Where There’s Smoke, There’s Sometimes Just Smoke
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee recently released new emails from Jeffrey Epstein that caused an instant frenzy in Washington. However, these emails are largely what one would expect given what we know so far: embarrassing details regarding President Trump’s relationship with Epstein, but no smoking gun implicating him in any misconduct.
In one email addressed to Epstein’s former girlfriend and procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein claims that Trump spent hours at his home with a victim—whose name Democrats conveniently redacted. The only plausible reason to strike her name, Virginia Giuffre, is to prevent people from revisiting her previous statements about Trump. In a deposition, Giuffre said she never saw Trump and Epstein together, never saw him at Epstein’s home, and denied that Trump ever flirted with her. Giuffre, a tragic figure clearly abused within Epstein’s orbit, sadly committed suicide last year.
While Giuffre’s credibility has been questioned, there is certainly no reason to accept the word of Epstein—a known sociopathic liar—over hers. One possible reading of the email is that Epstein was suggesting Trump might have been the whistleblower who alerted police about him, rather than implying Trump participated in any abuse.
In another email to journalist Michael Wolff, Epstein said that Trump “knew about the girls,” a phrase that has attracted much media attention. Yet the disgraced financier added, “as he asked Ghislaine to stop,” referring to Maxwell. Though cryptic, this could plausibly affirm Trump’s claim that Epstein was recruiting girls from Mar-a-Lago and that Trump told him to cease.
In a peculiar email sent to himself and then forwarded to Wolff, Epstein mentioned that girls came to his house to give him massages that included sex acts in exchange for payments. Epstein again stated Trump spent time at his house but never received a massage.
At the very least, none of this constitutes a smoking gun. Yet Senator Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) boldly declared, “Clearly, Donald Trump was at the center of a child sex ring.”
Unsurprisingly, Trump is not taking these allegations quietly. He lashed out on Truth Social, targeting Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.), who has publicly broken with him over the Epstein files and several other significant issues. “Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Greene is a disgrace to our GREAT REPUBLICAN PARTY!” the president wrote.
To his critics, this behavior signals Trump “acting guilty.” In reality, it’s just Trump acting like Trump. When has he ever gone into overdrive to suppress or redefine an unwelcome narrative without resistence? It’s not his style to concede wrongdoing and express regret to bolster his innocence in the face of more serious allegations.
Many prominent individuals, including Trump, had warm relationships with Epstein for years—a fact that does not reflect well on any of them. Undoubtedly, more embarrassing material from the Epstein files will emerge, and his adversaries will likely exaggerate and distort these revelations for partisan purposes.
Despite Trump’s fury, the push to release all Epstein-related documents appears unstoppable in the House. However, this is not the proper way to handle sensitive investigative materials or to protect potentially innocent individuals who may be mentioned.
We support maximal transparency overseen by the relevant judges involved in ongoing Epstein-related cases, rather than a reckless, politicized rush to violate established protocols in hopes of implicating Trump or exposing some vast elite criminal conspiracy.
The Epstein emails released last week sparked considerable hysteria and slander—and there’s surely much more to come.
http://www.ruthfullyyours.com/2025/11/16/the-democrats-epstein-dud/