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The Trump doth protest too much, methinks [1]

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Date: 2025-07-23

Let me get this straight.

As cries to finally release the Epstein files reach a national fever pitch—with even some MAGA hardliners demanding accountability—Donald Trump and his merry band of chaos agents are doing everything they can to distract, deflect, and deny. And, my friends, it’s not subtle.

First up? The strange case of Ghislaine Maxwell. Yes, that Ghislaine Maxwell—convicted sex trafficker and Epstein’s closest accomplice. Instead of releasing what the public already paid for—the full unredacted Epstein files—the Department of Justice, under Trump’s personal AG Pam Bondi, is... requesting a new meeting with Maxwell. As reported by AP News, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said he plans to hear what she has to say. What could that possibly mean unless they’re starting to negotiate a plea deal to control the narrative?

Even the spelling of her name—“Ghislane” in Blanche’s official statement—suggests either incompetence or a rushed cover job. You’d think they’d spellcheck if they were really trying to project transparency.

Then came the smokescreens.

In the last 48 hours, Trump’s White House declassified and dumped 240,000 pages of FBI files on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—sealed since 1977—and touted them as a victory for transparency. But the timing? More than suspicious. This move, documented by ABC News, was clearly intended to drown out headlines about Epstein.

Let’s be clear: exposing the FBI’s historical persecution of civil rights leaders is important. But when it’s done by an administration that has no respect for civil rights, it’s performative at best, manipulative at worst. The acting archivist overseeing the release? None other than Marco Rubio, who’s also serving simultaneously as Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, and (yes) head of USAID (New York Times).

And if that wasn't enough, Bondi’s DOJ also released more documents tied to Hillary Clinton’s email server—re-litigating a case the FBI already closed in 2016, noting she’d been “extremely careless” but committed no crime (Newsweek).

This isn’t transparency. It’s vintage Trump. Create chaos, throw red meat to the base, and hope no one notices the walls closing in.

Cue the fireworks… literally.

Last night at 9:03 p.m., Trump’s official X account posted a photo of himself before American flags, golden eagles, and a pyrotechnic sky, captioned:

“I was the hunted—NOW I’M THE HUNTER. President Donald J. Trump.”

If that sounds unhinged, wait for the follow-up act.

Today, when asked about the Maxwell meeting, Trump melted down, blaming Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for trying to “rig” the 2016 election and calling for treason charges. As ABC News and Politico reported, he even claimed the 2020 election was rigged and that inflation, gang violence, and mass immigration are all somehow connected to the Russia investigation. It’s the greatest hits of MAGA grievance politics—an all-you-can-eat buffet of distraction.

It gets worse.

Instead of taking a vote on releasing the Epstein files, House Speaker Mike Johnson sent Congress home early for summer recess. That means no further action until September. Why the sudden urgency to recess? Could it be the mounting pressure from the public and even some conservatives to just release the damn files?

Meanwhile, CNN dropped new photos of Trump and Epstein—raising eyebrows and reigniting the very scandal Trump seems desperate to bury (CNN).

Even more damning? Steve Bannon has reportedly been feeding mainstream outlets stories to downplay the Epstein angle altogether. According to Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley, recent New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN coverage suggesting the Epstein scandal has been “overblown” all trace back to Bannon as the anonymous source. You read that right: the same Steve Bannon now estranged from Trump’s inner circle.

Trump, for his part, has turned on his own loyalists—including Laura Loomer and others—calling the Epstein outrage a “Democratic hoax” and “nonsense.” A clear attempt to disown the firestorm even as Times Square billboards ask, in all caps:

“TRUMP, WHY WON’T YOU RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES?”

Even as Times Square billboards blare in bold letters—“TRUMP, WHY WON’T YOU RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES?”—we’re left watching a president whose every move screams desperation.

And the excuses? They’re unraveling fast.

Take the administration’s latest claim that certain Epstein materials, especially grand jury transcripts, can’t legally be released. That’s partially true. Federal law prohibits public disclosure of grand jury testimony without a court order. But here’s the thing: Trump isn’t asking a judge to intervene. He’s not demanding the release of redacted materials, witness lists, or internal memos that can be released. No, instead of doing what’s legally and procedurally possible, he's weaponizing legal limitations as a smokescreen, all while pretending to champion transparency.

And too much of the mainstream media is buying it—or worse, letting it slide with weak headlines and stenographic coverage. “Trump pushes to release Epstein docs,” they write, without pausing to ask: which documents? On whose terms? And with what motive?

That failure of depth allows Trump's people to create the illusion of action while quietly doing the opposite.

Let’s talk about Attorney General Pam Bondi.

This is someone who, back when she was Florida AG, dropped an investigation into Trump University after receiving a $25,000 donation from Trump’s charity—an act so ethically compromised that it later resulted in Trump’s foundation being shut down for “a shocking pattern of illegality.”

Now Bondi is running point on the Epstein files?

She has no business near this case—unless, of course, her role is to protect Trump, not the public. And that’s exactly what the language coming from her office suggests. They’re not pledging to release all information. They’re promising to release what they call “credible” and “pertinent” evidence—legalese for filtered, selective, and Trump-approved.

Even more troubling? Senator Dick Durbin reportedly uncovered that the FBI is combing through the Epstein materials looking specifically for references to Trump—not to investigate, but to intervene. Think about that. The same Justice Department that claims it wants the truth out is also working behind the scenes to manage how much of that truth reaches us.

So yes, the president doth protest too much. And his protests are full of noise, coded language, and diversion. He wants us lost in a labyrinth of document dumps, conspiracies, and feigned outrage—all so we stop asking the one question that still matters:

What exactly is he trying to hide?

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/23/2334768/-The-Trump-doth-protest-too-much-methinks?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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