Trump’s reversal of his many negative statements and total opposition to releasing the Epstein files is pretty drastic. The statement that there’s nothing to hide doesn’t quite alter the fact that the files were effectively hidden for quite a while.
The sleaze factor is huge, and it’s a major driver of the demand to release the files. There is no debate that the Epstein saga has included a lot of very well-known and in some cases, damaged people worldwide. They are also possibly likely to be “reborn” in context if the files are released. These people are entitled to the presumption of innocence, but any implication of sleaze sticks, and has been doing so since 2018.
There has been a lot of pressure from all sides to release the files. In social media and mainstream media, there’s just no getting away from the files. It’s not a viable position for nothing to be said or done about the files.
That said, many cans of worms have already been opened by the Epstein emails. Of particular interest are those emails referring to Trump.
Many of these emails date from Epstein’s arrest in 2018 during Trump’s first presidency.
AT some point, the relationship soured. Both Trump and Epstein become very negative about each other. Trump refers to Epstein as a “creep,” and Epstein refers to Trump as “dumb” and is pretty dismissive of him.
There’s a bit of prior background to this. Michael Wolff wrote a book called “Too Famous”, which includes interviews with Trump, Epstein, Giuliani, and serial hanger-on Steve Bannon.
Wolff is a very good, efficient, and effective writer. There’s no clutter at all in his books. He stays ruthlessly on topic, even a hideous topic like this.
In this case, he’s a bit too good at his job. The book is a very turgid insight into actual conversations, apparently pretty much verbatim. The general tone of the talk is what you’d expect to hear in a bar or a trailer park.
I wish I’d never read it.
The book reads as all too real. There’s a lot of deep and meaningful. mediocrity. Dots are joined from 7 years ago, which are making headlines now as allegations or theories.
There’s no glitz, no star power, no glamour. Everything is, of course, all about them, and Wolff mercilessly hammers out how they were feeling and reacting to the situation at the time Epstein apparently seems to think he’s in the clear. Trump is Trump throughout.
Bannon is everywhere in the mix, a real social butterfly. He’s part of the talking furniture and not always a sympathetic one, although allegedly he was at one point trying to matchmake Epstein with MAGA.
Bannon is also currently the GOP’s Voice of Doom, predicting jail for himself and others if the Republicans lose the midterms and 2028. Wonder where he got that idea.
All of which brings us back to right now in all its shabby pseudo-glory.
If the files are released, they’ll act as amplifiers to all that’s gone before. Will they be revelations? Will they be the Trump equivalent of WikiLeaks? Will they be redacted? What effect will they have? Trump can’t give his blessing to their release and then call them “fake news”, either.
Recharge your cynicism batteries, folks. Sleaze is sleaze.
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
