After fighting tooth and nail, along with making individual threats to Republican Congresswomen Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace, Donald Trump has done an about-face and told House Republicans to vote for the full release of the Epstein files.
“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide," said Trump. "And it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown.’”
This doesn’t reflect a change of heart as to whether the files should be released, but an acknowledgement that he was about to lose the vote by a large margin despite all the threats he’d issued to any Republican daring to cross him. Many Republicans who weren’t among the four that signed the discharge petition forcing the vote have publicly or privately indicated they would vote “Yes” to release the files. Who wants to be on the record protecting pedophiles?
Trump changed his mind because the House was going to vote overwhelmingly to release the files. He flipped so that he could claim he got precisely what he wanted instead of it looking like mutiny among the Republican ranks.
This doesn’t mean he wants those files ever to see the light of day. From what has already been released, Trump’s name appears in over 1,000 email chains, not all in a negative light, but some very damning. They included claims that Trump spent time at Epstein’s house with a victim, described Trump as “the dog that hasn’t barked,” and alleged that “of course he knew about the girls.”
Pam Bondi has refused to address the photos that Michael Wolff alleges exist with half-naked girls sitting on Trump’s lap. Trump may have been involved in undisclosed business deals with Epstein, as were many others. Trump released House members' votes because he’d lost them anyway. That doesn’t mean he won’t keep fighting their release at every turn.
It would be hypocritical to encourage the House to release the files while attempting to block a Senate vote. But have you met Donald Trump? When has that ever stopped him? Look for him to pressure John Thune never to bring the matter to a vote. If he loses that battle, he’ll have already lost the Senate. The remaining question will be whether it’s a veto-proof margin if the writing is on the wall. Trump may not veto the measure, but he has one more trick up his sleeve.
H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, contains a provision allowing the Department of Justice to withhold information related to an active federal investigation (DOJ may withhold personal information of victims and materials that would jeopardize an active federal investigation.).
There were no active federal investigations at the time of the introduction of H.R. 4405. Pam Bondi made clear months ago that there would be no future prosecutions.
When it became clear to Trump that he couldn’t stop the discharge petition, he created new federal investigations, basically demanding that Bondi and the FBI open up investigations into Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, and others.
“I will be asking A.G. Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him,” said Trump
The Commander in Chief has created a means for the Justice Department to withhold the release of any undesirable information they dislike by claiming ties to the now-active federal investigations. I ask you: is Pam Bondi, the woman who accepted an illegal $25,000 campaign donation from Trump while serving as Attorney General of the State of Florida, and who refused to join litigation against Trump University, going to release anything Trump doesn’t want out?
When the House bill moves on to the Senate, and even if it eventually becomes law, there will be no joy in Mudville; true justice will at least temporarily have struck out.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium. And if you dig his words, buy the man a coffee.