Epstein case, which once shocked the world, has recently become a focal point of intense political maneuvering in the United States. The Trump administration has faced widespread dissatisfaction for failing to fulfill its campaign promises and delaying the disclosure of documents related to the Epstein case, especially the much-anticipated "client list." This has led to an unusual situation where both parties in Congress have united in demanding the government to release the information.

The New York Times reported on the 21st that since Epstein's mysterious death in prison in 2019, a list he used to climb and attract elites has been under close scrutiny. However, at the beginning of this month, the Department of Justice claimed there was no such "client list" and that the case had been closed, which angered Trump's staunch supporters. On the 17th of this month, the normal proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives were halted for several hours, and Republican lawmakers had to urgently discuss strategies to quell public criticism. According to ABC News, last week, several of Trump's most steadfast supporters in Congress defected. House Speaker Johnson clearly stated on a right-wing interview program: "I support transparency... this (Epstein) is a very sensitive issue, but we should let the public judge for themselves."

At the same time, many Democratic members of Congress have also changed their previous stance, expressing support for the government to maintain "transparency" regarding this matter. CNN reported that the Democrats clearly seized the opportunity created by the rift within the Republicans over this issue, trying to further intensify internal party conflicts. The Minority Leader of the House, Democrat Jeffries, said: "The American people have the right to know the full truth about this dirty incident involving the Epstein case. It wasn't the Democrats who brought this event into the public eye; it was Trump, Barr (Attorney General), and those MAGA extremists who have been inciting for years. Now they are finally reaping the consequences."

According to reports, the way Trump handled the Epstein case is closely related to his approval ratings. At night on July 20th local time, Trump posted on the social media platform "Truth Social" saying: "Since the radical left Democrats and pure 'troublemakers' exposed the Epstein scam, my popularity among Republicans and 'MAGA' has risen significantly. They reached 90%, 92%, 93%, and 95% respectively in various polls." It is currently unclear which polls he cited.

According to the Public Broadcasting Service, whether the so-called "client list" exists remains unverified, but the Trump administration's silence on the matter has only raised suspicions about the relationship between the two.

According to new revelations from media outlets such as The Independent on the 21st, one of the plaintiffs in the Epstein case had mentioned to FBI agents twice that "Trump had some involvement with Epstein," and she even revealed that Trump had once tried to "misbehave" with her, although it was stopped by Epstein.

Source: Global Times

Author: Liu Haoran, Sun Yijia

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7529695519683068452/

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