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Despite public dismissals, why Trump and his team were privately obsessed with the Jeffrey Epstein scandal
Fox News ^ | June 11, 2026 | Howard Kurtz

Posted on 06/13/2026 5:53:33 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege

Even if you’re sick of hearing about Jeffrey Epstein — President Donald Trump and his team have been far more fixated on the relentless controversy than they have ever acknowledged.

That (and plenty of other juicy revelations) is based on three years of reporting for a forthcoming book. "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump" is by New York Times correspondents Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan and slated to be published in two weeks.

Whether you’re a Trump supporter or detractor, the book is packed with facts that make clear that most or all of the major participants cooperated with them. The president also granted Haberman and Swan an hour-long interview in March…

Vice President JD Vance argued strenuously that more detailed allegations about Trump — some suspect or totally unconfirmed — were going to surface eventually, and they should get out ahead of the story...

At a meeting with Wiles meant to smooth things over, Bongino accused the White House of ignoring his warnings with which he predicted what would happen and burst out of the Situation Room…

Separately, Trump scolded conservative activist Charlie Kirk for allowing one of his events to turn into a "grievance fest" over the Epstein files…

What Trump seemed to have difficulty grasping is that his MAGA base indeed cared deeply about the issue.

A memo from Trump’s pollster, Tony Fabrizio, said "Epstein files" was the sixth most important issue named and discussed negatively by focus groups behind such matters as inflation and foreign policy but ahead of such issues as crime and the military.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Extended News; Political Humor/Cartoons; US: New York
KEYWORDS: 123oclock4oclockzot; concerntroll; concerntrolling; dumbingdownfr; epstein; epsteinfiles; fakenews; fauxnews; howardkurtz; jonathanswan; maga; maggiehaberman; mediawingofthednc; multiplenicks; newyorkslimes; newyorktimes; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; randspam; tds; trump; whitehouse

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1 posted on 06/13/2026 5:53:34 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
If there was credible reporting that Biden or Obama had been holding meetings in the freaking Situation Room about how to deal with abrewing pedo scandal .....

Oh well, whatever.

For all the people who turned on a dime and were suddenly like "Trump is right. Who cares about Jeffrey Epstein anyway?" you were deluding yourselves.

Also, it appears someone in Trump's inner circle is leaking to Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan to distance themselves from how all of this was handled

2 posted on 06/13/2026 5:58:49 AM PDT by hcmama (Love that guy.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
Still pining for that Massie/MTG revolution that will never happen?

3 posted on 06/13/2026 6:00:41 AM PDT by Right_Wing_Madman
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To: All

Imperial presidency?
Think I’ll take a pass


4 posted on 06/13/2026 6:00:50 AM PDT by escapefromboston (Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

i don’t care if president trump is close friend or not with whoever. as long as i keep making money and hopefully less and less tax.

who knew after i retired i would be making 4 times as much money investing in trump’s market.


5 posted on 06/13/2026 6:02:46 AM PDT by VAFreedom (Wuhan Pneumonia-Made by CCP, Copyright Xi Jingping)
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To: hcmama

And by leaking, I mean not through the official access given to Swan and Haberman by the White House


6 posted on 06/13/2026 6:03:39 AM PDT by hcmama (Love that guy.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

The “situation room” episode is most likely made up, there are zero definitive primary sources on record that it even happened at all.


7 posted on 06/13/2026 6:04:23 AM PDT by dynoman (Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marilyn vos Savant)
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To: hcmama

Why assume the situation room story is legit? There are zero definitive on record primary sources that it happened. This is how the feral media builds narratives. In this instance the upcoming book alleges the “situation room” happened based on anonymous sources. Then other feral media outlets (like Fox in this article) pick it up saying “according to this upcoming book”, and boom, the narrative is up and running among the many people who can’t even see that it’s straight up propaganda. Pelosi called it the wrap up smear.

I don’t fall for this anymore.


8 posted on 06/13/2026 6:10:55 AM PDT by dynoman (Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marilyn vos Savant)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Ah yes the “imperial presidency “ thing is back.


9 posted on 06/13/2026 6:21:05 AM PDT by TalBlack (Their god is government. Prepare for a religious war.https://freerepublic.com/perl/post?id=4322961%2)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

There’s a story here ? ...one worthy of a book ?

I’m not seeing it. It’s a non-story as far as Trump is concerned and they wanted to be sure it remained so....a bit unsuccessfully


10 posted on 06/13/2026 6:22:04 AM PDT by chiller ( Davy Crockett said:"Be sure you're right, then go ahead." I'll go ahead.)
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To: Right_Wing_Madman
Still pining for that Massie/MTG revolution that will never happen?

Don’t care what they do. Trump is not my king, no matter how many times I vote for him. And the only revolution you’re mocking is the very one that founded this country.

Our founding fathers fought tooth and nail against the aristocratic machinations and debaucheries, and abuse of law and justice that the Epstein class represents. It tore at the very fabric of the empires of Europe they had escaped and did not want replicated here.

11 posted on 06/13/2026 6:33:42 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege (🩰🗺️)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

If Biden’s operation, while at the levers of power, could not come up with anything substantive, it isn’t there. Every time the left pulls out all the stops, I think it couldn’t go lower.

Goldwater, Reagan, Bork, Clarence Thomas, Quayle, George the Younger, Kavanaugh, Trump.


12 posted on 06/13/2026 6:36:58 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Well, I sure as hell wasn’t.


13 posted on 06/13/2026 6:56:18 AM PDT by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Funny.

An article that isn’t from the New York Slimes, but I get to state stopped reading at the New York Slimes..

Thanks for helping me out with that feat!


14 posted on 06/13/2026 7:03:32 AM PDT by delchiante
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

So, it is “obsession” to pursue pedos? Yeah, the author of this pieces is a groomer, fer shure.


15 posted on 06/13/2026 7:48:04 AM PDT by bobbo666
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Jesus associated with sinners also.


16 posted on 06/13/2026 9:54:30 AM PDT by spintreebob
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