Trump and Epstein were great buddies

[cherokeetroy]

I don't know how anybody takes what Trump says at face value, especially on the Epstein BS.  So either he is bluffing with new info, he is fabricating new info, or they really have new info. I think he is bluffing with new information to see who it may rattle

Is he gonna have others lie for him on thier government salaries, all the while all of Congress will be perusing the files looking for bullshit just like this. The first sentence that is the "new information" will be dissected by friends and foes alike, all looking for the damning piece or evidence against OMB, or the piece that exonerates him, and who else it may implicate.

So how many people will he have to buy off?  A man, like Trump, trusts very few people, and I don't think he inspires that kind of personal loyalty. I really don't; he burns through staff members

If one wrong person finds out this grand scheme, it goes to MSNBC, and Maddow comes on the screen with her frowny face, and the gig is up

Without details of who, what how, it sounds like Captain Quig and his strawberries.

You've been plugged in as long as anybody.  Spell it out if you want to convince people.

It feels like Trump's just shaking the tree to see what falls out, at the moment.

spell it out..okay, I think it doesn't matter if this is a coverup or if it's theatre
We've reached peak absurdity. There's no stopping this trainwreck


If it's a coverup, Epstein's co-conspirators are in serious trouble. The people who protected co-conspirators are in serious trouble 

If this is theatre, it reveals the high level of corruption and abuse of power as they expend government resources in an elaborate tit for tat that Americans are helpless to prevent

Either/Or doesn't matter. The stupidity will continue escalating until it all blows up

That's what we have to look forward to
The Crash Out of the Millennium

[putnam6]

spell it out..okay, I think it doesn't matter if this is a coverup or if it's theatre
We've reached peak absurdity. There's no stopping this trainwreck

If it's a coverup, Epstein's co-conspirators are in serious trouble. The people who protected co-conspirators are in serious trouble 

If this is theatre, it reveals the high level of corruption and abuse of power as they expend government resources in an elaborate tit for tat that Americans are helpless to prevent

Either/Or doesn't matter. The stupidity will continue escalating until it all blows up

That's what we have to look forward to
The Crash Out of the Millennium

I can't argue with that assessment 

Let's see if it ends in indictments. I think he is just shaking the trees, mostly because he can, but didn't Bondi say there was nothing criminal left in the Epstein Files?

So it will have to be something new...

[cherokeetroy]

[putnam6]

Sounds as if Trump wants the federal court in Florida to release EPSTEIN TRANSCRIPTS that are currently sealed

thats a good thing, right

 

 
Eric Daugherty

@EricLDaugh


 BREAKING: President Trump and AG Pam Bondi just asked a federal court in Florida to release EPSTEIN TRANSCRIPTS that are currently sealed. The filing comes barely 2 days after Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The DOJ is now arguing the new law OVERRIDES a law that allowed these documents to remain sealed. HUGE BACKFIRE on the left.

 

KaShif Shah 

@kashifshah931
·
This move shows Trump wants the sealed material out in the open and he wants it fast. The new law gives the DOJ a path to argue for release, and that shifts the pressure onto the court. If the transcripts come out, a lot of people will face questions they avoided for years. Transparency now works against the people who fought to keep everything hidden.

[quintessentone]

They will withhold whatever they want to withhold from the public, as usual, that's why Trump called for a new investigation when it was said previously that it was investigated thoroughly and there was no there there. Now there is a there there. An absolute corrupt cover up.

----------------

"What’s the fine print on what can be released?
 In addition to allowing DOJ to withhold information related to active investigations, there are other permitted withholdings.
 
They include personal identifiable information of victims or other disclosures that would constitute an invasion of privacy. Also exempted is anything depicting child sexual abuse, death or physical abuse.
 
A much broader and subjective permitted withholding has to do with classified material or anything that needs to be “kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy.”"

Reading the fine print on the Epstein files legislation

[putnam6]

Why Trump "Has to Ask" for Release
As President, Trump technically has broad executive authority over the DOJ (which he appoints the Attorney General to lead) and could direct the release of many federal investigative files without congressional involvement—similar to how he declassified JFK and MLK assassination records in his first term. However, in practice, he cannot unilaterally force the full release due to several legal, procedural, and strategic barriers. Here's why he (or any president) must involve Congress or courts:

1. Judicial and Legal Protections:
   • Many files are sealed by court orders to protect victims' privacy, grand jury secrecy (under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e)), or third-party rights. For example, grand jury transcripts from Epstein's cases require judicial approval to unseal. Courts have repeatedly blocked full releases, citing risks to ongoing civil suits or victim safety.
     
   • Executive Order 13526 (on classified information) and Article II of the Constitution limit declassification if it endangers national security, active probes, or privacy—hurdles that apply even to the president. 
     
2. Ongoing Investigations as a Blocker:
   • The bill Trump signed (the Epstein Files Transparency Act) mandates release within 30 days but explicitly allows the DOJ to withhold or redact materials that "would jeopardize an active federal investigation or prosecution." Trump ordered a new DOJ probe into Epstein's ties to Democrats (e.g., Clinton) and entities like JPMorgan Chase just days before the bill's passage, raising suspicions this could be used to delay or limit disclosures. Critics, including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), called it a potential "smokescreen." 
     
3. Congressional Mandate for Full Transparency:
   • To override court seals and compel all files (including those from Epstein's estate, Maxwell's trial, and non-DOJ sources), legislation is needed. Bipartisan efforts (led by Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Ro Khanna (D-CA)) forced a House vote via discharge petition after White House resistance. Trump initially opposed this, calling the files a "Democrat hoax," but reversed course on November 16, 2025, urging Republicans to pass it—claiming he directed leaders like Speaker Mike Johnson to do so. 
     
   • He signed the bill on November 19, 2025, starting a 30-day clock (deadline ~December 19), but the DOJ (under AG Pam Bondi) has vowed only "maximum transparency while protecting victims." Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer have warned of oversight if redactions hide "the truth." 
     

• Early Resistance: In 2024-2025, Trump dismissed release efforts as distractions, with his administration stallingTrump's Shifting Stance and Political Context subpoenas and closing prior probes (FBI memo: no evidence against "uncharged third parties"). Leaked 2018 emails from Epstein (released November 2025) referenced Trump positively ("the dog that hasn’t barked") but fueled speculation of deeper ties, including post-2000s contacts and 2016 election help. 
  
• Reversal Under Pressure: Facing base backlash (e.g., from Greene) and inevitable congressional action, Trump pivoted, signing the bill and filing a DOJ motion on November 21 to unseal Florida grand jury transcripts—arguing the new law overrides seals. He frames it as exposing Democrats, predicting it will "backfire." 
  
• • Fallout: Survivors report threats amid delays; some files (e.g., FBI surveillance tapes) remain elusive.  No "client list" has materialized, and Trump has never been credibly linked to Epstein's crimes. 
  

 
In short, while Trump could push harder unilaterally, the combination of court barriers, investigation loopholes, and political strategy necessitated congressional "asking" via legislation to force broader action—though full unredacted release is far from guaranteed. Expect court challenges and partial drops by mid-December.

[Kurokage]

Nearly a million dollars spent in redacting names from the the so called 'Epstein Files'
And from the looks of it, there's still a load more files being withheld.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newslette...on-project

Inside the FBI’s Review and Redaction of Epstein Files.The legacy of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein continues to hang over national politics. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed legislation that required the Justice Department to release the Epstein files. Soon, the public may finally get to see at least some of what the government has in its voluminous cache, which comprises more than 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence from its criminal probe of the serial sex abuser. Getting to this point has been quite a winding path that started just after Trump took office—and that FOIA Files has been covering.
 Just this morning I got the partially redacted records from the FBI. They mostly consist of emails that provide a look behind the scenes as agents and other FBI personnel started to work on the documents. The bureau withheld more than 161 pages citing ongoing law enforcement proceedings and other FOIA exemptions.
The emails reveal the special training given to FBI personnel working on what it called the “Epstein Transparency Project.” In some instances they referred to it as the “Special Redaction Project.” The training entailed PowerPoint slide presentations and video instruction on how to review the files.

The records I got also reveal the number of hours the FBI devoted to the project, which required some agents to work nights and weekends. The FBI paid personnel from various divisions, including counterintelligence and international operations, $851,344 in overtime for working on the Epstein files between March 17 and March 22, according to the documents. FBI personnel clocked in a total of 4,737 hours of overtime between January and July. Of that, more than 70% occurred during the month of March while personnel reviewed the Epstein files, the documents show.

[FlyersFan]

Nearly a million dollars spent in redacting names from the the so called 'Epstein Files'

If they are combing through and redacting victim names, I'm good with it.
If they are redacting any other names ... that's just wrong!
Even those names of people receiving political donations or who were just 
contacted to go to parties or whatever ... all of it needs to be exposed.

[IDELB2006]

Nearly a million dollars spent in redacting names from the the so called 'Epstein Files'
And from the looks of it, there's still a load more files being withheld.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newslette...on-project

The 850k spent on the Special Redaction Project, was just the overtime alone. That does not include any of the straight time.

What a waste of tax money this has become, they are bleeding us dry as part of the cover-up.

[Maxmars]

Can anyone actually explain why the victims of these crimes should care about "protecting" the criminals associates?


Why an abused teenager, a raped child, a "used" sex toy... should care that the rapist is rich and well connected, politically relevant, popular and loved by media, represented by 10,000 dollar a day lawyers?

If the victims shouldn't care... and we shouldn't care... and the scurrying political cockroach squad is busy.

All is well... yes?

I mean you know, they are only excluding evidence... not destroying it, right?  Uhhhhmmmm.
I mean it takes so much high-cost brainpower to "exclude" non-suspect names from a list....
millions even....

These people should be legally restricted from having anything to do with the case...
all of them should be "barred" from involvement - since they are all suspect.