The New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan reveal in a major excerpt from their new book, "Regime Change," that the political turmoil surrounding the Epstein files last year deeply shook the White House—far more than previously known—including multiple meetings in the Situation Room to assess potential backlash from Trump's base. The White House responded by stating that Trump had "no connection whatsoever" to Epstein's improper conduct and has consistently supported transparency for victims. According to the book, Trump privately did not want any archive materials made public and even personally tried to suppress a Wall Street Journal report on birthday cards.
The excerpt also shows that Vance advocated for releasing all materials, including unverified claims involving Trump, arguing that lack of transparency would lead to serious political backlash. He reportedly recommended that Tucker Carlson interview Maxwell. White House Chief of Staff Wiles is said to have privately referred to Vance as a "conspiracy theorist," while senior officials at the Department of Justice were embroiled in fierce internal conflict over handling the archives. Meanwhile, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer hopes that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will testify next month about document handling. Bill Gates told the committee that he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes during their interactions. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that the American public remains dissatisfied with how the government has handled the matter, with 47% believing the Trump administration harmed rather than advanced accountability efforts, compared to just 10% who believe otherwise.
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Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867663113068618/
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