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Bill Clinton Just Can’t Escape Scandal

December 20, 2025 at 5:07 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Over the quarter-century since he left the White House, he has painstakingly worked to overcome the personal scandals that marred his presidency. At 79, Mr. Clinton has been enjoying the lifestyle of an elder statesman, traveling the world to deliver speeches and eulogies, writing memoirs and political thrillers, and continuing his philanthropic work.”

“But the Justice Department’s avalanche-like release on Friday of more than 13,000 files related to Mr. Epstein served as a powerful reminder of Mr. Clinton’s long-scrutinized ties to the disgraced financier as well as some of the former president’s less statesmanlike traits — his womanizing, reckless judgment and impulsivity.”

The Guardian: Bill Clinton spokesperson says White House is using him as scapegoat after Epstein files release.

Quote of the Day

December 20, 2025 at 5:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“I did something no other president’s ever done. I took cognitive tests because I know that and by the way, not easy. You get to those last questions, those last 10, 15 questions…and I aced them. And no other president’s taken a cog–… Could you imagine sleepy Joe taking a cognitive test?”

— President Trump, quoted by The Independent.

For Trump, the Epstein Files Won’t Go Away

December 20, 2025 at 5:03 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “The plan to move past Epstein hit a snag when Justice Department officials determined it was too difficult to make the necessary redactions in time. Instead they posted just the first tranche of documents Friday and promised to release more in coming weeks.”

“The timing makes it likely that Trump’s relationship with Epstein—which by Trump’s account ended when he cut off ties long before Epstein was first arrested in 2006—will continue to make news. The issue threatens to have a drip, drip, drip cadence that prevents the White House from fully turning the page.”


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Epstein Files Include Child Porn Complaint

December 20, 2025 at 5:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Justice Department files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, released Friday, included a 1996 complaint to the FBI about the disgraced financier allegedly possessing and distributing ‘child pornography’ about a decade before a federal investigation was launched into his predatory behavior with minors and young women,” the Washington Post reports.

Justice Department Scrubs Epstein Files

December 20, 2025 at 4:32 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public,” the AP reports.

“The missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.”

NPR: Available to download Friday, some Epstein files no longer there Saturday afternoon.

U.S. Seizes Another Vessel Off Venezuela

December 20, 2025 at 2:46 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The U.S. Coast Guard stopped and boarded a Panamanian-flagged tanker carrying Venezuelan oil late Friday or early Saturday, the New York Times reports.

Donald and Melania Trump’s Memecoin Adventure

December 20, 2025 at 2:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Bloomberg: “No one wants to claim credit for helping the first couple launch cryptocurrencies that plummeted more than 90% from their peak.”

How Putin Got His Preferred U.S. Envoy

December 20, 2025 at 1:57 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Wall Street Journal has a deep dive on Steve Witkoff’s ascent in President Trump’s diplomatic sphere — and how Russian president Vladimir Putin maneuvered behind the scenes to help make it happen.

“The Russian president had been studying psychological profiles of the officials around Trump, including Keith Kellogg, the retired three-star general Trump had named as America’s envoy to Russia and Ukraine. Putin’s intelligence-agency reports stressed that Kellogg’s daughter ran a charity in Ukraine—a red flag signaling he might be hostile to Russian demands during coming peace talks, people familiar with the documents said. Kellogg had also shrugged off an appeal from television personality Tucker Carlson, who told him before Inauguration Day that Moscow was ready to start talking.”

“Perhaps there was someone else in Trump’s inner circle who might make a better fit?”

More Epstein Files Released

December 20, 2025 at 1:53 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Two more batches of Epstein-related files were released by the Justice Department on Saturday, CBS News reports.

They include some grand jury transcripts and other court documents from past cases against Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. 

U.S. Pitches ‘Project Sunrise’ Plan to Rebuild Gaza

December 20, 2025 at 1:52 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “The blueprint drafted by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff could have the U.S. commit to roughly 20% of some reconstruction costs over 10 years.”

There’s a 92% Chance Trump Is Making It Up

December 20, 2025 at 1:48 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Marie-Rose Sheinerman: “President Donald Trump likes to use a big number to anchor his point, especially when he wanders off on a tangent. Often it seems that a specific figure is on the tip of his tongue…”

“His fixation on the number between 91 and 93 has been a feature for a while. In April, Trump claimed that egg prices had fallen by 92 percent. (The Bureau of Labor Statistics said 12.7 percent.) And at a rally shortly before last November’s election, while railing against journalists and the media, he allowed that ‘not all of them’ are ‘sick people.’ Just ‘about 92 percent.’ That one, admittedly, is difficult to fact-check.”

“I came upon this curious pattern in the course of tracking down the basis for a far more serious claim the president has made repeatedly as part of his justification for the U.S. military buildup near Venezuela.”

Israel Wants to Attack Iran Again

December 20, 2025 at 1:44 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Israeli officials have grown increasingly concerned that Iran is expanding production of its ballistic missile program, which was damaged by Israeli military strikes earlier this year, and are preparing to brief President Donald Trump about options for attacking it again,” NBC News reports.

“Israeli officials also are concerned that Iran is reconstituting nuclear enrichment sites the U.S. bombed in June… But, they added, the officials view Iran’s efforts to rebuild facilities where they produce the ballistic missiles and to repair its crippled air defense systems as more immediate concerns.”

Trump Turns Epstein Files Into Wikileaks 2.0

December 20, 2025 at 12:16 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration has transformed the release of the Epstein files into the 2025 version of WikiLeaks: a slow-drip document dump that could threaten a long list of Washington power players,” Politico reports.

“And with each newly published tranche, a frenzied press corps will pore over every word for clues about the world leaders, corporate executives and Wall Street titans who helped late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein grow and maintain his influence.”

Republicans Frustrated by House Schedule

December 20, 2025 at 12:14 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“House lawmakers barely edged out COVID-era voting days in 2025, despite being in the make-or-break year for President Trump’s MAGA agenda,” Axios reports.

“Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) lawmakers are frustrated and losing their cool, and aside from the ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ Republicans don’t have much to brag about.”

Fight Over the Next Fed Chair Heats Up

December 20, 2025 at 12:09 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “A fight over the next Fed chair is playing out in Washington and on Wall Street, with industry titans and Trump allies taking sides and the candidates themselves jockeying for position.”

“Some Wall Street insiders have been advocating for Warsh, calling administration officials to make the case for him with the goal of edging Hassett out of contention, according to people familiar with the outreach. The campaign has focused, in part, on the argument that Hassett is too close to Trump to have credibility with bond markets as an independent Fed chair. Some in Trump’s orbit have grown frustrated by the maneuvering.”

‘They’re Delusional If They Think This Is Going Away’

December 20, 2025 at 12:04 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sarah Fitzpatrick: “The Trump administration’s release of the long-awaited Epstein files didn’t provide what survivors were looking for.”

Mother Jones: Trump’s Epstein coverup is just getting started.

Jilted by Trump

December 20, 2025 at 10:26 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “After a series of public humiliations delivered to her by President Trump — his yanking of her nomination to serve as U.N. ambassador; his Oval Office love fest with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, during which the president undercut her; and the coup de grâce of his refusal to endorse her in the Republican primary for governor — Ms. Stefanik on Friday afternoon announced she’d had enough.”

“She was done with the governor’s race, for which she had raised more than $12 million from donors who may now be frustrated with her decision to pull out. And done with Congress altogether: She said she would not seek re-election next year.”

“Now, at war with Speaker Mike Johnson, privately livid at Mr. Trump and deeply frustrated with her job in Congress, it is not clear whether Ms. Stefanik even has any interest in finishing her term, although people close to her said she planned to stay until the end of her term.”

Moderates’ Rebellion

December 20, 2025 at 10:24 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Punchbowl News: “You’ve probably heard plenty over the last few years about House Republicans rebelling against their leadership. But what unfolded over the last few weeks was something new: a revolt from the middle.”

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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