# Epstein Files =\> Trump Impeachment & Conviction? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [November 10, 2025, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733 "2025-11-10T17:42:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 53
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1042 "2026-05-30T18:28:59Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Why are we spending time on a wacko conspiracy theory? What does this have to do with the Epstein files? Good point. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2026, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1043 "2026-05-30T21:04:31Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Also, the reason for the conspiracy theory around Melania is because _she brought it up_ with her spontaneous speech about how she wasn’t Epstein’s victim. This was after ICE deported Amanda Ungaro, someone who used to be a friend to Melania and is also connected to various creeps. Ungaro has threatened to talk. I hope the first thing she says is that she has no intention of committing suicid Yes, this is worth giving some attention to, even in the face of all the other Epstein-related matters. Melania undoubtedly has knowledge that no one in the Epstein Class wants revealed. And of course she’d need a powerful incentive to become willing to disclose any of it. We likely will never know even a fraction of what she could say. And the Republican determination to make sure she’s never questioned under oath shouldn’t be swept under any rugs. At the very least, those responsible should be questioned by the electorate. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1044 "2026-06-11T05:18:18Z")
The NYT has an article about the scramble for damage control in the White House, most of which took place in the Situation Room. One of the things Trump’s team came up with was to have Tucker Carlson interview Ghislaine Maxwell so she could deny Trump ever did anything wrong. This idea seems to have morphed into having Todd Blanche interview her instead and the quid pro quo where she was transferred to the prison camp where she has access to puppies. The NYT article is linked at the bottom of this Yahoo article but is most likely paywalled: > **[Former John McCain Adviser Says Trump-Epstein Fallout Is ‘Worst Case...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/former-john-mccain-adviser-says-231607724.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall)** > > Exclusive reporting out of the New York Times on Wednesday highlighted the frenzied, divisive response in the Trump White House. Another fun bit from today was on MSNOW where Nicolle Wallace speculated that the reason why they had these meetings in the morning in the Situation Room is because the cramped staircase and tiny elevator made it unlikely that Trump would wander in and interrupt them. JFC, can you imagine that? Not only does your job become to defend and protect a pedophile but also to tiptoe around him so you don’t accidentally piss him off with your ham-fisted coverup attempts. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1045 "2026-06-11T06:31:24Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Not only does your job become to defend and protect a pedophile but also to tiptoe around him so you don’t accidentally piss him off with your ham-fisted coverup attempts. I can’t tell you how much I feel sorry for them. ---
**Author:** ![pseudograph](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pseudograph/32/19768_2.png) [@pseudograph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudograph)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1046 "2026-06-11T09:02:25Z")
[Gift link to New York Times article mentioned above.](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/10/magazine/trump-epstein-files-white-house-vance-doj.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pVA.NAso.CsqekUhawgKn&smid=url-share) ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1047 "2026-06-11T11:59:36Z")
Because there’s no number small enough? Perhaps we should define a Planck number for feeling sorry, a Quantum of commiseration. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1048 "2026-06-11T14:41:36Z")
But if they signed up for it - screw’em? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1049 "2026-06-11T16:12:49Z")
Shana, they bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1050 "2026-06-11T18:13:47Z")
Personally, I’d say that the article sort of reduces down to this line: > “Blondie fucked this whole thing up,” Bongino later told a confidant, echoing Loomer’s derisive nickname for the attorney general. “She was the one on TV saying over and over they had all this stuff. There was never anything. We were always clear about that. But now everyone thinks we did something wrong. And I gave up everything.” Bongino complained that he had given up his high-rated show and millions of dollars, “and now it’s all disappeared, because people think we screwed something up with Epstein.” That is to say (and no, I’m not saying what you think I’m saying, keep reading past this sentence) that Trump is completely innocent in the whole Epstein affair and thus this sort of thinking is reasonable: > [@](#): > > Blanche argued that in context, the Ransome document — and Ransome’s disavowal of some of her other claims — would make clear why the allegations related to Trump had never been pursued for prosecution. Besides, these allegations were already available online because of what had been unsealed, so there was no reason to leave them off the Justice Department website. > > The vice president said he thought the president would be OK with releasing the nipple-related documents, arguing that Trump had been accused of worse. “I think we should put it out,” he said. “It would cause people to say we’re going further than we need to.” Wiles quickly responded that the president would not, in fact, be OK with it. It was a point no one wanted to continue debating. And, thus, they withheld the document. _The information was already out there, the President is innocent, why force the guy to get hammered again over an issue that has been deemed a “made up story”?_ To a MAGA reader, Bongino’s statement is the key to the article. Ultimately, what people want when they read a story a is a straight up and down, “Did he do it?” They don’t want a bunch of evidence to this side, a bunch of evidence to that side, and, “Hey, make of that what you will.” If there’s a clear cut answer that allows you to sidestep all of that - like the Deputy Director of the FBI and member of the inner circle, privy to all the dirt, being quoted candidly that the accusation has no merit - then that’s as good as done and everything will be read in that light. To be clear, I’m not saying that the NYT should deny Trump the chance of being acquitted in the public consciousness, and suppress any details that might exonerate him. Again, keep reading because let’s ignore the whole Epstein part of the article. If we ignore Epstein, what is this article about? Well, it’s about the selective engagement with the press, coordinating leaks, deciding how to contextualize, what to withhold, who to pardon, etc. to get the mass media to move the ball in the direction that the team wants them to move So then… What’s the sourcing for the details in this story? When we read about the fight between Bongino and Susan Wiles, with precise quotes that the NYT legal department has signed off on at risk of defamation and libel claims, how are they confident that none of the participants will file suit or that, otherwise, there’s no legal risk? Is it more likely that the NYT has an invisible, undetectable drone that flies around recording the conversations of Susan Wiles or that their reporters sat down with Dan Bongino and reported to the world what he put down on the record for them? What’s the sourcing for the details of this story? Is it from the group who you’re quoting about working professionally to coordinate manipulating the media? > [@](#): > > Maxwell could be given a pardon, he said, or she could have her sentence reduced. > > At that, several around the table spoke up to register their strong disapproval. > > “Pardoning Maxwell, a trafficker of young girls, would create a huge P.R. problem,” Cheung said. He predicted that in the wake of a pardon, the Epstein accusers would be fanning out on TV, telling their stories and ripping the administration to shreds. To my mind, when we look at the Epstein files, you’ve got articles like this one that quote the sources complaining that they don’t have time to redact the millions of documents by the unreasonable deadline given by Congress - but ignore that the same individuals had already committed to doing what Congress demanded a year earlier and claimed to have had people working around the clock six months earlier, redacting documents so that the release could be made. They’re people who, like above, evaluate freeing a predatory sex offender on the basis of optics versus protecting the president. While it may be that it was during the earlier period that they were lying, and not the later one, it remains that Bondi, Patel and Bongino at the FBI, etc. claimed on the record to be doing the work that they then pretended was _new_ work, several months later. We know from inventory counts that 10-20% of the interviews with subjects/witnesses are still being withheld. Trump illegally took confidential government documents home with him after his first term and, plausibly, was able to keep a cache of those hidden despite Smith’s searches of Mar-a-Lago. There’s many reports going back decades about Trump destroying and refusing to divulge advice. How can we know that, even if Bongino was telling the truth about not knowing anything damning about Trump, that he would have access to the information needed to assess the question, given what we know about the President’s practices. Again, that doesn’t _necessarily_ mean that the President is guilty of anything. Hiding FBI 302s, in violation of the law, certainly doesn’t scream “innocence”, granted, but it’s not definitive and I’m not trying to imply otherwise. The point is simply that the NYT and most of the media outlets keep forgetting that, while Trump is not the most brilliant man in the world of economics, science, etc. he is a master of leading media outlets by the nose and that every time you’re getting front row seat access to the details from the inner circle, it’s probably more likely that you’re part of the problem than part of the solution. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1051 "2026-06-11T18:43:53Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > The vice president said he thought the president would be OK with releasing the nipple-related documents I guess I haven’t been following closely enough, what are the “nipple-related documents?” ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1052 "2026-06-11T18:52:23Z")
> [@](#): > > In the emails, Ransome claimed that she knew a girl in Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring named Jen, who said she had sex with Trump. Ransome also claimed that Jen had told her that Trump had a predilection for nipples and that he had aggressively flicked and sucked hers. Ransome wrote that she had seen evidence when she shared a bathroom with Jen. “They looked incredibly painful as they were red and swollen and I remember wincing when I looked at them,” she wrote. > > Ransome’s credibility was not uncomplicated; she had made another claim that she possessed video footage of prominent men having sex with young girls in Epstein’s entourage. She later retracted the claims, saying she feared for herself and her family if she proceeded. In general, it’s not clear from her history with the courts how to interpret Ransome’s various releases over the years. I wrote a blog entry about it a while ago: > **[Fuzzy Logic](https://publius2point0.wordpress.com/2024/01/09/fuzzy-logic/)** > > Back when I was researching the early history of the New Testament, one important step was to try and date the various historical documents. Most documents are dated on the basis of reference and l… ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1053 "2026-06-11T19:59:46Z")
Many thanks to @pseudograph for the NYT link. I haven’t finished reading the longish article, but: what a tribute to the determination to retain POWER, no matter what they had to ignore and sweep under the rug. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1054 "2026-06-11T20:32:26Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > “They looked incredibly painful as they were red and swollen and I remember wincing when I looked at them,” she wrote. So that’s why he has that anus mouth. I see myself out. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1055 "2026-06-14T16:39:04Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Perhaps we should define a Planck number for feeling sorry, a Quantum of commiseration. =1 thought+2prayers? ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1056 "2026-06-14T20:49:34Z")
Feels like too many prayers, but there’s no alternative, you have to conserve the plural in “thoughts and players”, so 2 thoughts and 2 prayers I guess. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2026, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1057 "2026-06-14T20:55:23Z")
Their thoughts are pretty miniscule so that fits. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1058 "2026-06-15T10:16:41Z")
Loaves and fishes available as part of a premium package, presumably ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1059 "2026-06-16T00:02:22Z")
I’ve gotten lost in this thread… What are you all actually talking about right now? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1060 "2026-06-16T18:06:38Z")
Moderating: > [@enipla](#): > > So that’s why he has that anus mouth. I see myself out. Sorry. > [@PatrickLondon](#): > > =1 thought+2prayers? > [@Frodo](#): > > Feels like too many prayers, but there’s no alternative, you have to conserve the plural in “thoughts and players”, so 2 thoughts and 2 prayers I guess. > [@DesertDog](#): > > Their thoughts are pretty miniscule so that fits. > [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Loaves and fishes available as part of a premium package, presumably I agree with @Atamasama. Time to get back on topic. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2026, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733/1061 "2026-08-02T01:03:34Z")
We’ve had some progress. Katie Phang, formerly of MSNBC, has sued Todd Blanche because what he has said about the redactions doesn’t line up with what is specified in the Epstein Files Transparency Act. A judge now has unredacted versions of files where the DOJ said “that’s a victim!” in cases such as the email chain where someone was talking about loving a torture video: > **[Trump DOJ Hands Judge Unredacted Epstein Records After Katie Phang's Court Win](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/trump-doj-hands-judge-unredacted-195001701.html)** > > The Justice Department confirmed Thursday that it has turned over unredacted Epstein-related records directly to a federal judge for private review, marking the latest development in a lawsuit brought... One thing that blows me away about all of this is “individuals represented by attorneys who have asked the department to treat their clients as victims.” So people who would otherwise be categorized as sex traffickers can just say that they are victims and the DOJ will cover up their crimes like a cat burying turds in a litter box? That’s like allowing a mass shooter to claim that they were a victim of their own shooting and then not pressing charges against them because of the trauma! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733.md?page=52) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epstein-files-trump-impeachment-conviction/1024733.md?page=54)