President Trump on Wednesday lambasted “foolish Republicans” for being duped by Democrats into focusing on deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and diverting attention from his administration’s feats. Here’s what you need to know about Trump’s Epstein criticism:
Trump’s Republican criticism
President blames GOP members for falling into Democratic trap:
- “Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net”
- “So they try and do the Democrats’ work” according to Trump
- Said during Oval Office meeting with crown prince of Bahrain
- President frustrated with Republicans focusing on Epstein case
The “Epstein hoax” label
Trump dismisses case as distraction from achievements:
- “I call it the Epstein hoax. Takes a lot of time and effort”
- Said Republicans waste time instead of “talking about the great achievements we’ve had”
- “They’re wasting their time with a guy who obviously had some very serious problems”
- “Who died three, four years ago” according to Trump
The economic priorities
President wants focus shifted to accomplishments:
- “I’d rather talk about the successes we have with the economy”
- Trump emphasized administration’s achievements over Epstein focus
- Said bigger problems include prosecuting illegal immigrants and cracking down on other crimes
- President wants attention directed toward policy successes
The Bondi defense
Trump defends attorney general against inconsistency questions:
- Washington Times asked about Bondi’s inconsistent statements
- February Fox News interview had Bondi saying client list “on her desk awaiting her review”
- Later clarified she meant Epstein files in general, not specifically client list
- Trump leaped to her defense when asked about inconsistencies
The video footage controversy
Bondi’s statements about FBI review created confusion:
- July 1: Bondi told reporters FBI reviewing “tens of thousands of videos” of Epstein “with children or child porn”
- Justice Department later announced no client list or incriminating footage of associates
- Trump said “If she finds any more credible information, she’ll give that too”
- “What more can she do than that?” Trump asked
The “boring” case dismissal
President repeatedly downplays Epstein significance:
- Trump called Epstein case “boring” this week
- “He’s [been] dead for a long time” according to president
- “He was never a big factor in terms of life”
- “I don’t understand what the interest or what the fascination is”
The credible information standard
Trump says available information has been provided:
- “The credible information’s been given” according to Trump
- “I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody”
- “It’s pretty boring stuff. It’s sordid, but it’s boring”
- “I don’t understand why it keeps going”
The Democratic file criticism
President questions reliability of Epstein documents:
- Trump reiterated gripe that Epstein files unreliable because overseen by Democrats
- “Don’t forget, we went through years of the [special counsel Robert] Mueller witch hunt”
- Mentioned “[Christopher] Steele dossier, which was all fake”
- “All that information is fake” according to Trump
The Rogan criticism
Podcaster who endorsed Trump blasts administration claims:
- Joe Rogan offered crucial endorsement in last year’s election
- “They’ve got videotape, and all [of] a sudden they don’t”
- Referenced FBI Director Kash Patel’s interview on his show last month
- “Why’d they say there was thousands of hours of tape of people doing horrible s—-?”
The Haley opposition
Former U.N. ambassador and 2024 rival criticizes handling:
- Nikki Haley challenged Trump for GOP nomination but later endorsed him
- “Release the Epstein files and let the chips fall where they may”
- “This is why people don’t trust the government”
- “You can never go wrong with being transparent”
The transparency push
Haley advocates for document release with protections:
- “Redact victims’ names, but release the rest”
- Later hailed Rep. Ralph Norman for efforts to force House vote
- “Thankful for @RalphNorman for understanding the importance of transparency”
- Norman working to release full Epstein files
Read more:
• Trump says “foolish Republicans” help Democrats by obsessing over Epstein
This article is written with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence based solely on Washington Times original reporting and wire services. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Ann Wog, Managing Editor for Digital, at awog@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
