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In It to Win It

(12,025 posts)
Sun Nov 16, 2025, 10:36 PM Sunday

Trump does Epstein U-turn as House Republicans prepare to spurn him

President Donald Trump is suddenly reversing his monthslong campaign to bottle up a bipartisan effort to disclose federal records dealing with Jeffrey Epstein — just as scores of House Republicans prepare to defy his demands concerning the late convicted sex offender.
“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax,” he wrote Sunday night on Truth Social, adding, “I DON’T CARE! All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT” discussing economic issues.

The U-turn came after months of drama inside the House GOP over a bill that would compel the Justice Department to release its entire Epstein file. An effort by Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson to prevent a floor vote on the measure imploded last week amid an intense White House push to try to keep Republicans in line. The vote is now expected Tuesday.

At the end of last week, Johnson and senior House leaders appeared powerless to stop perhaps as many as 100 Republicans from breaking ranks and voting with Democrats to release the files. The situation worsened over the weekend, as Trump lashed out in deeply personal terms at Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who is leading the effort to force a House vote on Epstein, and publicly spurned Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a one-time close ally who has recently broken with Trump on Epstein and other matters.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/16/jeffrey-epstein-vote-house-republicans-00652460
11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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misanthrope

(9,303 posts)
1. This is desperation
Sun Nov 16, 2025, 10:38 PM
Sunday

Trump has realized he can’t stop it and is now more concerned with being perceived as weakened.

BannonsLiver

(20,109 posts)
3. If that's his stance now it's clear they've successfully cooked the files.
Sun Nov 16, 2025, 10:43 PM
Sunday

Whatever is being released would be heavily sanitized and perhaps crafted to exonerate him.

misanthrope

(9,303 posts)
4. Not necessarily
Sun Nov 16, 2025, 10:45 PM
Sunday

Don't be surprised if he proclaims that while he would love to have them released, the investigation is currently ongoing and so they must be kept under wraps.

BannonsLiver

(20,109 posts)
5. Well right now he's saying he favors their release so that's what I'm operating with at this point,
Sun Nov 16, 2025, 10:46 PM
Sunday

But yes that could certainly be the case.

WarGamer

(18,125 posts)
9. Illogical...
Mon Nov 17, 2025, 12:38 AM
Yesterday

If the files aren't precisely as recorded YEARS AGO... dontcha think that'd come out?

allegorical oracle

(6,004 posts)
11. My question is whether the shutdown provided the doj with file clean-up time.
Mon Nov 17, 2025, 08:00 AM
17 hrs ago

Then, perhaps, someone found and secreted materials that involved djt, so he now feels comfortable to release the files.

Hate conspiratorial thinking, but the flip-flopping seems bizarre. He tends to charge into everything like a mad bull -- like he destroyed the East wing -- so his hesitations deserve attention.

IcyPeas

(24,632 posts)
6. And in an amazing coincidence that no one saw coming
Sun Nov 16, 2025, 11:09 PM
Sunday

the only names not redacted will be democrats and/or other enemies of trumpf.

Right?



Maine-i-ac

(1,544 posts)
8. 7 weeks to scrub the files. now Bondi gives the all clear and MAGA Mike & Trump both say 'nothing to hide'
Mon Nov 17, 2025, 12:32 AM
Yesterday

This is like the redacted Mueller report where the scrubbed file looks good but the details are damning.

cstanleytech

(28,051 posts)
10. It's being used to sift out anyone that doesn't 100% support Trump.
Mon Nov 17, 2025, 01:12 AM
Yesterday

Then those people will be targeted for things like DOJ investigations, primaried or suddenly losing financial support for their campaigns.

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