Epstein controversy sets capitol dome spinning
I have previously observed in this space that there’s something about Washington that just loves a juicy scandal. Is D.C. different from anywhere else in the U.S.? Probably only in degree.
Scandals divert attention from the otherwise hum-drummery of political infighting and bureaucratic skirmishes that consume so much of our government’s business. They provide an entertaining diversion from things that really matter.
This scandal fixation doubled-down in the current brouhaha over whether the evidence held by the Justice Department on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein should be released. It now is a scandal about a scandal. The original scandal related to the sex-trafficking by Epstein of women, including minors. The new scandal is about just who the paying clients were, why they were not tried as accessories, and why their identities remain concealed.
The current scandal has kicked into overdrive with the reversals of President Trump and his top Justice and FBI appointees over the wisdom of releasing all the relevant materials.
Epstein's was one of the juicier conspiracy theories fueled for years by Trump and these same allies, who charged past Democratic presidents with covering-up the details. Now the shoe is on the other foot and it’s pinching. Trump and his team are now claiming there’s no there there.
The problem is the hardcore base of the MAGA movement both nationally and in Congress fail to buy into this spin reversal. It is causing panic among some in the White House and on Capitol Hill, with midterm........
© The Hill
