focused on keeping focus on this issue. He definitely is not creating distractions or changing the subject as much as he possibly can.
“ The memo concluded that after an exhaustive review of evidence in the cases against Mr. Epstein, the government had uncovered no new evidence “that could predicate an investigation into uncharged third parties.”
I really don’t understand people’s obsession with this case.
Oh, wait, apparently it involves a tropical island paradise filled with teenage girls. Maybe there are photos, or even movies! We need to seeee!
many figures in the tech industry, I'm guessing,
Q: how does TB Hag dictate shim’s comments with her mouth full?
so what are they hiding, one wonders
yah who knows. Given the bipartisan political hay and bipartisan failure to release it could be men in trouble on both sides but I think it could be as simple as a request from the royals or other foreign entity. I think the probability it’s Trump anyone’s protecting is zero…
Can it go higher or to a different judge?
Given the FBI's top brass past behavior - that file is more than likely compromised.
Watch how tightly these fevered lefties cling to the USS Epstein kerfuffle… they think it’s a life preserver, but grab some popcorn and watch ‘em sink.
Is this better or worse for Ghislaine. Is her bargaining position stronger or weaker now?
I get it. This is the NYT's, so you have to adjust your point of view a little bit, however . . . . .
. . .calling the late Mr. Epstein a "financier" is . . . .well, I'm working on this . . . well, it's disrespectful to real financiers.
C'mom NYT - have a little class here. Wall Street is just down the block. And, they're not THAT bad.
LOL, “bipartisan failure to release them.”
The Gurdians Of Pedophiles party just called an early vacation to avoid the files coming to light.
Again - why didn't Biden release it "the file"?
he didn't steal as much as madoff or stanford, so by that standard,
If files were released, Left will obviously claim they were modified to protect Trump
Again, why was Epstein murdered on Donnie’s watch?
the former was considered respectable,
all the parties that settled in 2022, under Biden's DOJ, obviously Garland was out of it, but Lisa Monaco had a part in it
Wall Street is just down the block
…most of it is in Florida now…
much like judge gleason treats hsbc like his favorite uncle
(he's the ones that kept chasing general flynn, even after the case evaporated,)
It was a slam dunk to deny the release of grand jury testimony.
Why would President Trump care one way or another?
Yet another thing to be kept tucked away for a little bit longer.
Q: Why would President Trump care one way or another?
A: Donald J Trump was a close friend of Jeff Epstein and flew on his personal plane, multiple times and raped children with his friend, on multiple occasions.
Hope this helps!
Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files ~ WSJ
So to clarify the timeline:
Trump promises to release the Epstein files for his entire campaign.
Bondi says they’re on her desk.
Trump gets told he’s in them.
Bondi says whoopsies, turns out the Epstein files don’t actually exist. 🤣
EpsteinGate, kinda like RussiaGate. Got him this time for sure!
Stymied. Trump thought this would end the matter. It wouldn't, but that was the hope.
·
Bondi never said the files don't exist. She and Trump said they couldn't sort out those who might be guilty of something and those who weren't.
Alternative scenario:
Trump said he'd release a list.
Bondi says the files are on her desk.
A certain Middle Eastern figure comes to Washington DC.
There's no list, and the files aren't going to be released.
Wall Street Journal, not a legitimate publication (see steele dossier)
This is one of those rare occasions that I cannot vote. I simply have no idea or opinion on the matter. None of us knows a goddamn thing, having an opinion seems pointless.
Smilin' Jack said...
"I really don’t understand people’s obsession with this case."
It is a mix of political opportunism, voyerism, and smug self-righteousness. I am talking about both sides.
Didn't Trump want the court to say no? I guess it depends on whether you think there's material there that he wants to make public.
Pure classic stuff here. So, why did Bondi (or more likely Trump the de facto AG) make this request knowing the judge’s hand were tied? Opps!
Elon was right.
Nothing says 'totally innocent' like needing a Justice Department memo to clarify that your name's in the Epstein files.
Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this sordid story by charging Obama for treason.
“Didn't Trump want the court to say no? I guess it depends on whether you think there's material there that he wants to make public.”
So, another Trump lie. Trump said Bondi never told him his name was on list. So is Bondi. According to the WSJ article "Bongino in turn exploded about Bondi, his face red, and called her a liar, a senior administration official said."
Being a liar is a virtue in this administration, not a character flaw.
Something is happening here
But you don't care what it is
Do you, Smilin' Jack?
Well, turns out that Trumps name was found all over the Epstein files according to the Justice department. Pam Bondi was covering for Trump, after telling him he was found in the Epstein files. Boom, there it is. Truth coming out.
Trump is relieved. This will be his excuse for not releasing the information. He doesn't need to have a Judge release grand jury testimony. This is a ruse. He already has the entire list on his desk, along with 10,000 videos of the perps sexually abusing minors, just like he and Bondi said. He knows exactly who these pedophiles are. He campaigned on the promise to be transparent and release all of the information. He said that Epstein did not commit suicide, but was murdered because Epstein knew who was on the list and would reveal their names. Tens of thousands of memes were created by Trump and his supporters to back this up, such as "...and Epstein didn't kill himself." Now that Trump is elected, he claims that it was all a "hoax". There never was a list, there never were 10,000 videos, and there never was any child sexual abuse. It was all a hoax made up by his enemies, even though it was Trump and his supporters who pushed the whole narrative from the beginning. So Trump and his supporters pushed this whole "hoax"? This story is not going away.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/justice-department-told-trump-name-in-epstein-files-727a8038?st=zBt3ap&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
“Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files
Bondi also told president at the meeting that Justice decided to not release more Jeffrey Epstein documents because of the presence of child pornography and the need to protect
When Justice Department officials reviewed what Attorney General Pam Bondi called a “truckload” of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein earlier this year, they discovered that Donald Trump’s name appeared multiple times, according to senior administration officials.
In May, Bondi and her deputy informed the president at a meeting in the White House that his name was in the Epstein files, the officials said. Many other high-profile figures were also named, Trump was told. Being mentioned in the records isn’t a sign of wrongdoing.”
No wonder the WSJ went ahead with the Trump birthday card to Trump, they knew there was incoming revelations.
I don't think "that's it". I also think the US doesn't have the only politicians that don't want that information to become public, and as I believe that, I also believe if they had information on Epstein and Trump; then they would release it.
Obama judge smoothing social progress for Biden et al. Should King Trump make a ruling? #NoJudgment? #NoLabels? #LoveWins? Queer sexual orientations are licit under Democratic law.
Jesus, the dems are praying that they missed something and Trump really is in the files. He isn't , they went over it with a fine tooth comb and he isn't in there. We would have known if he was. Stupid people doing stupid things isn't Trumps M.O.
There's always the possibility he's playing 4-D chess.
And another thing. After pushing the narrative that Epstein didn't commit suicide, with tens of thousands of posts and memes alleging this, and asserting that instead Epstein was killed because he might reveal all of the names, Trump now concludes that Epstein did in fact commit suicide, and anyone who says otherwise is just an enemy trying to bring down Trump. We are entering the realm of the absurd.
JFC, we've known for years Trump took some flights on Epstein's jet (not to his island) and that they knew each other in NY. That headline reeks of desperation to keep the story alive.
Breaking news from this afternoon: WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared in Justice Department files related to financier Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in prison, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing senior administration officials.
The White House characterized the story as "fake news."
The newspaper's report threatened to expand what has become a major political crisis for Trump, whose past friendship with Epstein has drawn renewed scrutiny after his administration said it would not release the files, reversing a campaign promise.
The Justice Department released a memo earlier this month that there was no basis to continue probing the Epstein case, triggering a backlash among Trump's political base who demanded more information about wealthy and powerful people who had interacted with Epstein
yes, very weak tea, if the Journal were a serious paper, we would take it seriously
Ann Althouse said...
Didn't Trump want the court to say no? I guess it depends on whether you think there's material there that he wants to make public.
It depends on Trump's level of moral development.
If Trump was only interested in his personal situation he would want the files released. Trump would benefit in every way personally from having the documents released.
A morally retarded Trump would probably just release the files.
But what will happen if these Grand Jury documents are released?
1. A bunch of people will be named and shamed. Likely 90% of the people named will be innocent but they will be tarred for even being listed.
2. Trump would be exonerated. If there was anything damning for Trump in these files Obama would have directed his potato puppet to direct the FBI to leak them or more likely just directly tell the FBI to do it.
3. Most importantly: The Grand Jury System would be utterly destroyed. Everyone who is compelled to testify in the Grand Jury system does so under the agreement that the testimony is sealed. If these files were released then every person called into a Grand Jury could legally say they have no guarantee of protection and they could invoke the 5th and other privacy arguments.
This is so boring. Trump 86ed Epstein years ago. ShipwreckedCrew on X has an interesting thread on what probably happened here.
lonejustice said...
Breaking news from this afternoon: WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared in Justice Department files related to financier Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in prison, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing senior administration officials.
The White House characterized the story as "fake news."
The newspaper's report threatened to expand what has become a major political crisis for Trump, whose past friendship with Epstein has drawn renewed scrutiny after his administration said it would not release the files, reversing a campaign promise.
The Justice Department released a memo earlier this month that there was no basis to continue probing the Epstein case, triggering a backlash among Trump's political base who demanded more information about wealthy and powerful people who had interacted with Epstein
This is just the same old morally retarded 90 IQ bullshit that will only work for about 30% of the country.
If there was anything remotely negative about Trump in these files it would have been leaked by Biden and his Obama aid handlers. Everyone knows this.
But the venn diagram between people who cannot figure that out and the people who believe in collectivism has a lot of overlap.
They are just stupid people.
One good thing about all of this is that the Wall Street Journal, unlike the lame, biased, bankrupt, limp-wristed MSM, has the "lawyers, guns and money" to resist Trump and not cave in to his bullying. (Hat tip to Warren Zevon)
same paper that published the Russia hoaxes, the sham Daniels claims etc, they have no value 50 fold,
lonejustice said...
Trump is relieved. This will be his excuse for not releasing the information. He doesn't need to have a Judge release grand jury testimony.
This is what happens when you can't understand what is happening in the world so you make things up based on your limited comprehension.
lonejustice cannot understand Trump's situation so he applies his point of view to the situation and projects himself and his limitations into the sphere.
What would happen if Trump unilaterally released the documents? Just think for 2 seconds please.
1. Trump would be exonerated.
2. Trump would destroy centuries of judicial precedent. The Grand Jury system would be defenestrated.
3. You would bitch and moan that Trump is "IGNORING THE COURTS!!1!11!"
4. Nobody would accept the documents and pretend that Trump doctored them all and removed the documents that show he was guilty.
This is all easily predictable.
You are just dumb man.
"1. "Polls show Republicans breaking with Trump over the Epstein files" "
I understand that the polls in Iowa are particularly bad for the President.
Seriously, I thought we dispensed with the polling bias of the NYT in the last election.
He is neither stymied nor relieved. This is exactly what he knew would happen. He's reeling them in.
Also "Republicans who do not identify as part of Mr. Trump's MAGA movement..." are also known as "NeverTrump."
they want to break down the grand jury system, much as they have done to every institution in this country
Without reading other comments -
"Attorney General Alerted Trump He Was Named in Epstein Files/It was not clear in what context Trump’s name was raised in the files"
You know who would know in what context Trump's name was - or could have been - raised in the files? Trump. That's why I think the context is innocuous... as I keep saying. HE chose to elevate Kash Patel. HE chose to elevate Pam Bondi. HE choose to elevate Dan Bongino. This was AFTER they were already taking about releasing all kinds of files, the Epstein files among them.
If there was ANY dirt on Trump in the Epstein Files, it would have come out long ago. The fact that it didn't tells us all we need to know.
This is the supposed back story. But 'Trump is in them' is Fake News, my prediction, for all the really obvious reasons. And 'Republicans' being upset with Trump's handling of the files is just RINOs taking any opportunity to be against Trump. I swear, it still seems like 40% of elected Republicans are really Democrats doing undercover work. They are both the same thing.
When the files are released, and it really is only a matter of time, and there is no Trump scandal in them, Bich, Inga, etal. will simply pretend it all didn't happen or they will retreat to the position that not all of the files were released.
The funny thing is the left bragging about "Trump is in the Epstein files" will just elevate the other news they are trying to hide. Trump's history with Epstein has been documented for 6 years now. As many people have noted, if something changed after 2011, when Trump called the cops on Epstein; then it would have been released in clear detail. If something magically appears left behind by the previous DoJ leadership; it will seem just like the cooked-up intelligence created by Brennan.
In the meantime, like a dog with a bone; members of the Trump Administration are still working out how to release the files. They aren't doing it to undermine their boss. While the recent stuff may hurt Trump favorability (looking at Real Clear Politics poll tracking, that's questionable), none of it will result in Trump being pulled down within the next 6 months or year.
Perhaps some think the timing then might help mid-terms for Democrats. I've heard polls saying Democrats have the lead in the generic. But if we want to talk favorability polls, as Democrats want to do with Trump; then they might want to look at what people think of Democrats. Even among Democrats, Democrat politicians have a 2 to 1 disapproval to approval. Trump is like 55 to 45 generically, and among his own party, Trump enjoys over 80% approval from Republicans (right now, it is about 88%). This is all a distraction, and a needed one, from the criminal cases that are coming. Hiding those cases will be like hiding Biden's health once the truth comes out.
Biden never released the Epstein files because he knew that most of the names were influential Democrats he wanted to protect. But a lot of the names were Republicans as well, including, maybe, Trump, or at least some of Trump's biggest donors and supporters. So Biden balked, to protect his friends, and even his family. But Trump, unlike Biden, promised to release all of the names of the child sexual abusers. He promised to do so in his campaign. He said he had the list of names, and 10,000 videos of the perps sexually abusing children, all sitting on his desk. But then, after being elected, he denied that he had any of them, the lists, the 10,000 videos, everything. He even said that Epstein committed suicide. It is not unreasonable to be skeptical about Trump on these matters.
lonejustice said...
It is not unreasonable to be skeptical about Trump on these matters.
That is not what you are doing.
I am being skeptical.
I think the FBI has knowledge of what was in the files and who destroyed them. It is near certainty that the Biden DOJ wiped everything that was incriminating for Democrats and donors. I think Epstein was likely Israeli intelligence and we are covering it up.
You on the other hand are saying stupid obviously untrue shit. because you hate Trump.
The Trump administration literally conceded in its own motion to unseal the Epstein grand jury documents that the court could not unseal them. The government even cited the very case law that prohibits it—prompting the judge to note that, by their own admission, the court lacks the authority to unseal them.
Didn't Trump want the court to say no? I guess it depends on whether you think there's material there that he wants to make public.
Jesus, did any of you idiots read the decision? This relates only to Grand Jury testimony in Florida form 2005-2007, ot from the most recent arrest. Also, there is a Circuit split on what circumstances allow for the unsealing of grand jury testimony - Florida's Circuit (11th) has case law that prohibits the release other than under certain specified circumstances, which the administration acknowledged (and basically acknowledged does not exist here). The Second (which includes NY) and 7th Circuits have an "exceptional public interest" standard - there is a Circuit split. The Trump administration sought to have the Florida court release the material (which they cannot do as per 11th Circuit precedent) or to transfer the case to the Southern District of New York (where release may be allowed). Unsurprisingly, the Florida Court (which is bound by 11th Circuit precedent) said no to both. This was a necessary step towards appealing to the 11th Circuit (who, en banc, could reverse the 3-judge panel decision), which would also be a necessary step towards appealing to the Supreme Court. In other words, the only way to get the Florida grand jury testimony unsealed is to file and lose this case to establish grounds to appeal.
Meanwhile, the much more relevant NY grand jury testimony is potentially subject to release under 2nd Circuit precedent, although any such release would almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court, which is where this whole thing is ultimately headed.
Anyone who says this is anything other than a procedural stepping stone is ignorant or is lying. I am frankly surprised that our host did not seem to pick up on this right away.
And , for f**k's sake.
“There's always the possibility he's playing 4-D chess.”
Yes. The end game will be for Donald Trump to commute Ghislaine Maxwell’s sentence in return for her testimony against select Epstein “clients.”
Yeah, Lonejustice, the Biden DoJ was too stupid to figure out a way to leak documents about Trump while keeping the rest of the files secret. What is your IQ, Lonejustice- 75?
Maxwell is the one person still alive who could answer the most important questions about who was abusing underage girls at Epstein's properties. It was interesting that no one in the Biden DoJ was interested in making a deal with her after her conviction- maybe this DoJ feels differently.
People are still not understanding what most of us are concerned about. I do not care who was on Epstein's contact list. I do not particularly care about lists at all. What we KNOW is that there were multiple videos of a whole lot of powerful people molesting underage girls and boys. And what we want to know is why those videos have not been used to charge those people with child rape and worse. I do not care if they are Republicans or Democrats or royals or movie stars or music stars or what. I just want every one of those people prosecuted and imprisoned. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE VIDEOS?
Tim, I think the videos you are talking about don't and never existed. Listen to how Bondi described the videos they did have- she explicitly said they were child porn down-loaded off the internet and they would know this because the DoJ has come across these same videos before in other cases. The perps in those videos have either already been identified and tried or it wasn't possible to identify them or they were out of jurisdicition.
When the files are released, it will disappoint everyone- Epstein almost certainly made his money providing regular prostitution to repeat, high-wealth customers with whom he built trust-worthy relationships- many of whom probably provide valuable insider information as part of the transaction.
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