On Thursday, anticipation rippled through political and media circles as insiders awaited a potentially explosive Wall Street Journal story examining Donald Trump’s ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein. The article, said to be in the works for days, had still not appeared as of Thursday afternoon—raising eyebrows and fueling speculation across Washington and New York.

According to people familiar with the matter, The Journal is facing pressure from the White House over the story. In fact, Trump is said to have…