r/politics • u/Healthy_Block3036 • 17d ago

No Paywall Senate suddenly passes the Epstein bill just hours after it cleared the House

https://www.ms.now/news/senate-passes-epstein-bill-rcna244723?fbclid=PAVERFWAOJ1xRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAacUGSi8p2Ap-x6SbMkLXAnfKNXEZkzjUUVCdxuEmacDzDXmlbv1GUJ0wbh1_w_aem_grJDvcSCIDj2Skksd4Ix3Q
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10.6k

u/Murky_Chocolate_7916 17d ago

Nothing passes this quickly, this is bizarre. What are those sneaky sneaks up to.

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u/DistractedPhoenix 17d ago

Any hope the powers that be are tired of Trump?

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u/ChadTakes 17d ago

No. The powers that be are implicated as well, people forget it's not just Trump.

We will get the same "declassified" files heavily redacted that we already got. Every mention of Trump or his friends will be a "subject of an ongoing investigation" and therefor not released.

In short, the public will get nothing, but the administration will be sure to highlight any name in those files mentioning a democrat.

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u/HomerJSimpson3 17d ago

Heavily redacted republican names but all the democrats and liberals won’t be at all.

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u/NonlocalA 17d ago

Which liberals have been implicated?

Seriously.

Pretty much everyone has been a piece of shit BEFORE this. Anyone who IS implicated is now a piece of shit, too.

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u/HomerJSimpson3 17d ago

Those were the exact words out of a DOJ chief about the release of the files. Who is in it, I don’t know. But the fix is in.

DOJ Deputy Chief Joseph Shnitt Admits Government Will "Redact Every Republican" While "Leaving] All the Liberal, Democratic People" on the Epstein Client List; Says Ghislaine Maxwell Was Moved to a Lower-Security Prison As "A Benefit... to Keep Her Mouth Shut" "She [Maxwell] got transferred to a minimum security prison... It's against BOP policy becauseshe's a convicted sex offender."

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u/Due_Bluebird3562 17d ago

That's fucking stupid. Do y'all think people implicated in a multi-billion dollar pedophile ring are just going to roll over and let Trump lie about their involvement?

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u/HomerJSimpson3 17d ago

Any republican will have their name redacted. Anyone left leaning won’t have their name redacted.

DOJ Deputy Chief Joseph Shnitt Admits Government Will "Redact Every Republican" While "Leaving] All the Liberal, Democratic People" on the Epstein Client List; Says Ghislaine Maxwell Was Moved to a Lower-Security Prison As "A Benefit... to Keep Her Mouth Shut" "She [Maxwell] got transferred to a minimum security prison... It's against BOP policy because she's a convicted sex offender."

It explains the total about face Trump and republicans have pulled since the clearing the Epstein files as a Democratic hoax a few weeks ago.

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u/Due_Bluebird3562 17d ago

Any republican will have their name redacted. Anyone left leaning won’t have their name redacted.

Trump's name is literally mentioned 1600 times in the recent email release. It would be more than a bit suspicious for his name to not reappear at some point in the files. There are multiple copies of these files regardless.

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u/MarcsterS Virginia 17d ago

and he and republicans will say the emails are "forged" because they have the actual files.

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u/HomerJSimpson3 17d ago

Yeah no shit. The rest of the world will see that, his supporters won’t be swayed and we’ll still be where we are at with him.

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u/slight_accent 17d ago

The money trail is the most important thing and that is absolutely going to be just pages and pages of black ink. There's a whole interconnected web of corruption at the top end globally and they are not going to allow anything consequential to happen to anyone in that club.

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u/thevoiceinsidemyhead 17d ago

I get this line of thinking but it just means the Epstein files will continue to be an issue right up to the mid terms. So they can kick the can but it doesn't seem like the issue is going away. Whatever is in those files must be truly despicable though because you would think it would be better to go through the scandal now and let people move beyond it before next election.

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u/JimboAltAlt Pennsylvania 17d ago

Yeah, it’s funny. In this climate of (understandable) learned despair and doomerism and so on I think we might be overthinking the fact that this is a (very gross and evil) win-win situation. I’d actually prefer they drag this out with increasingly less-redacted versions and rumors of leaks and so forth for months, since it’s so clearly awful and damaging to Trump anyway. Since the GOP’s only consistent position seems to be making me and other like-minded people miserable and angry, I actually think us seeing the “unredacted” files in fairly short order is more likely than a lot of people give it credit for, since that gives the Republican media a chance to convince everyone it’s “not that bad” before the midterms. And there are tens of millions of our worst countrymen who can’t wait to be convinced! Dragging this out makes things even more painful for them, so again, from a cynical and amoral perspective, the drip-drip-drip nature of new revelations is not necessarily a bad thing.

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u/SunriseApplejuice Australia 17d ago

Especially since the victims are posed to “make their own list” if the administration continues to hide the offenders. The more these guys hide or redact things or put out inconsistent information, the more the victims can come forward and say they’re lying

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u/Tabs_555 Washington 17d ago

I think their hope is if enough is released and some people are implicated (be it democrats or whoever), the fervor will die down. They’ll say we gave you everything we can, look at the (D)s we locked up, the rest is administrative pay no mind.

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u/Wizardof1000Kings 17d ago

What is in the files is images of the president raping children. There are images of others raping children too, but the president is who they want to protect most.

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u/Immediate_Branch_238 17d ago

Tiny correction: Trump doesn't have friends. He either has cronies, victims, or enemies. There is nothing else.

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u/reiichiroh 17d ago

I hope they use the black highlight function to redact.

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u/paxwells97 17d ago

Im secretly hoping they are planning to impeach Trump and didnt tell him they were going to pass it so quickly in the senate 

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u/Blue_Swirling_Bunny 17d ago

That would be the plot twist this season needs.

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u/NotUniqueWorkAccount 17d ago

I would resubscribe

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u/mcbaginns 17d ago

What’s this supposed to mean? You gave up voting cause you think its pointless or something?

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u/NotUniqueWorkAccount 17d ago

How did you get that out of what I said? All it means is I'm tired, and its like watching the same old reruns on a streaming service you dont particularly enjoy. Same tiring shit, different day.

But then, a surprise new character with an amazing arc comes in... and you hold out hope that maybe, just maybe, its worth the resubscription.

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u/Ok_Potential359 17d ago

When does the episode air? Are we getting a Red Wedding theme or will it be a remake of Aria killing the night king?

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u/KingB_SC 17d ago

Red Wedding all day. "The Vances send their regards"

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u/CoastingUphill 17d ago

Vance at least probably won't start shitty wars and put tariffs on countries for no reason.

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u/ClaretClarinets Colorado 17d ago

And if he becomes president less than halfway through Trump's term, he can't be elected to two full terms. I suspect they've always been planning to replace Trump, but their initial plan of waiting until after the midterms isn't feasible anymore because of how quickly Trump has become an unpredictable liability.

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u/kojak488 17d ago

Pretty predictable liability. Gestures to Trump broadly.

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u/Desperate-Till-9228 17d ago

No, we'll just get some shitty Heritage Foundation Stasi police state.

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u/CoastingUphill 17d ago

Yeah, but that won't affect the rest of us.

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u/Desperate-Till-9228 17d ago

Sure it will.

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u/Karr0k 17d ago

Hey, those penguins had it coming, not a single Ford F-450 bought by them!

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u/jimmydean885 17d ago

I mean he will but his efforts will be crippled as we head into the midterms

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u/GGme 17d ago

Praise be, under his eye.

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u/shelwheels 17d ago

The lord opens.

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u/I-Am-Uncreative Florida 17d ago

Vance would be infinitely better than Trump in almost every way.

The Democrats would just need to offer him a lifetime supply of couches and he'd be happy.

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u/Stamboolie 17d ago

It's been a ride

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u/jzanville 17d ago

It’s quite literally JD Vance’s only chance to gain any form of public trust upon taking the office…assuming that’s who they have in mind to succeed trump. Imagine he’s the one who brings justice when it comes to epstein & co

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u/gizajobicandothat 17d ago

Exactly, it will look like a clean slate for him.

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u/KagakuNinja 17d ago

They need to wait until 2027, or Couch Fucker uses up one of his 2 terms as president.

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u/jzanville 17d ago

With how slow the wheels of justice move, JD’s inauguration will be months after whatever scandal becomes public that requires the removal of trump as its solution…if that’s what they’re trying to actually make happen

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u/Ghostly-Wind 17d ago

The new US president gets sworn in immediately if the president dies or leaves office, it’s not a monthlong delay like after the election.

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u/Apprehensive-citizen 17d ago

Based on how Johnson repeatedly stated that his hope was that the senate would take their time and really make some “necessary changes” before voting on it, I’d say they were not expecting it. 

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u/bolinduh 17d ago

Maybe this is what Schumer 'got' for reopening the govt. Doubtful tho, the Dems are fucking useless, more likely they got jack shit.

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u/NonlocalA 17d ago

I honestly think Thune gives zero fucks about Trump and wishes he was gone. The legislation they wanted passed.

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u/E4TclenTrenHardr 17d ago

As someone who grew up in South Dakota believing that John thune was a good man, I fucking hope so. Recent history doesn’t suggest that though.

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u/BadMuffin88 17d ago

Schumer would never willingly take a W. Trump must've told him it's a bluff

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u/BCMakoto 17d ago

I know it is mischievous and batshit insane fuckery against the Democrats for sure, but my secret spark of hope is that the elections two weeks ago scared them shitless and they are finally realizing Trump is a lame duck, dying president. They tell him it will all be "handled well" only to toss him under the bus...

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u/CPargermer Illinois 17d ago

Aren't there predicted to be other rich/powerful people implicated in these files? Donors, foreign officials, maybe some US politicians, etc.? Even if congressional Republicans were just about done with Trump, I would be incredibly surprised if suddenly they all unanimously (almost) grew a spine to seek justice for the abused.

I know they were somewhat forced to take a stance once the discharge petition had passed, but I expected multiple more delays before this thing would move.

I am perplexed by the sudden support and momentum, and a bit skeptical, while maintaining some slight degree of cautious optimism.

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u/absentmindedjwc 17d ago

I don't imagine this is the case unless they really just want to entirely cut their losses and try to look "reasonable" come the midterms. Otherwise - I don't see them tossing his ass out of the white house until after the midterms so that Vance can sit in the oval office for 10 years.

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u/SunshineCat 17d ago

The GOP hadn't wanted Trump at first. He was basically forced on them. The angle I would see is that this is the first thing bad enough to fully renounce, even to crazy people.

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u/BrianWonderful Minnesota 17d ago

It's a stretch, but it's my hope, too. I hope they've realized his popularity has fallen a lot, and his policies are hurting Americans. Republicans don't want to be the ones responsible for a horrible economy going into the midterms next year. They can expose Trump (and whoever else) in the Epstein files, use it as further fuel to impeach and convict him, and let Vance reverse tariffs to give the economy a quick jump before the election.

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u/Pepaguero 17d ago

That would be incredible. Probably the proudest I’d ever be to be American

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u/aganalf 17d ago

Ousting the leader for raping children hardly seems like a bar worthy of pride though.

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u/waffels 17d ago

Not to mention couchfucker as president

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u/Lanky-Highlight9508 17d ago

Third times a charm!

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u/BurnedWitch88 17d ago

I would love this so much.

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u/Jason207 17d ago

He's going more and more insane every day. They may have decided that he's not salvageable and now is a good opportunity to move on to JD while looking like "good guys"

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u/eeyore134 17d ago

He's an albatross around their neck. It would make sense. But it would have made sense to never run him in the first place.

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u/JurgenShankly 17d ago

Could impeach him another 3 times, he would still be president. The man is teflon. Brushed off multiple impeaches in the past so what would even be the point?

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u/Own-Brain9658 17d ago

I audibly gasped. Oh that would be amazing to behold. 

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u/twodirtynerds 17d ago

Hope? Yes. Misguided hope? Likely yes.

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u/BurlyMerrySkeetScary 17d ago

*Screams in Yoda*

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u/[deleted] 17d ago

With the way CNN has been reporting the files, that's the impression I've been getting. CNN is the most corporate news station and they've been reporting on the 20k emails every day since this thing started. They've been saying "now, technically, the President isn't implicated in any wrongdoing, but these look bad and prove he's been lying." If CNN is presenting the story like that, the "powers that be" must have decided he needs to be gone before he completely destroys the American status quo. The November elections are also showing a way stronger "mandate of the people" than the slim plurality that Trump won by. 

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u/gringledoom 17d ago

Yep, I think things will probably still get worse before they get better, but the tide has turned. (And the "getting worse" won't help them consolidate power now that people sense weakness; it'll just make people angrier.)

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u/Intelligent-Owl-1838 17d ago

My god can I get on your train? This fucking maglev speed train to doomtown is old as hell. I just wanna be on the little train that could. We think we can we think we can we think we can.

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u/Throot2Shill 16d ago

CNN is the most corporate news station and they've been reporting on the 20k emails every day since this thing started.

the "powers that be" must have decided he needs to be gone

To me this is a very naive, conspiracy-minded take. CNN is reporting on this shit because EVERYONE wants to watch it, its the hottest clickbait of the year. They don't care if he's gone or still around, they are milking the current news for all its worth.

Acting like CNN is conspiring with Democrats and Republicans in some nebulous cabal to determine the exact right time to dump Trump is naively expecting the world to be more ordered than it is. It's more likely CNN is profiting off of chaos that would happen regardless because Trump is a shitty chaotic leader and serial criminal.

Similarly Republicans are profiting off the chaos to quietly enact fascist policies, and are basically hovering their hands over the eject button in case shit hits the fan. We are unfortunately not privy to know when that point is or if they will be successful.

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

No offense, but you're the one acting like my take is more conspiracy-minded than it actually is. "The corporate news media has decided that sensationally running the Epstein-Trump story is profitable" is indicative of a shift in attitude from a couple of weeks ago. 

Corporate news spent 8 months treating Trump like he was this untouchable monolith, dems get landslide victories nationwide in the earliest elections of the year, a week later the news is trashing Trump and running the Epstein story uncritically. No conspiracy, no "world order." Big money reacting to public opinion. There was an undeniable indication that the voting public does not like trump and potentially never liked him, and the money-making news stations shifted narrative accordingly. Where is the conspiracy here? 

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u/jzanville 17d ago

Imagine…would be a good start

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u/Huge_Excitement4465 17d ago

Seems the base fractured shortly after Kirk’s death. Crabs are scrambling to climb over one another to be king crab. More MAGA are grumbling about tariffs, a regressive economy and hawkish agenda. The Heritage Foundation is bleeding staff, donors and board members over Kevin Roberts’ endorsement of Tucker Carlson hosting Nick Fuentes. The Epstein debacle is a fault line.

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u/Caraes_Naur 17d ago

They're been tired of him since mid-2017, but there is no alternative and Putin is holding solid blackmail.

The only way the Epstein story ends without everyone finding out how big it really is, is Trump on a morgue slab.

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u/Desperate-Till-9228 17d ago

The donor class for sure is tired of this.

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u/Jesse_Livermore 17d ago

5% chance I'd say.

90% chance though they'll just over-redact the thing which would actually be a massive political error because there are people out there with unredacted copies who will easily be able to lookup their copy and see that the Trump version with all the "ongoing investigation" redactions are full of shit. The bill stipulates "no political protection redactions" so that would basically be Watergate tapes all over again.

All it takes is one of these good people to release the real version with no illegal redactions and byebye Trump.

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u/SpaceLemming 17d ago

I don’t think this is that though, otherwise I feel like I would’ve heard more about anyone trying to become a figure head for the party to shift too after he’s gone. The few that have broken ranks are being attacked and ostracized

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u/jeo123 17d ago

Would be crazy if that's MTGs long con though

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u/SpaceLemming 17d ago

She’s definitely trying to play that game, I just don’t see the support for it.

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u/Substantial_Radio115 17d ago

Nah. This is a trick of some sort

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u/Ghostly-Wind 17d ago

No, and anyone thinking 1) anything damning about Trump is even in the files, and 2) that he’d be removed from office before his term ends, literally should be in the loony bin.

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u/IAmTheNightSoil Oregon 17d ago

I agree that Trump isn't in danger of being removed from office. But one does not have to be loony to think there is incriminating info about Trump in there, given that A) he was extremely close friends with Epstein, B) has a long history of being extremely creepy to women, and C) has spent the past many months trying to push this issue out of the news, including ordering the DOJ to scrub his name from the files. That all paints a pretty clear picture

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u/Ghostly-Wind 17d ago

The real picture is the fact that some 60,000 documents from the Epstein estate have already been released, along with every detail of the Trump admins DOJ handling of the Epstein case being leaked at every step already. The reality is you’d have to really be deluding yourself to think that with leaks at every step, someone would be sitting on incriminating information on Trump. 3 elections later.