The Epstein files refuse to commit suicide

Paramount, which owns CBS, cancels highest-rated Stephen Colbert late-night show

- BY VIJAYA CHANDRASOMA

The Epstein files continue to hold the rapt attention of the American public, even among Trump's radical right MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters, in spite of the tried and proven Republican tactics of Deny, Delay and Distract.

The controversy was caused by the original Trump lie that he had no connection with Epstein, the convicted pedophile and sex trafficker who "committed suicide" while he was in federal custody in 2019, during Trump's first presidential term. Trump said that Epstein was a "creep he hardly knew".

Republicans joined Democrats in pushing for the release of the Epstein files which served to protect the sexual abuse of minors by prominent and powerful elites of international society. Even Trump's MAGA supporters were calling for the release of the files. Trump had hoisted himself with his own petard of previous lies by convincing his MAGA supporters that he had no connection with Epstein.

After all, his base had accepted his innocence of a multitude of even more heinous crimes - alleged and proven crimes of sedition, espionage, obstruction of justice - against a mountain of eyewitness, photographic and documentary evidence.

So why is Donald Trump now betraying his most loyal supporters by refusing to release the Epstein files to the public? He has been forced to change his position after his Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has been reviewing the files, warned Trump that his name appears on the files on numerous occasions. Trump immediately instructed her to either "dump" all 230,000 pages of the files, pretend they never existed, or redact every sentence which had reference to his name. Orders impossible to carry out. Bondi had already stated on TV that the files were on her desk, under review; and redaction of any reference to Trump would be irrefutable evidence of his guilt. The only redactable names were those of the victims, in order to protect their identities.