Trump's hug of conspiracy theories follows him with Epstein case

New York (AP) – As his followers break out of the Ministry of Justice Default to publish many -related data records In Jeffrey Epstein's examination of sex trade, President Donald Trump's strategy consisted of playing down the problem.

His problem? The fact that there is nothing to see that the approach he has learned does not work, that you must not give up if the deepest and darkest secrets of the government are exposed.

Last week the Ministry of Justice and the FBI went back abruptly The performance is an Epstein client list of elites in which participated The wealthy New York financier Trade with underage girls. Trump quickly Defender General Prosecutor Pam Bondi And blamed a reporter because he dared to ask about the documents.

The online reaction was quick, with supporters “not in contact” the Republican President and requested transparency.

On Saturday, Trump used his social platform of truth to try again Call supporters from the Epstein Trail In the middle of reports on the fights between Bondi and the deputy FBI director Dan Bongino on the topic. He suggested that the turbulence would undermine his administration – “about a man who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein.”

This did little to appease Trump's supporters who urged him to publish or risk the files, to lose its base. At least one supporter replied to Trump's post by saying that it seemed as if the president was only trying to make the problem disappear – but assured him that this was not the case.

The political crisis is particularly difficult for Trump because it is one of his own making -making. The president spent years to shoot dark theories and Hug of Qanon-bumped propaganda That throws him as the only savior, he can tear off the “deep state”.

After heading the federal government, the community he built is Come back to follow him. It is demanding answers that he is either unable or not.

When asked on Tuesday whether Bondi had told him that his name was in the Epstein files, Trump said no. He praised her dealings with the case and said that she should publish, “whatever she thinks is credible.” However, he also claimed that there were credibility problems with the documents without being “invented” by the former FBI director James Comey and former President Barack Obama and Joe Biden, both Democrats.

“The incorrect assumption that Trump and others make is that they can step conspiracy theories without a setback,” said Matt Dallek, political scientist at George Washington University. “The Epstein housing is a decent encapsulation that it is difficult to put the genius back into the bottle.”

A problem that doesn't disappear

The two -sided explanation of the last week of the Ministry of Justice and the FBI said they had completed Epstein Do not have a customer list Roiled Trump's supporters who pointed out to the earlier statements of several administrative officers that the list should be unveiled.

Bondi had proposed in February Such a document was sitting on her desk and waiting for the review, although she said last week that she generally referred to the case file from Epstein, not on a list of customers.

Since then, conservative influencers have asked to see all files on Epstein's crimes, even when Trump tried to bring the problem to bed.

The right-wing extremist commentator Jack Posobiec said on Saturday at the Turning Point USA 'Student Action Summit he would not rest, “until we are full of the Jeffrey Epstein files on January 6th.”

Trump's weekend post tried to distract attention by asking the supporters to concentrate on the examination of the Democrats instead and arrest criminals instead of “just looking at the same old, radical, left -wing inspired documents on Jeffrey Epstein every month”. His first national security advisor, retired lieutenant general. Michael Flynnasked him to rethink him.

“@Raldonaldtrump Please understand that the Epstein affair does not disappear,” wrote Flynn.

Other trump allies continue to urge answers, including right-wing extremist activists Laura LoomerWho asked Bondi to step down. She told the POLTICO POLITICO PlayBook newsletter on Sunday that a special consultant should be appointed to examine the handling of the files about Epstein, which was Found dead in its federal prison cell 2019 weeks after his arrest.

Experts who study conspiracy theories warned that more sunlight does not necessarily disappear well.

“For some of this group of believers of conspiracy theory, there will be no contradiction to contradictory evidence,” said Josephine Lukito, the conspiracy theorists at the University of Texas in Austin.

Trump and his colleagues take their own trap

The president and many numbers in his administration – including Bondi,Bongino and FBI director Kash Patel – He has caught up her political capital over the years by promoting opposed conspiracy theories on a number of topics, from elections to vaccines.

Now you have the task of trying to reveal the evidence that you had passed for a long time – there was a challenge that has reached the entire government.

Last week the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin Posted on X What seemed to be confirmed by to be A conspiracy theory that the contracts left by airplanes release chemicals for potentially shameful reasons. A second contribution by Zeldin, however, underlined the fine line that the Trump administration tries to go by linking a new page on the EPA website, which essentially exposed the theory.

The value of conspiratorial inventions is that they help people get political power, said Russell Muirhead, who taught political science at Dartmouth College. He said Trump explained this “as everyone else in American history”.

But the case of Epstein brings unique challenges, he said. This is because it is in truth: a wealthy and well -networked financier spent years Abuse of a large number of young girls while escaping justice.

As a result, Trump must present the truth and transparency on this topic, said Muirhead. When he does, “large segments of his most enthusiastic and devoted supporters will lose confidence in him”.

A potentially costly distraction

When the right-wing outrage over Epstein dominates political conversation, Democrats and other Trump rivals took advantage of.

Several democratic legislators have requested the publication of all Epstein files and suggests that Trump could oppose because he or someone near them is presented in them. The conservatives expressed concerns that Trump's approach to Epstein could violate them in the meantime.

“To make this disappear, they lose 10% of the Maga movement,” said the right podcaster Steve Bannon on Friday during the U.S. Student Action Summit.

There is also the challenge of rule.

Bondi and Bongino Had a tense exchange Last week in the White House about a story about Epstein, according to a person who is familiar with the matter who spoke about the condition of anonymity, to discuss a private conversation.

And Loomer, who is close to Trump, said on Friday that Bongino was “seriously thought about it”. The FBI rejected a statement.

Patel also went on social media on Friday to dismiss what he described “conspiracy theories” that he would leave the administration himself.

Dallek, the professor of George Washington University, said that it is alarming that the country's highest law enforcement officers lead over a conspiracy theory.

“It is possible that the voters will at some point to notice what they want or expect the government to be done because the responsible persons are either incompetent or chase themselves against rabbits,” he said. “Who fulfills the FBI's mission to protect the American people?”

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Riccardi reported from Denver. Eric Tucker, Melissa Goldin and Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.