Why MAGA can't let go of the "Epstein files"

Why MAGA can’t let go of the “Epstein files”
If Jeffrey Epstein really had a client list, Trump would definitely be on it. MAGA influencers don't much care

By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published July 9, 2025 6:45AM (EDT)


(Salon) or outsiders watching the intra-MAGA warfare over the mythical “Epstein files,” the entire situation may seem baffling. Jeffrey Epstein’s supposed client list is a fiction, dreamed up by conspiracy theorists who want to believe the infamous pedophile was also a world-class blackmail artist, even though the journalists who exposed the case have repeatedly denied that allegation. It’s weird that MAGA is so fixated on this. If such a list existed — and let me reiterate, it does not — there is one person whose name would almost certainly be near the top: Donald J. Trump.

Unlike many of the people accused of being on the list, Trump has repeatedly emphasized that he does not believe sexual violence is wrong, at least if rich white men do it. He bragged about assaulting women in the famous “Access Hollywood” tape. He used the word “fortunately” to describe “the last million years” when men, in his view, were universally allowed to assault women sexually. He was found liable for sexual assault by a civil jury, and reacted by blaming the victim, E. Jean Carroll, saying, “What kind of a woman meets somebody and brings them up and within minutes you’re playing hanky-panky in a dressing room?”

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On Tuesday, Sophia Tesfaye at Salon detailed the hilarious MAGA infighting that ensued after the Department of Justice used the holiday weekend to release a two-page memo debunking the two major Epstein conspiracy theories: that he had a “client list” he used for blackmail and that he was murdered. In reality, Epstein killed himself in jail, and there is no evidence that he kept detailed lists of co-conspirators for the purposes of blackmail or extortion. Almost immediately, a chorus of MAGA influencers began to accuse Bondi, along with FBI director Kash Patel and deputy director Dan Bongino, of staging a coverup.

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Given all that, it’s not surprising that some of the loudest and looniest of MAGA conspiracy theorists, like Alex Jones or Laura Loomer, won’t shut up about the “Epstein files,” even though keeping that narrative alive guarantees more photos floating around of Trump hanging out with Epstein back in the day. But even reminding people about our president’s deeply tarnished past friendships is worth it, to bad actors like Loomer and Jones, for raising the overall level of conspiracy-minded thinking in our society. They may even understand that convincing liberals to spread conspiracy theories about Trump and Epstein lowers the bar for this kind of behavior. “Both sides do it” is a powerful tool for those who want to reduce the value of truth all the way to zero and get more social permission to tell lies. That kind of debasement will always work better for the right than the left. ..............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/07/09/why-maga-cant-let-go-of-the-epstein-files/