OPINION:
The “Epstein files” are going to backfire on Democrats (“What to know about the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein files,” Web, Nov. 20). When they do, President Trump, whose approval rating is at an all-time low, will be politically resurrected.
That was how it happened on the heels of the Mueller probe. That was how it happened after the 2019 impeachment and after the 91 criminal indictments. Every time President Trump is down, Democrats go for the throat — and miss.
Am I saying Mr. Trump is not entangled in the Epstein affair? Of course he is entangled in it, but Democrats continue to underestimate his ability to rewrite history to fit his preferred political narrative, even when the evidence proves the polar opposite. Millions still believe Mr. Trump won the 2020 presidential election. Millions also believe Jan. 6 was a false flag operation by the FBI and Nancy Pelosi. Both positions fly in the face of reality. Somehow, Mr. Trump sold it — or sold it enough.
Democrats have convinced the electorate that Mr. Trump is all over the Epstein files. Marjorie Taylor Greene has jumped ship. Liberal influencers are throwing dirt onto the MAGA movement. This is when Mr. Trump is at his most dangerous.
Whatever files are ultimately released will be strategically curated. The Justice Department has had time to doctor, redact and scrub, and it has weaponized that time, I assure you. In a normal era, such corruption would be unthinkable. In this era, it’s understood.
When published, the files will fail to match the hype. Mr. Trump will declare victory. He will say he has been vindicated. He will call the process a witch hunt. He will dismiss it as fake news. And he will be politically resurrected.
Three weeks ago, Democrats scored their most successful night since 2020. A blue wave. It was about the affordability crisis. At the same time, polling showed Democrats were winning the shutdown. It was about health care. Then Democrats went all-in on the Epstein gimmick. Yet you can’t out-gimmick President Trump. His entire presidency is a gimmick.
Mark Epstein, brother of Jeffrey, has alleged that the Epstein files are being edited to remove Republicans’ names. “The reason they’re going to be releasing the files … is that they’re sabotaging these files,” he recently told NewsNation.
BRIAN HUBA
Troy, New York
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