Democrats laugh off Trump attempts to blame them for Epstein fallout
Democrats ignore Trump’s attempts to pin his newest scandal on them
John Bowden
in Washington, D.C.
Sunday 20 July 2025
Sunday 20 July 2025
THE INDEPENDENT
Trump on Epstein: Stupid Republicans are falling for a 'Democrat hoax'
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
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Donald Trump’s political rivals seemed unshaken by his attempts to pin blame on them for the fallout over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation this weekend.
As the president and his allies leveled allegations about the Biden Justice Department supposedly tampering with evidence to link Trump to the convicted pedophile, Democrats remained fixed on calling for the full release of the Justice Department’s cache of evidence and investigation.
Even as news broke this past week that Trump had instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release grand jury testimony from the investigations into Epstein and his mistress, those same Democrats called the move an attempt to cover up the president’s involvement, given that it constituted less than full transparency.
On Sunday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar laughed off a suggestion made by Trump on Wednesday in an interview with a MAGA-supporting channel, Real America’s Voice: “I can imagine what they put into files, just like they did with the others.”
“The president blaming Democrats for this disaster, Jake, is like that CEO that got caught on camera blaming Coldplay, okay?” Klobuchar joked to CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union, referencing a now-viral clip that made the rounds last week. “This is a problem of his own making.”
Trump on Epstein: Stupid Republicans are falling for a 'Democrat hoax'
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read more
Donald Trump’s political rivals seemed unshaken by his attempts to pin blame on them for the fallout over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation this weekend.
As the president and his allies leveled allegations about the Biden Justice Department supposedly tampering with evidence to link Trump to the convicted pedophile, Democrats remained fixed on calling for the full release of the Justice Department’s cache of evidence and investigation.
Even as news broke this past week that Trump had instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release grand jury testimony from the investigations into Epstein and his mistress, those same Democrats called the move an attempt to cover up the president’s involvement, given that it constituted less than full transparency.
On Sunday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar laughed off a suggestion made by Trump on Wednesday in an interview with a MAGA-supporting channel, Real America’s Voice: “I can imagine what they put into files, just like they did with the others.”
“The president blaming Democrats for this disaster, Jake, is like that CEO that got caught on camera blaming Coldplay, okay?” Klobuchar joked to CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union, referencing a now-viral clip that made the rounds last week. “This is a problem of his own making.”
Senator Amy Klobuchar responded to Donald Trump's attempts to accuse Democrats of tampering with the investigation (Twitter - CNN State of the Union)
Eric Swalwell, a congressman from California, also discussed the president’s response and call for the release of the Epstein grand jury testimony.
“If you’re Donald Trump and you have Elon Musk saying you’re in the files, and Mick Mulvaney, your former chief of staff, saying you’re in the files, and Michael Wolff, your biographer saying that you’re not just in the files but that there’s some pretty disturbing things you did with underaged girls, wouldn’t you want to clear your name?” he asked during an appearance Saturday evening.
“I think that’s why his supporters are scratching their heads,” Swalwell continued, adding that the president was “willing to throw his supporters overboard to keep these files buried.”
Numerous other Democrats across the ideological spectrum joined in on the calls for the files’ release this past week, bridging across the party’s ideological spectrum and revealing a generational divide more than a policy gap. Senior Democrats, like Nancy Pelosi, have referred to the controversy as a “distraction”.
But younger Democrats roll their eyes at the notion of letting Republicans off easy on the first issue that has truly divided the MAGA base in years.
“This is Donald Trump’s effort…to gaslight you into thinking they’re turning over the Epstein files, when in reality, they’re turning over nothing that is relevant to what everybody deserves to know,” Congressman Dan Goldman said on Friday. “The grand jury testimony of course will only relate to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell — the two people who were charged in the case.”
The Justice Department moved this past week to unseal grand jury transcripts from the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and his girlfriend/accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while Maxwell remains in prison.
Any transcripts released from those grand jury proceedings would relate solely to Maxwell and Epstein themselves, and would not likely contain any mention of Trump or other powerful men known to have cultivated relationships with the billionaire financier who was set to face trial for sex trafficking underage girls when he died.
The motions were filed in court a day after the Epstein story again blew up with a bombshell story from Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal.
The Journal published the text of a note that was allegedly penned by Trump to Epstein as part of a 50th birthday card. The note itself was framed with the silhouette of a naked woman, Trump’s signature in place of pubic hair; the contents alluding to a “secret” that Trump wrote the two men shared.
Trump has fiercely denied the authenticity of all parts of the Journal’s reporting, from the drawing to the contents of the note.
On Friday and Saturday, Trump launched lawsuits against the newspaper as well as unaffiliated journalists who shared it on social media.
Bondi served as Florida’s first female attorney general from 2011 to 2019
Rhian Lubin
in New York
The Independent
Saturday 19 July 2025
Epstein's ex-girlfriend says he was once 'very close' with Trump
President Donald Trump’s embattled Attorney General has been mired in controversy over the release of the Epstein files, which she claimed were sitting on her desk in February.
The Department of Justice announced on July 6 that no more evidence in the case would be released and that the disgraced financier did not have a “client list.”
Following widespread outrage from MAGA, Trump ordered Bondi to release certain Epstein files and relevant grand jury testimony “subject to court approval.”
Before joining the Trump administration, Bondi, who represented Trump during his first impeachment proceedings in 2019, served as Florida’s first female attorney general.
The Palm Beach Post asked the question: “Should Bondi have looked into Epstein's crimes between the time of his jail release in 2009 and the filing of the criminal charges in 2019, when many have alleged that he sexually assaulted hundreds more?”
open image in galleryBefore joining the Trump administration Bondi, who represented Trump during his first impeachment proceedings in 2019, served as Florida’s first female attorney general. (AP)
Saturday 19 July 2025
Epstein's ex-girlfriend says he was once 'very close' with Trump
President Donald Trump’s embattled Attorney General has been mired in controversy over the release of the Epstein files, which she claimed were sitting on her desk in February.
The Department of Justice announced on July 6 that no more evidence in the case would be released and that the disgraced financier did not have a “client list.”
Following widespread outrage from MAGA, Trump ordered Bondi to release certain Epstein files and relevant grand jury testimony “subject to court approval.”
Before joining the Trump administration, Bondi, who represented Trump during his first impeachment proceedings in 2019, served as Florida’s first female attorney general.
The Palm Beach Post asked the question: “Should Bondi have looked into Epstein's crimes between the time of his jail release in 2009 and the filing of the criminal charges in 2019, when many have alleged that he sexually assaulted hundreds more?”
open image in galleryBefore joining the Trump administration Bondi, who represented Trump during his first impeachment proceedings in 2019, served as Florida’s first female attorney general. (AP)
Theoretically, she could have, said Nova Southeastern University law professor Robert Jarvis.
“The federal government and the state government, of course, are two different political entities, and both have the power to try the same person for the same crime, using their respective laws,” Jarvis told the Post. “Thus, Pam Bondi could have tried Epstein.”
The Independent has contacted Bondi’s office for comment.
Jarvis, however, added that Bondi would not necessarily have had cause to initiate a new investigation unless someone had specifically brought a case to her attention.
“I would not criticize her for not doing anything for what seem[s] to be a case that had already been adjudicated and dealt with and punishment handed out,” Jarvis told the outlet.
open image in galleryAuthorities in Palm Beach started investigating Epstein in Florida in 2005 (Florida Department of Law Enforc)
Authorities in Palm Beach started investigating Epstein in Florida in 2005. A grand jury charged him with one count of solicitation of prostitution in 2006 as accounts of sexual abuse from his island mansion began to come to light.
In 2008, despite an overwhelming amount of evidence, Epstein was given the “deal of the century” that saw him serve 13 months out of an 18-month sentence for only two prostitution-related felonies. He was released in July 2009.
Federal prosecutors in New York brought sex trafficking charges against Epstein a decade later.
Bondi said a motion to release grand jury testimony in the Epstein case was filed on Friday in a post on X.
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