Trump officials say president is plotting new wave of retribution after Epstein bill vote
President has attempted to re-direct public anger over Epstein scandal as ‘a ‘Democrat problem’
The White House plans to use the Epstein files against Democrats after they, with the help of some Republicans, successfully pressured lawmakers to pass a law compelling the Justice Department to release the remaining documents, against President Donald Trump’s wishes.
After both houses of Congress passed the Epstein transparency bill and sent it to the White House, two anonymous White House officials told Politico of their intention to target Democrats who had contact with or ties to Epstein.
“The Democrats only started talking about the Epstein files when they thought they could use them for political purposes against President Trump,” one of the officials told Politico. “That will be a mistake.”
For months, Democrats have been exploiting Trump’s refusal to release documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to suggest that the president is hiding something or covering for someone. The president denied any wrongdoing and any knowledge of the financier’s crimes. By relentlessly pushing for attention on this matter, Trump could not avoid being associated with Epstein and finally relented, giving House Republicans the green light to vote on the release of the documents this week.
The White House is now preparing to target influential Democrats who knew Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton, a friend of Epstein who has always vehemently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s alleged child sex trafficking crimes.
“The Democrats will regret this later,” another anonymous White House official told the news agency. “Let’s start with Stacey Plasskett. Do you think that won’t cause a stir?” “
Stacey Plasskett, a non-voting representative from the U.S. Virgin Islands, corresponded with Epstein during a House Oversight Committee hearing in February 2019. It appears Epstein advised her on questions to ask the witness, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. The scandal broke last week after the House of Representatives released more than 20,000 pages of documents containing Epstein’s emails.
Ms. Plasskett confirmed that she corresponded with Epstein but said in a statement that she condemned his actions and had received messages “from associates, constituents, and the public, offering advice, support, and, in some cases, partisan criticism, including from Epstein.”
Epstein resided on Little St. James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, meaning he was a constituent of Ms. Plasskett.
The congresswoman also defended herself, claiming she had committed no wrongdoing and that she was unaware at the time that Epstein was under federal investigation.
White House Press Secretary Abigail Jackson raised questions about Ms. Plasskett and other Democrats in a statement, saying that Americans “deserve” an answer.
“It’s time for the media to ask the real questions: Why did Democrat Stacey Plasskett text Epstein in 2019 during a congressional hearing following his conviction for sexual assault, and why did she accept thousands of dollars from him?” Jackson said.
“Why was Hakeem Jeffries soliciting donations from Epstein after his conviction for sexual assault? Why did President Bill Clinton travel on Epstein’s plane 26 times?” “And why did one of Epstein’s victims write that she saw Clinton on Epstein’s island with two young women?” Jackson added.
The White House’s attempts to divert attention from Trump’s ties to Epstein come after the president asked the Justice Department to conduct a confidential investigation into the late sex offender’s relationships with prominent Democrats and financial institutions.
