‘Can someone reach out to Putin please?’: The DOJ may drop the Epstein Files next week, but don’t get too excited
Last week has been quite chaotic for the men in the White House, especially for Donald Trump, who is possibly desperately trying to prevent the Epstein Files or anything related from coming out.
For those unaware of the recent developments in the Jeffrey Epstein case, last week, a set of email interactions between Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and journalist Michael Wolff, which contain multiple mentions of Donald Trump, was released by the Democrats. Additionally, more recent emails and information have emerged around the Epstein case, suggesting that Donald Trump performed fellatio on former US President Bill Clinton while Russian President Vladimir Putin watched and recorded the act. These revelations have sparked a massive social media response, with one person on X saying:
“Can we at least get the video of trump smoking Bill Clinton’s cigar? Apparently that one is with Putin. Can someone reach out to Putin please?”
Another person, highlighting a notable trend in the Epstein investigation, wrote:
“In the last 5 yrs the one thing that stands out the most for me is the diabolical, subvergence of evil these people concoct to establish their corrupt doings. From changing goal posts to undermining the truth!”
Amidst all this, Donald Trump and most of his Republican allies have been completely dismissive of the revelations related to the Epstein case, claiming they are a “hoax.” While their efforts seem to be working on some people, especially the MAGA crowd, it isn’t convincing everyone. Even members of the Senate and House, including Republicans, are seeing through Trump’s lies and are determined to see the Epstein Files released in full despite opposition.
Besides Trump, one of the many who has openly opposed the release of the Epstein Files is Speaker Mike Johnson, who was expected not to bring up the bill that would compel the release of the files. To avoid the decision resting solely on Johnson, who was likely to turn it down, House members recently signed a discharge petition that would bring the bill directly to the floor for a vote if enough signatures are gathered. Although this appears positive on paper, there is a catch.
After the bill reaches the floor, if Republicans decide to bring it under a rule, then only a simple majority of 217 votes is needed. Under this process, the chances of the Epstein Files being released are much higher, as the discharge petition already has 218 signatures. However, if the bill is brought under suspension of rules, then a two-thirds majority, or 289 votes, is required to pass it to the next stage, but support for this is not yet sufficient. If the House passes the bill, the Senate can choose not to take it up at all. Even if the Senate approves it, President Donald Trump could veto it, in which case a two-thirds majority in both chambers would be needed to override the veto, a feat that is again difficult to achieve given the current circumstances.
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