It is storming within the Maga movement. President Donald Trump's otherwise so loyal voters are seen in social media pouring fuel on their red caps, to then ignite them.
The reason is spelled Jeffrey Epstein. The now deceased financier and billionaire who was accused of, among other things, sex trafficking and abuse of dozens of minors. Despite previous promises to disclose documents that are said to contain "client lists", no further documents will see the light of day.
"Lies on my desk"
The US Department of Justice stated last week that no such list even exists and therefore it will not be made public.
As recently as February, Justice Minister Pam Bondi said in an interview with Fox News that the list "lies on my desk right now for review".
Dan Bongino, deputy head of the US Federal Police FBI, threatens to resign from his post after getting into a big fight with Pam Bondi about the documents, according to sources to CNN.
"Guy who never dies"
But the president himself stands unblemished behind his justice minister and spoke out over the weekend through statements on his platform Truth Social.
"What happens to my 'boys' and in some cases 'girls'? They are all chasing after Justice Minister Pam Bondi, who is doing a fantastic job!", he wrote on the platform on Saturday, partly in capital letters.
"All because of a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein. For years, it's Epstein, over and over again.", the president continued and accused the Democrats of having written the documents.
"Why do we give publicity to files written by Obama, corrupt Hillary (Clinton)/.../ and the losers and criminals in the Biden administration?"
45,000 comments
The post has been commented on over 45,000 times, many of the users are critical of the president's stance.
"With all respect, Mr. President, we voted for change and a big part of that change is about transparency and accountability...", one of them writes.
"Wrong. Release the files. You said yourself that they cannot harm the Maga movement, so there is no reason to hide the files", another one writes.
(TT) An investigation into Jeffrey Epstein was launched as early as 2005 after a 14-year-old girl told the police that she had been molested by him in his home in Palm Beach, Florida. The investigation grows and in 2007 he is prosecuted in a federal court.
After an agreement with prosecutor Alexander Acosta, Epstein is sentenced to 18 months in prison for purchasing sex in 2008. He is released after 13 months.
The case comes to attention again in 2018 after a series of articles in the Miami Herald where women come forward and accuse Epstein of sexual abuse during the period 2001 to 2005.
In early July 2019, Epstein is arrested at an airport in New Jersey. The new charge against him concerns abuse of dozens of underage girls during the years 2002-2005. According to the prosecution, Epstein, after the Miami Herald's articles, tried to buy the silence of witnesses with millions. Epstein denies the crime.
The twists and turns surrounding Epstein also reach the White House. Alexander Acosta, Labor Minister in Donald Trump's government, is forced to resign as a result of the agreement with Epstein.
On August 10, 2019, Epstein is found lifeless in his cell in the jail on Manhattan. He is taken to the hospital where he is declared dead. According to the US Department of Justice, he had apparently taken his own life.
