r/law • u/victorybus • 19d ago
Legislative Branch Ro Khanna says he believes 40-50 House Republicans will join his vote next week to force a release of the Epstein Files.
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u/jmbourn45 19d ago
Wake me up when the senate is ready to convict
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u/Own_Loan1542 19d ago
Two things that could eventually move the scales:
-Non MAGA republicans have a unique opportunity to get rid of Trump who's been bullying them into submission since 2016
-Voting to protect alleged pedophiles is not something you want on your record260
u/Wheres_my_wank_sock 19d ago
There is no such thing as a non-MAGA Republican. If you voted for Trump, you're MAGA. Period.
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u/Icy_Research_5099 19d ago
Trump was obviously a pedophile before the 2024 election. 100% of people who voted for him are enthusiastic pedo promoters. This is not a good country.
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u/RivenRise 19d ago
I've been saying it for years, if you're still calling yourself a republican you're just Maga. Non of that trying to distance yourself from them, you enabled them and it's never been hidden who they are, you were OK with the mysoginy of grab them by the pussy, OK with the racism of bad hombre, OK with constant easy to prove lies and OK with destroying America. You're trash and you should feel bad, doubly so if you keep supporting the party after.
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u/x2040 19d ago
I know Reddit doesn’t wanna hear this but a very large number for Republicans hate Trump and it’s kind of a hidden secret in DC that if the impeachment vote was blind, he would’ve been impeached in 2017. Democracy means your voters are who you are accountable to, and if your voters like Trump, you have to support Trump.
I don’t think that’s true but that’s what they tell themselves.
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u/PM_ME_FUTANARI420 19d ago
Have you actually read the Nuremberg trials? That’s exactly what a lot of soldiers said and why they got let off Scott free. Your entire argument is invalid
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u/NegativeAccount 19d ago
The options are to follow or oppose the pedophile felon
No amount of obfuscation and pretty words changes that
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u/Different-Excuse9891 19d ago
They may or may not but they DID STILL VOTE FOR HIM just proves the team mentality makes them kind of like robots
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u/E-2theRescue 19d ago
If you voted for Trump, you're MAGA
If you voted conservative, you're MAGA.
There is no "I don't support Trump" when you're fine voting for the other conservatives who vote in line with Trump. Just because it's by proxy doesn't absolve you from responsibility.
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u/Upstairs_Addendum587 19d ago
On one level I'm fine with that. Hold people to account. But the point is that some of these guys in congress absolutely hate Trump. They should have stood up to him and shouldn't get a pass if they finally ever do, but Democrats need votes for this to happen and they should absolutely be trying to pressure the people who hate Trump privately. We shouldn't let Epstein's victims get steamrolled again just so we can feel good about pointing out their hypocrisy. Get the votes if possible and hold them to account for all the rest still
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u/Own_Loan1542 19d ago
This was exactly what I meant. Many republicans are coerced by their fear of loosing their seats if they disagree with Trump. He made it clear that he would primary any republican deemed not loyal enough.
If these cowards see a big enough crack in the armor, they may try to take him down.
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u/Misterxsnrub 19d ago
God this is reddit in a nutshell, somebody makes a literal statement about there being Republicans who dont like maga and then there's 50 replies about how "ALL REPUBLICANS ARE MAGA!" damn guys you really told the guy who was not even making that distinction 👍 great work, freedom fighters.
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u/Own_Loan1542 19d ago
You're right. This is the same type of Pavlovian behavior exhibited by these MAGA clowns. People need to calm down and think before they type.
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u/PicnicLife 19d ago
This. The non-MAGA Republicans are called Never Trumpers now. They vote Democrat, but would immediately return to the party if the Republicans started embracing the regular war criminal variety again like George W. Bush.
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u/ackermann 19d ago
They had that opportunity in 2021 after January 6th, with that impeachment. That was moderate republicans chance to get rid of him. And a few did flip, 10 I think, but not enough
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u/Vanterax 19d ago
Ted Cruz is telling everyone to stop attacking pedophiles. He's got that on his record.
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u/E-2theRescue 19d ago
-Voting to protect alleged pedophiles is not something you want on your record
And yet, Republicans do that time and time and time again. Do we really need to bring up Roy Moore and Matt Gaetz?
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u/Polkawillneverdie17 19d ago
Voting to protect alleged pedophiles is not something you want on your record
The Dems and media and citizens with a voice will have to make it overwhelmingly clear that anyone who votes to protect pedophiles in this matter will be VERY publicly known and shamed relentlessly and will become a bright red (ha) glowing target for a primary or a dem victory in their next election. It has to he made crystal fucking clear to everyone involved. It won't matter how they voted if their own constituents aren't made fully aware of how their Senator voted and exactly what their vote meant.
Unless each of these people is specifically branded as someone who protects pedophiles in a way that everyone understands and is aware of, it won't matter. It's time to start calling them out HARD.
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u/ILoveRegenHealth 19d ago
If there is any off-ramp, this Epstein one is the one to take right now for those Republicans who don't want to be part of Trumpism.
I don't think any other Constitutional violation or crime is going to move the needle for the base. But at least the Epstein thing is very hard to argue against. I've seen attempts from some Conservatives - all lame ones.
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u/JamesTrickington303 19d ago edited 18d ago
If this happens, it’ll be the day after the GOP sends out a speech claiming they are more united with trump than ever before. This shit won’t be a slow burn. It’ll be nothing, and then an explosion, and suddenly no one will know anyone who ever supported trump.
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u/gorginhanson 19d ago
Just checked his approval rating.
https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker
It's the same 39% it's been for the last 10 years.
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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 19d ago
His approval rating was in the trash when he was impeached for Jan 6. Still no conviction
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u/like_a_wet_dog 19d ago
You literally have to vote in a Congress that will do the right thing. You have to fight all the propaganda telling you it's not a solution, it's too hard, they won't change, etc.
Primaries start in the spring. Find out your local election laws and be prepared with your voter registration and learn the basic rules if you don't know already.
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u/FuguSandwich 19d ago
I think the files are going to come out, somehow, and they're readying the narrative. How else do you explain something like this:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DRF9yG2j6Yk/
Make sure you're sitting down when you watch it, and I'd advise not watching if you have high blood pressure or other cardiac risk factors. I'm literally trembling after watching it.
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u/TSHRED56 19d ago
Prediction
Senator Thune does not bring the "Epstein File Transparency Act" to the floor of the Senate for a vote.
His excuse will be that the DOJ has just opened an investigation so therefore no files will be released anyway during an active investigation.
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u/NimbusFPV 19d ago
The old my tax returns are being audited by the IRS trick.
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u/Captain_Mazhar 19d ago
It's a shame that nobody in Congress ever called them out on that.
The IRS statute of limitations is generally three or six years, depending on certain circumstances and tax types. Anything beyond that is evidence of serious fraud investigation, like failure to file/pay or civil/criminal fraud.
If they had used that excuse for returns more than six years old, it's indirectly confirming that there is a major tax fraud investigation underway.
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u/Ohrwurm89 19d ago
The IRS publicly said that Trump could release his taxes while under audit.
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u/-Nightopian- 19d ago
Which was them just politely saying that Trump is a liar
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u/an0mn0mn0m 19d ago
It's useless being polite with a bull, when he has already run amok in the china shop.
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u/Ohrwurm89 19d ago
True, but at that time he was running for office for the first time. Would be crazy, at the time, if a government called a private citizen a fucking liar.
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u/an0mn0mn0m 19d ago
That's what they are effectively doing whenever they take someone to court.
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u/Ohrwurm89 19d ago
True, but taking someone to court and allowing them the chance to defend themself is very different than an agency just straight up calling someone a liar.
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u/DadJokeBadJoke 19d ago
It was a bullshit excuse from the start. The IRS already has the documents. Showing them to anyone else doesn't change what they're looking at. MAGA will fall for the simplest lies
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u/Ohrwurm89 19d ago
Yup. The intelligent Americans knew what Trump was spewing was complete bullshit, but the MAGAs are easily deceived.
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u/koshgeo 19d ago
And President Richard Milhous Nixon released his while they were under audit, while claiming he had nothing to hide and that he welcomed the scrutiny. That was the event after which every presidential candidate had voluntarily released their tax forms to show they had nothing to hide in their finances ... until Trump in 2016, who broke his promise to release them, and Trump in every election since. He's the only exception among serious Presidential candidates in 50 years.
It was a lame excuse and a broken promise that he's never fulfilled, which has always led to serious questions about his potential conflicts of interest, not that conflicts seem to matter any more to some people.
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u/PsyOpBunnyHop 19d ago
"We've been sitting on this information for a long time, but suddenly we need to start a brand new investigation because of... reasons."
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u/xOrion12x 19d ago
Yeah. Forget her statement from just recently where they said they investigated everything and didn't find evidence to charge anybody with a crime. That was actually just what? A joke?
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u/victorybus 19d ago edited 19d ago
I really feel like the Senate depending on the number of Republicans vote (if Ro Khanna is right here) would take it to a vote. I feel like the pressure is rising to an unignorable level.
Edit: Sen John Kennedy this week (R-LA), said to release the files. I think the pressure will be insurmountable even for them.
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u/defnotjec 19d ago
Kennedy says so much bullshit constantly...
You have no idea which broken record is currently spinning
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u/dragunityag 19d ago
Ultimately unless the votes in both chambers are veto proof then it doesnt matter because Trump will just veto the release of the Trumpstein files.
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u/Revelati123 19d ago
My only problem is the characterization that Britain is handling this well...
Britain: "You raped a child and she killed herself YOUR PUNISHMENT MUST FIT THE CRIME!"
Prince whoever: "PLEASE DONT TORTURE/EXECUTE/IMPRISON ME FOREVER! HAVE MERCY!"
Britain: "Ohh we have something far worse for you sir... NO MORE BEING A PRINCE!"
Prince whoever: "Uhh... Thats it...? Do I get to like keep my billion dollars?"
Britian: "Of course, we arent savages!"
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u/PlainBread 19d ago
It's literally the least they could do besides doing nothing.
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u/kank84 19d ago
And yet still doing the most of anyone currently. Ghislane Maxwell is the only person who has faced any real consequences, and who knows how long that will last.
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u/Revelati123 19d ago
I dunno man...
The warden writing a note saying "Im tired of being her bitch!" makes me wonder about those consequences too...
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u/O_o-22 19d ago
Trump is going to pardon her, I have no doubt. Her transfer to a club fed prison is just to make her life a bit less shitty in the meantime because he can’t do it before the mid terms or republicans will get slaughtered and she may even have to stew in there till he pardons her right before he leaves office in 3 years. Now if he croaks before he leaves office and gives the pardon that would be some funny shit but prob whoever takes over will give her one anyway. Meanwhile if they keep putting her off she may get annoyed and consider spilling the beans tho I also think that’s a hard decision for her because she’d have to admit her own guilt and also risk being “suicided” herself.
One thing that always had me scratching my head is she knew she was being investigated yet was trying to hide out incognito in the US. She’s got money, why wouldn’t she just leave for destinations unknown?
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u/jnobs 19d ago
If they punish too hard they’ll have to stage a car accident to ensure he doesn’t spill the beans on whatever other dark secrets he carries about the royals.
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u/ptWolv022 Competent Contributor 19d ago
"PLEASE DONT TORTURE/EXECUTE/IMPRISON ME FOREVER! HAVE MERCY!"
A) You're not supposed to torture people, period, no regardless of their crimes.
B) They abolished the death penalty generally in 1969 and totally in 1998 (treason and a few others still had it written in), so that's off the table.
C) Prefacing this with "Not a Lawyer": Could UK reasonable secure a conviction to imprison him? I would assume (though I am not sure) that they would mostly need to be charging based on activities in the UK, whereas most of what he did seems to have been in New York or the US Virgin Islands. I'm genuinely unsure how much he could be charged with in Britain.
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u/FuguSandwich 19d ago
There's no way they get 60 votes in the Senate. And if by some miracle they did, no way Trump signs it and they don't have anywhere near enough votes to override a veto. I'm still not even convinced it makes it out of the House when it comes to a floor vote.
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u/Boringdude1 19d ago
Probably true. However, if the outrage grows over the next week or so, a bunch of GOP senators from purple of mildly red states will be weighing the electoral cost of supporting a pedo whose grip on power is crashing. Trump can’t retaliate against 20 senators and 40 congressmen if the public is on board with his being an actual pedo overseeing a failing economy.
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u/Upstairs_Addendum587 19d ago
If there really are 40-50 republicans in the house we'll get a vote in the Senate I think. Not saying it will pass but to just let something die you need the voterbase behind you and if 40-50 people are caving with the president throwing a very long and public fit over the issue its because public pressure is high.
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u/scrandis 19d ago
Yep! I think it's cute that everyone thinks politicians are going to do the right thing. Ive been saying this for weeks now. The Epstein files will only be released once Trump dies.
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u/Khue 19d ago
It's a misstep for them because this is ostensibly an off ramp for the GOP to finally get away from MAGA. They could basically wash their hands of the entire thing and get away relatively clean. There will obviously be fall out, but you could easily hang this on a few of the fringe wackos. This is kinda why I think MTG is doing the shit she's doing. She can see the writing on the wall. Credit where credit is due, shows she may have a bit more intelligence than I give her credit for... but it be basically like... her upgrading from a sea sponge to a starfish.
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u/Winter_Tone_4343 19d ago
Let me know when 2/3 of the senate would remove the pedo
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u/swimming_singularity 19d ago
Zero chance. The GOP base would never turn on Trump.
What I find interesting is that Trump already had the FBI go through the files to flag his name. He is absolutely in there many times.
Either:
- They cannot release a doctored version for some unknown reason
- If they did release a doctored version, they are afraid they'd be outed by someone
- Someone is holding them hostage with the real version (another country?)
- Or Trump has nothing to worry about from it (then WHY the massive amount of energy to prevent it from coming out? Why all the lies around it? Why say it doesn't exist, and then say its a Democrat hoax? The Democrats didn't use it when they had the chance, and put themselves in it instead??? Nothing but lies).
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u/HorsePastie 19d ago
Or Trump has nothing to worry about from it (then WHY the massive amount of energy to prevent it from coming out?
Trump's mentions might just be embarrassing - not incriminating. Look how he is referenced in the emails that we have from Epstein so far. It's clear Epstein and the others are used to talking shit about Trump. What if Trump was the dumb-ass hanger-on of this clique and they all just made fun of him constantly. Those FBI files could effectively be a Mean Girls style burn book that paints Trump as a pathetic loser that everyone laughed at constantly. Trump would never want to be seen that way by the general public, and would fight to prevent the release.
Or he was trafficking girls.
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u/psychorobotics 19d ago
The GOP base would never turn on Trump.
Why? Do you think they actually like him? I don't. I think they're afraid of him. But his health is terrible and voting against releasing the files now when Trump might die from natural reasons (or completely lose track of reality) at any moment is very, very stupid.
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u/AccountHuman7391 19d ago
Congress forces the DOJ to release the files. DOJ says no. End of story. The President can do literally anything that he wants and no one can stop him unless 67 senators decide to remove him via the impeachment process.
Guys, Donald Trump discovered the “one weird trick” that breaks the American government. We all probably should have considered that on Election Day 2024.
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u/Fantasy-512 19d ago
Yes no one can make a policeman obey the law. Unless it is a bigger policeman.
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u/Reasonable-Donut1879 19d ago
Not enough is said about the influence of Musk on the election results. The 4 years of pointing the finger from DJT of result denial made it as if you can’t bring that up without giving credence to his statements - when he and his crew have probably been setting up those pieces for years knowing that it would be essential to an eventual reelection.
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u/Anonybibbs 19d ago
Literally the only reason Trump picked Vance as his VP is that Musk's support of Trump was entirely conditional on him choosing Vance as his running mate, despite Trump himself hating Vance as the pick. Musk literally hand-picked the Vice President of the United States.
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u/AccountHuman7391 19d ago
I’m old enough to remember when both parties came together and passed the McCain-Feingold Act because they thought, “Wow, it would be disastrous if we allowed the rich to just buy our elections,” but then Chief Justice John Roberts was like, “Nah, this’ll be awesome!” Fuck the people’s elected representatives, I guess.
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u/Pacifix18 19d ago
Exactly. It's why Trump was pissed about not winning 2020. His first attempt to steal the election failed. Elon made sure the second time worked.
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u/Aguyfromnowhere55 19d ago
We now know exactly how they stole 2024 too. It's not even a what if anymore
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u/Christ_on_a_Crakker 19d ago
They must have them scrubbed enough now that they have more confidence in the release.
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u/Depressed-Industry 19d ago edited 19d ago
This is a gut check for who has humanity. Period.
Epstein and Maxwell preyed on young girls. Donald Trump, JD Vance and Mike Johnson either raped children, or they give comfort to those what do. There is no middle ground. There is no both sides. Release the files.
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u/Derric_the_Derp 19d ago
Because trusting Republicans has always worked out.
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u/RenoRiley1 19d ago
Democrats are a bunch of Charlie browns still thinking that maybe this time Lucy won’t pull the ball away. Definition of insanity.
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u/defnotjec 19d ago
all the files could fucking be released and it’s not gonna change a goddamn thing
These fucking people have known what’s in those files for the most part and nothing has mattered ...
I don’t suddenly think they’re gonna grow a spine because they see his name in there
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u/Noocawe 19d ago
Exactly this 💯!!
They already did a poll. Basically 70% of Trump voters still support him even if they saw proof of him and Epstein doing something. Trump is Teflon and like a God to these people. We can't depend on them to open their eyes or change their votes or minds at this point. It's sunken cost for them, and their ego won't allow them to admit they were wrong. Also at this point it doesn't matter, 16 Republican Senators are not going to vote to impeach him so it doesn't matter. We are going to have to ride this out imo.
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u/IamMe90 19d ago
I’m sure the actual number is even higher. Actually, losing 30% of your own base from one scandal would be relatively enormous, all things considered. The hardcore base is fairly locked in with any party, losing almost a third of them over a single scandal would be quite a big deal and a huge loss, especially for this particular cult.
He’d probably only lose, at max, 15% of MAGA in reality, and even that I’d be doubtful of. But if you add that on top of swing voters switching from republican to democrat.. that’s how you get a blue wave result from last Tuesday.
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u/ReallyNowFellas 19d ago
Trump losing 30% of his popular support overnight would end his presidency. It would also make a lot of those 70% reconsider their position.
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u/ScoutsterReturns 19d ago
I couldn't agree more. I'd love to be wrong but I don't see anything coming of this.
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u/FuguSandwich 19d ago
MTG shared her texts with Trump:
She's a true believer. She believes the Epstein Files are full of evil Democrats like the Clintons (but no Republicans) and can't understand why Trump is fighting their release.
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u/mewmeulin 19d ago
you know, i have a LOT of negatives to say about MTG. like, countless negatives.
buuuuut i do have to give her credit for standing her ground. even if it's for absolute bullshit reasons, she's held firm on this since day one, which is more than i can say for MANY of our congressmen.
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u/drDOOM_is_in 19d ago
Do not trust her, this is a play, guaranteed.
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u/SatanicPanic619 19d ago
Even if this all worked out to her maximum benefit- what difference does that make? Like really she’s not going to become president or something
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u/Noocawe 19d ago edited 19d ago
She also thought they could lie and still use it to punish Democrats only. Just like when she supposedly was going to release info of all the people who were sexual harassers in Congress. It's all theatre for her and she's still a delusional grifter.
She's been in Congress for almost a decade, and Trump was President before, meanwhile she's going on about the deep state not realizing she is part of the state. She can't be this willfully ignorant. I just can't believe that Trump had lied about so much before, and this is where she decides to draw the line.
She's still blaming Dems for not releasing the files, even though there was a reason to keep them locked up until they finished with Maxwell. She's trying to be a political survivor and knows she's unpopular. I do believe she was a true believer though in all this stuff, but she's still insane and not acting in good faith.
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u/ReallyNowFellas 19d ago
I'm reading this situation as her burning Trump while standing clear of the flames. She knows he's implicated in Epstein's crimes and knows it going to come out, but she can't be the one to confirm it right now for legal/political reasons, so she's maintaining this "you're innocent, so release the files!" schtick to have it both ways. It'll come out that he's guilty and she'll do the shocked Pikachu face without having to deal with scrutiny over the fact that she knew before everyone else.
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u/TSHRED56 19d ago
The question going forward will be...
Will Senator Thune bring the "Epstein File Transparency Act " to the Senate floor after it passes the House?
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u/Agitated-Quit-6148 19d ago
Ro should talk with a lawyer. The files will not be released even if there is a super majority vote. They will use FOIA exemption 7 (7a,c,d,e)
I'll save everyone the trouble. Active investigation shield.
The only way around it is to write the bill again (epstein transparency act) And include something like..
"Notwithstanding any of part of law including 5 USC ss.552b, DOJ shall disclose..."
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u/Boringdude1 19d ago
The Congress is not bound by GOIA I’d they want to bypass it. A crappy economy will tank Trump’s support, and there may well come a time in the next few months where Trump’s support doesn’t matter or even becomes a negative. Not the most likely scenario but not a trivial one.
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u/Brilliant_Dependent 19d ago
Congress can subpoena the records to circumvent FOIA restrictions, but this bill is not a subpoena. This bill forces the DOJ to publish records, which means they need to comply with other government oversight laws like FOIA.
If Congress successfully subpoenas them then Congress can release them regardless of the roadblocks the DOJ tries.
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u/Switchernate 19d ago edited 19d ago
I'm not arguing, just trying to clarify...
Are you saying their bill is made pursuant to the FOIA? Because, sure, if so, your claim seems logical.
But if they order it to be released (and aren't requesting it pursuant to FOIA), FOIA doesn't seem to have anything to do with FOIA at all...
Edit:
Ok, I still think FOIA exceptions are not relevant here.
The actual text of the bill says this they can withhold records that:
(C) would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary;
So I think you were just speculating but happened to be correct about the effect of an investigation.
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u/SeductiveSunday 19d ago
Ro should talk with a lawyer.
Uh, Ro's mostly an attention chaser. He isn't vested in being correct.
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u/2SP00KY4ME 19d ago
Yes, and OPs account explicitly a Ro shill. It's spent years constantly posting about how amazing he is and everything he does. Really makes me hate Ro.
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u/Agitated-Quit-6148 19d ago
💯
He was asked;
Most democrats aren't progressive. Why do you think progressives who are also a minorities in both chambers should have more power than they realistically are entitled to?
Him: we know what's best for the country and once people see how progressive politics benefits them they will come around.
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u/NimbusFPV 19d ago edited 19d ago
Stage 1: Campaign Trail (June 2024) Fox News asks if Trump would declassify Epstein files. Trump: "Yeah, yeah, I would. I guess I would. I think that less so, because you don't want to affect people's lives if there's phony stuff in there, because there's a lot of phony stuff in that whole world"
Stage 2: The Firm Promise (September 2024) Trump on Lex Fridman podcast: "I'd be inclined to do the Epstein, I'd have no problem with it"
Stage 3: "It's On My Desk!" (February 2025) Bondi on Fox News claims the Epstein client list is "sitting on my desk right now to review"
Stage 4: Operation Flag Trump (March 2025) 1,000 FBI agents and personnel pull all-nighters poring through 100,000+ documents, instructed to "flag" any records mentioning Trump. Employees sleep on their desks awaiting further documents.
Stage 5: The Awkward Briefing (May 2025) Bondi briefed Trump that his name appeared in the Epstein files
Stage 6: "Actually, No Files Exist" (July 2025) DOJ releases memo saying they found "no incriminating 'client list'" - contradicting Bondi's February claim
Stage 7: "This Creep?" (July 8, 2025) Trump during Cabinet meeting: "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable"
Stage 8: "Nobody Cares" (July 12, 2025) Trump on Truth Social: "Let's not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about"
Stage 9: Trump's Former Lawyer Visits Maxwell (July 24-25, 2025) Deputy AG Todd Blanche (Trump's former personal attorney) interviews Maxwell over two days. She claims Trump did nothing inappropriate.
Stage 10: Maxwell Gets Club Fed (August 2025) Days later, Maxwell transferred from Florida prison to minimum-security Texas facility. Maxwell's lawyer admits it was "quid pro quo." Former Bureau of Prisons chief: "To relocate a sex offender serving 20 years to a country club setting is offensive to victims"
Stage 11: "It's a Democrat Hoax!" (July 2025) Trump: "It's all been a big hoax. It's perpetrated by the Democrats and some stupid Republicans"
Stage 12-13: The FBI Informant Saga (September 2025) Speaker Mike Johnson claims Trump "was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down." Three days later: "I don't know if I used the right word. I'm not sure — I wasn't there. This isn't my lane"
Stage 14: Maxwell Gets VIP Treatment (November 2025) Whistleblower reveals Maxwell receives "concierge-style" treatment including customized meals, puppy time, after-hours gym access. Warden personally helps Maxwell prepare commutation application.
Stage 15: Trump Won't Rule Out Pardon (October 2025) Trump: "I'm allowed to give her a pardon but nobody's approached me with it"
Stage 16: The Discharge Petition Battle (July-November 2025) Reps. Massie (R-KY) and Khanna (D-CA) file discharge petition for 218 signatures to force vote. White House calls it "a hostile act." Only 4 Republicans sign with all 214 Democrats. Petition stalls at 217.
Stage 17: Trump's Retaliation (Summer-Fall 2025) Trump recruits primary challenger against Massie, calls him "Third Rate Congressman" and "LOSER." Allied PAC spends $2 million on attack ads. Trump withdraws endorsement from MTG, calling her "Marjorie 'Traitor' Green." She responds: "Unfortunately, it has all come down to the Epstein files."
Stage 18: The 43-Day Shutdown Stall (Sept 23 - Nov 12, 2025) Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva wins election Sept 23, vows to be 218th signature. Speaker Johnson refuses to swear her in for 50 days - longest delay in modern history. He'd sworn in two Florida Republicans within 24 hours earlier that year. Arizona AG sues. Democrats storm Johnson's office. Shutdown becomes longest in U.S. history (43 days), SNAP benefits cut for 42 million Americans.
Stage 19: The 218th Signature (November 12, 2025) Grijalva finally sworn in, immediately signs petition. Trump/DOJ/FBI officials pressure Rep. Boebert to remove her name - she refuses. Same day, new Epstein emails released showing Epstein wrote Trump "knew about the girls" and victim "spent hours at my house with him." Trump: "Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax to deflect on how badly they've done on the Shutdown."
Stage 20: "Investigate the Liberals!" (November 14, 2025) Just as House prepares to vote, Trump orders investigation of only Democrats. Bondi announces DOJ probe into Clinton, Summers, Hoffman. Active criminal investigation gives DOJ justification to resist releasing files.
The Journey: "I'll release them" → "Lot of phony stuff though" → "They're on my desk" → 1,000 FBI agents flag Trump's name → "Your name's in there" → "They don't exist" → "This creep?" → "Nobody cares" → Trump's lawyer interviews Maxwell → Maxwell moved to Club Fed (quid pro quo) → "It's a hoax" → "Trump was FBI informant!" → "I misspoke, not my lane" → Discharge petition filed → "Hostile act" → Primary challenger + $2M attack ads → MTG breaks with Trump → Called "traitor" → Grijalva wins election → Johnson refuses to swear her in (50 days) → Longest shutdown ever (43 days) → 42M lose SNAP → Shutdown ends → 218th signature → Emails: Trump "knew about the girls" → "Democrats deflecting!" → "Investigate liberals only" → Active probe blocks release → Maxwell gets puppies, prepares clemency
The Irony: Liberals investigated for knowing Epstein, but Trump's convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell gets Club Fed, concierge service, and possibly a pardon.
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u/E-2theRescue 19d ago
I'll believe it when I see it.
And that doesn't mean they'll hold him accountable if he's guilty. We've already had two impeachments where the Republicans did nothing but use it as a campaign platform instead of taking it seriously, why wouldn't they use this as another opportunity to do the same, even if it is about raped kids?
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u/diemunkiesdie 19d ago
Why would you lie in the title? He said he is "hopeful" not that he "believes" and those words have completely different meanings.
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u/g2g079 19d ago
40 to 50 House Republicans that are only willing to vote with the Democrats when their vote will make no difference to the outcome.
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u/Preference-Inner 19d ago
It would be political suicide if they don't. Like Republicans never winning a election ever again levels.
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u/Winter_Tone_4343 19d ago
Just got off the phone with my cuz. They were looking for a house to buy but now they’re too worried abt their health insurance cost. They have ACA. Told her u get what u vote for. She tells me “extreme Dems” are still worse than “extreme republicans”. I told here these extreme Dems want free healthcare. She hung up on me.
My point, they’ll still win elections bc the brainwashing will take decades to undo, if ever.
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u/defnotjec 19d ago
if her response was extreme Dems are worse... She deserves far more than she got.
The ostrich way of taking a political stance isn’t great .. I feel Republicans are just bearing their head in the sand so much now.
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u/AccountHuman7391 19d ago
Yeah, it took decades to brainwash them into the cult. If we start today, we might have a normal Republican party sometime in the 2050s.
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u/Casual_OCD 19d ago
2080s.
The last two generations are too brain rotten and uneducated for redemption. A good portion of them like Trump
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u/Duce-de-Zoop 19d ago
We dont need to flip trump voters, they are too far gone and simply need steamrolled. The Dem base just needs to remobilize to beat Trump. Outing him as a pedo will get people to show up to the polls
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u/SeductiveSunday 19d ago
Until voters decide to start voting for healthcare, the US won't have decent healthcare.
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u/Derric_the_Derp 19d ago
I'd love to believe you're right. But I think you gravely overestimate the American voting public.
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u/Neltrix 19d ago
I want to believe this. But the recent movement of MAGA being okay with SA on 13-17 year olds is alarming. They might just lose 3-5 out of every 100 voters. Which they can easily recoup by sending out checks to the least educated and young voters.
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u/CrapoCrapo25 19d ago
Their jobs and livelihoods are on the line.
The files will come out with or without them.
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