When the Justice Department released a first batch of Jeffrey Epstein files on Friday that included photographs of Bill Clinton, White House officials raced to amplify the importance of the new documents. But days later, amid a second trove that contains several references to Donald Trump, the White House is pushing a different view: Don’t believe everything you see.

Trump officials on Tuesday downplayed the latest disclosure of more than 30,000 files related to Epstein, dismissing the significance of the materials and suggesting that some that mentioned Trump were unverified or even outright fabricated. Even as the rest of Washington pored over records showing Trump repeatedly flew on Epstein’s plane, White House aides sought to highlight other matters the president is more eager to talk about.

The messaging shift — the latest in a largely unsuccessful effort by the administration to seize control of the story — has spawned frustration in Trump’s orbit and parts of the White House, where some saw the scrambled response over the last few days as just the latest stumble in a year of Epstein-related blunders and baffling communications mishaps.

    • zarniwoop@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 days ago

      Truth is…difficult to ascertain at the moment regarding this. He is implicated in the files, there is a witness statement.

      A generous reading would say something along the lines of, there isn’t hard evidence and he hasn’t been convicted.

      A realistic reading would say something along the lines of, yep - he did it.

      Take your pick. I’m more inclined towards the later.

    • altphoto@lemmy.today
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      2 days ago

      I don’t think anyone knows at this point but wow. Like I haven’t run over a squirrel yet but if someone told me that I ran over one I would feel pretty embarrassed. If like a few hundred people said that I did I would issue a public apology and give it proper burial.

    • D_C@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      The most damning part is that this question is actually being asked at all.
      I mean, I can’t fully believe this happened, but I’m also open to it. His reputation is so bad that it’s actually a possibility.

      I don’t think it happened but the orange imbecile is such a horrible disgusting thing that I wouldn’t put it past him.

      • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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        2 days ago

        He has long ago lost any benefit of the doubt. I believe anything I hear about him now, no matter how bad it is. It’s always turned out to be true in the past, why wouldn’t this be true as well?

        • D_C@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          That is ludicrous…usually. But in this case you are absolutely spot on.
          If I had to bet on it then I’d choose that it was possible than not.