The Epstein Week That Was

Punchbowl News: “It’s hard to see how this week could’ve gone worse for President Donald Trump and House Republicans.”

“Paralyzed by infighting over the scandal surrounding the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, GOP lawmakers spent the week alternating between bickering among themselves or lamely trying to blame the Democrats for the Epstein debacle. They never came close to figuring out what to do next or how to do it. And at the end of the week, House Republicans left town in the middle of the night with the scandal only getting worse, not better…”

“Trump tried falsely blaming Democrats for the Epstein scandal, including former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, as well as former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director James Comey. The Justice Department even fired Maurene Comey – James’ daughter and a longtime federal prosecutor who worked on the Epstein case – this week.”

“Yet this seemed to make things worse, not better. It was a hugely uncharacteristic moment for Trump since his return to the White House. Trump has had an iron grip over the GOP and his base. This week showed that even Trump has limits.”