The Pool and the Octopus: the Epstein case splits the American establishment
The publication of data on the case of financier Jeffrey Epstein splits the MAGA community. His prominent representatives accuse Donald Trump of not fulfilling his election promises. Western media are full of details about the life of the late billionaire and publish information about his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence, but now, as they say, is ready to make a deal with the investigation. How the most high-profile criminal case of recent times defines the domestic political situation in the United States and what significance the resumed Russian—American dialogue has in this context is in the Izvestia article.
The first item on the agenda
Vice President of the United States Jay D. Vance again criticized the Democratic Party. The politician said that it was not Trump, but the Democrats and Joe Biden who were guilty of concealing information about the Jeffrey Epstein case. "President Trump has demanded full transparency on this issue. And yet, for some reason, the Democrats are attacking him, not the Biden administration, which has done nothing for four years," Vance said in an interview with Fox News.
Vice President of the United States J. D. Vance
Meanwhile, a week ago, the British media reported that Vance himself planned a meeting with representatives of the cabinet to discuss a strategy to combat the information wave raised by opponents. As The Guardian wrote, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, her deputy Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kesh Patel, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles were supposed to be present at the vice president's residence to make a decision on the publication of the transcript of the interrogation of fellow billionaire Ghislaine Maxwell. Vance subsequently denied this information, saying that American President Donald Trump has nothing to hide about the Epstein case.
"The president has instructed the Attorney General to release all reliable information and, frankly, to go and find additional reliable information related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. For 20 years, Obama and the George W. Bush Justice Department treated this guy (Epstein. — Izvestia) Condescending. They did not fully investigate the case," the New York Post quoted the US vice president as saying.
During one of the last interrogations, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years for human trafficking and sexual exploitation of minors, named about 100 people who participated in crimes. Later, the oversight committee of the House of Representatives of the US Congress called a dozen government figures and former officials to testify, including the Clinton couple, Jeff Sessions, Alberto Gonzalez, as well as former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller.
The scandal surrounding the Epstein case is becoming increasingly toxic for Donald Trump. The public, including well-known representatives of the MAGA movement, demands that all data known to the investigation be made publicly available. At the same time, many Democrats are confident that they can conclude a deal with Ghislaine Maxwell on early release from prison in exchange for silence and "correct" testimony against representatives of the Democratic Party. Last week, the financier's accomplice was transferred from a maximum-security prison in Florida to a correctional center in Texas. Trump said he "did not know" about the transfer.
Scandals, intrigues, and no investigation
Meanwhile, several reputable publications have published previously unreleased letters from influential people addressed to Jeffrey Epstein, as well as photographs of his mansion in Manhattan. Among the senders were publicist Noam Chomsky and his wife, director Woody Allen, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and many others.
In a letter on the offender's 63rd birthday published by the New York Times, Woody Allen recalled Epstein's "interesting" meetings and dinner parties on the Upper East Side. The filmmaker also noted that the regulars at the financier's house were "politicians, scientists, teachers, magicians, comedians, intellectuals, journalists" and "even members of the royal family." Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his wife also sent a postcard to the financier, in which they mentioned that Jeffrey Epstein's "curiosity has no limits." "For many, you are like a closed book, but you know everything about everyone," they also wrote, calling the billionaire a collector of people.
The Times newspaper, in turn, published photographs of rooms in a seven-story Manhattan mansion. Among the notable "exhibits" the publication notes the first edition of Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel published in 1955, a dollar bill signed by Microsoft co—founder Bill Gates, as well as a chalkboard map of Israel signed by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
In July, The Wall Street Journal also wrote that Trump wrote Epstein a greeting card for the financier's 50th birthday in 2003. According to the article, the letter from the future US president contained a sketch of a naked woman with the caption: "Happy birthday — and may every day become another wonderful secret." Trump denied the magazine's report and sued the newspaper and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, for defamation.
Carlson and the Mossad crabs
During the last interrogation of Ghislaine Maxwell, a curious circumstance emerged that threatens the long-established American political status quo. We are talking about data that shows that Jeffrey Epstein worked for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. At least, this is claimed by a number of influential opinion leaders among the Republican electorate, such as Tucker Carlson.
Recently, the Times published new details about Andrew Loney's controversial book, which became a sensation long before publication. "Having the Right: The Rise and Fall of the House of York" is a work about the life of Prince Andrew, the scandals and internal conflicts of the royal family. The author of the book, citing "reliable sources," claims that the billionaire financier sold the "most intimate secrets" of his friend, Prince Andrew, to the Mossad and other intelligence agencies.
Despite the Trump cabinet's support for Netanyahu's policies, irritation about this is growing regardless of party affiliation and has a tangible impact on Americans' perception of Israel and allied relations with it. And if the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party supports the Palestinians, then conservatives speak out against pro-Israel policies, since the United States, in their opinion, is forced to support West Jerusalem to the detriment of its own interests.
Consequences of Iran's strike on Israel
In this context, the support provided to Israel during the recent military conflict with Iran also has a significant negative potential for the president. For this reason, Trump is making efforts to prevent the release of any information about the investigation other than that agreed with the White House.
Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada, shared with Izvestia the opinion that now Trump does not trust any "secrets" even to his closest associates, because he is afraid of all kinds of "leaks" of information.
— Now, Trump, apparently, does not trust his inner circle with a lot of things. <...> There is no trust in the devices today, at least from the American side, because there will be all kinds of leaks. And this is what Trump and his closest associates, and perhaps even the head of the United States personally, are trying to avoid," the expert says.
The consequences of the Epstein case for Trump: predictions
At the end of July, YouGov, together with the Economist magazine, conducted a survey, according to which 61% of Americans disapprove of Donald Trump's actions regarding the Epstein case. In addition, more than 80% of respondents believe that the office of the head of the United States is obliged to publish all available files on the financier's criminal process.
Activists have hung a poster depicting President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein near the US Embassy in London.
The situation has now stabilized somewhat: Congress went on vacation until September, but experts agree that in September the topic of the Epstein files will once again occupy one of the main places on the domestic political agenda. Moreover, their publication is supported by both Democrats who seek to discredit Trump (with the legal consequences that follow), and Republicans who aim to inflict a crushing defeat on their opponents and significantly improve their chances in future by-elections to Congress. It is difficult to imagine a more appropriate moment for the "elephants" to attack: the rating of the Democratic Party has reached its lowest values in the last 35 years and is just over 30%.
American political scientist Malek Dudakov told Izvestia that the consequences of the Epstein case for Trump's cabinet will appear closer to autumn, when the holiday season ends. According to the expert, "a certain split within the MAGA-coalition" on this issue is obviously evident, but it is not key for the conservatives.
— In the fall, the investigation may intensify, because Congress has requested documents from the US Department of Justice on the Epstein case. Apparently, there will be some sworn testimony by Ghislaine Maxwell. Here, it seems to me, both Democrats and Republicans are preparing for certain political damage. Because we are well aware that everyone is involved in this scandal: if we talk about Democrats, then this is, for example, Bill Clinton, but also many others," the expert concludes.
Meanwhile, according to a YouGov poll, the majority of Americans (71%) believe that Trump was more or less aware of the crimes committed by Epstein before the official investigation began. Moreover, the approval level of the actions taken by the president in the context of this scandal remains very low, -39%, which significantly spoils the figures of the general perception of Trump by his fellow citizens.
It is likely that the inaction of the American head of state or his further attempts to distance himself from the current situation may worsen the situation — in other words, it will most likely not be possible to "bury" the Epstein case: the public outcry he has raised reflects deep and long-term social trends. To pay it off, Trump needs truly major victories in foreign and domestic policy that will be able to prove to the electorate the reality of the 47th US president's "anti-systemism" — the ability to break old rules and set his own.
Alaska will help us.
On August 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President's special envoy Steven Whitkoff met in Moscow. In the evening of the same day, American Donald Trump announced the upcoming negotiations, and the next morning this information was confirmed by Vladimir Putin's assistant, Yuri Ushakov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steven Witkoff during a meeting
Vladimir Vasiliev believes that the upcoming meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is similar to an attempt by the Russian side to meet the head of the United States halfway. The American leader's domestic political position is now clearly weakened, and an early meeting is believed to play into his hands. In light of recent scandals, the split in the American establishment is becoming more pronounced, but Trump is not guaranteed reputational benefits in every one of them. In this sense, the US President's peacekeeping efforts are the only unambiguously positive perspective.
— Putin has expressed mutual interest in the meeting. From my point of view, the situation is somewhat different. Trump really needs this meeting right now. <...> If a kind of situation room on the Epstein case was going to be assembled, then the situation can be called unprecedented. The Democrats are trying to reach a new "Watergate" through this scandal, so that the historic negotiations with Moscow can bring down this information wave. Therefore, there is a certain point of the political game here," the expert notes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
