Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Trump Surrenders on Epstein File Vote
Donald Trump fears the release of the so-called Epstein Files. One can deduce that from the incredible amount of pressure he sought to put on four Republican members of the House of Representatives to get them to withdraw their support for the bill forcing the Department of Justice to release them. They would not budge, however, and Mr. Trump did what he always does when faced with certain defeat. He surrendered. Sunday night, he announced that he is all for the GOP members to vote for the release. If he truly wanted the documents released, he would simply order them released. That he has not says this surrender was an effort to avoid a crushing defeat in the House. The files still will not be released, but Mr. Trump has managed to split his movement between those who want pedophiles prosecuted and those who want Mr. Trump to have his way in all things.
The bill for the release of the files will get a vote later today, and it will pass. Because it came to the floor as a discharge petition (when a majority of the members sign a petition to put a bill up for a vote, the Speaker cannot stop it), there was by definition a majority ready to pass it. What Mr. Trump did not want was 50, 100 or 150 of his team voting for it against his wishes. Mr. Trump knows that rebellion can get out of hand if he goes against the desires of his mob. By telling them to vote for it, the bill still passes with a huge margin, but for the low-information crowd, all they see is Congress doing that the president wants, even though he does not want it.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where if may well pass, or where it may well be filibustered to death. The main concern is that it never passes as far as the White House is concerned. They want it to die in the upper chamber. Yet if there are 60 votes (and there could be after the House vote), Mr. Trump will have to either sign the bill or veto it. And if there are 2/3 majorities in both chambers (which is a long shot but the odds have shortened), his veto pen will not stop this.
That he has the authority to release all the information now demonstrates what a ridiculous position in which the president has managed to put himself. He is asking legislators to vote for a bill that only does what he has the power to do already, and he secretly wants them to vote against it. He has delayed the embarrassment, but it is still on the way.
If the bill becomes law, there are still some loopholes that will prevent the Attorney-General from releasing everything. First, there is concern for the victims peace of mind and safety. Some of them are standing on the steps of the capitol right now demanding justice, so it is safe to say they are probably not going to be upset.
Second, there is classified information in the files which means the government will not let some secrets out. This does not even have to be true. The administration can simply claim something is classified, and by the time the courts rule on it, the White House will be occupied by a different president.
Third, the DoJ does not have to release anything tied to an ongoing investigation. Over the week-end, Mr. Trump demanded the department investigate Bill Clinton and Larry Summers among others in an attempt to divert attention. There is nothing here in all likelihood, but that does not matter. If it is part of an investigation, it is not coming out.
The White House may feel smug and secure about this, and this journal understands why. At the same time, delays will not sit well with those who have wanted this information released for years. Some members of Congress (e.g., Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA) will not sit down and shut up. They will continue to irritate the West Wing. There is a genuine divide in the MAGA movement, and it is clear that this divide is not going away. Mr. Trump has split MAGA and must deal with that aftermath. It will not be pretty.
The decline under the Trump administration continues to accelerate.
© Copyright 2025 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
|
|
|
