Andrew Egger: “In a way, Donald Trump and his allies have spent their entire political lives preparing for this moment. The whole miserable decade of ‘alternative facts,’ of witch hunts, of flooding the zone with shit—it all amounted to a long, powerful education for his base. It’s a training in a certain kind of zen meditation, in which stories damaging to Trump pass from the eyes and ears directly out of the body without ever intersecting the brain. By now, the base has gotten in their 10,000 hours. They’ve become masters of the craft. They can perform all sorts of remarkable feats—the media-cope equivalent of lying on beds of nails while cinderblocks are smashed on their chests. These cinderblocks, they whisper serenely, are just a liberal plot. If I pay attention, the Democrats win.”

“This Epstein story might as well be their final test. They’ve clamored for years for more information about Epstein’s sexual-deviant associates—and here Trump is, wallowing in that muck of perversity, clear as day. Trump plainly thinks he’s got them well trained enough that he doesn’t even need to find a good cover story. They’re ready to excuse him all on their own.”

The Wall Street Journal has more pages from the infamous Jeffrey Epstein birthday book, including a letter from Bill Clinton.

A member of President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club joked about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein selling Trump a “fully depreciated” woman for $22,500 in 2003.

The Wall Street Journal analyzes the text and drawing Donald Trump gave to Jeffrey Epstein in a 2003 birthday book.

It’s very clear the Journal had this analysis ready to go.

“Lawyers for Jeffrey Epstein’s estate have given Congress a copy of the birthday book put together for the financier’s 50th birthday, which includes a letter with Trump’s signature that he has said doesn’t exist,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA): “President Trump called the Epstein investigation a hoax and claimed that his birthday note didn’t exist. Now we know that Donald Trump was lying and is doing everything he can to cover up the truth. Enough of the games and lies, release the full files now.”

In all the coverage of this, only the Wall Street Journal has the picture — an indication they had it all along.

A New York Times investigation found that America’s leading bank spent years supporting — and profiting from — the notorious sex offender, ignoring red flags, suspicious activity and concerned executives.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Sunday backed off his claim that President Donald Trump was an FBI informant in the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Washington Post reports.

“For more than six months, Donald Trump and his justice department have insisted they would get to the bottom of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, but nine attorneys – who have represented approximately 50 Epstein survivors – told the Guardian they have not been recently contacted by the justice department.”

“The revelation casts doubt on the effort by the Trump administration to fully investigate Epstein’s crimes and activities and reveal everything that the government knows about him.”

Jeffrey Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips said that she and other victims will compile their own “client list,” McClatchy reports.

Said Phillips: “We know the names… Now, together as survivors, we will confidentially compile the names we all know were regularly in the Epstein world… Stay tuned for more details.”

Playbook: “You could almost forget, amid the political feeding frenzy this summer over the non-release of the Epstein files, that at the heart of this case lie the most heinous crimes imaginable.”

“That stark reality will be brought jarringly back into focus here in D.C. this morning when we hear directly from 10 of Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors in what should be a remarkable news conference on the steps of the Capitol.”

The Bulwark: “Six weeks ago, Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House of Representatives into recess early to dodge some uncomfortable votes about the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. But the unfortunate thing about recess is you’ve got to return eventually—and with Congress back in session, the Epstein story is grinding ahead again.”

Tara Palmeri: “This moment in D.C. is a real inflection point. Will survivors push Republicans into a corner, forcing them to stand up for transparency? After all, who wants to be on record voting against the release of files—hiding behind claims of ‘protection’ that are just gaslighting, sweeping the truth under the rug. It’s a classic move in sexual-assault cases.”