'Let that one sink in': Ex-prosecutor ties Trump 'wingman' report to missing Epstein files

Donald Trump's name was held back from most of the much-anticipated files release on Jeffrey Epstein, and that could be related to a recent New York Times report describing the now-deceased sex abuser as the president's most reliable "wingman," according to a former federal prosecutor.

Legal analyst and ex-prosecutor Joyce Vance published an article called "Redacted: Donald & Jeffrey" in which she blew up an excuse used by the DOJ to avoid producing required files under an Epstein transparency law. Specifically, she noted that the DOJ has said it won't be able to release all files due to ongoing investigations.

But those investigations are into Democrats, including Bill Clinton, and Vance noted that the DOJ was more than willing to drop files related to the former Dem leader.

"New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush noted that it took Bondi a mere 217 minutes following Trump’s directive to report that she had opened an investigation into Clinton and other Democrats. But since Trump is not under investigation, records that mention him should be fair game for release. There would be no reason to withhold them," the attorney wrote. "Instead, the Justice Department focused on materials regarding Bill Clinton, who is explicitly part of the investigation Trump demanded that his Attorney General open. Any claim materials are being withheld because of the new investigation are highly suspect."

But there might be a reason the DOJ doesn't want to release stuff connecting Trump to Epstein, according to Vance.

"On Friday, ahead of the drop from DOJ, The New York Times ran a story headlined: 'Don’s Best Friend’: How Epstein and Trump Bonded Over the Pursuit of Women.' It started, 'The president has tried to minimize their friendship, but documents and interviews reveal an intense and complicated relationship. Chasing women was a game of ego and dominance. Female bodies were currency.' 'Female bodies were currency.' Let that one sink in," she wrote. "Further down in the story, the phrase appears again, used to describe the 'intense' bond between the men, the basis for a friendship where 'Neither man drank or did drugs. They pursued women in a game of ego and dominance. Female bodies were currency.'"

She went on to explain, "The NYT story from Friday described Epstein as 'perhaps [Trump’s] most reliable wingman.'"

"Regardless of the precise nature of the relationship, Congress has spoken. It has required DOJ to release the files, and the Justice Department has, shamelessly and openly, failed to do so, partially complying in a manner that is blatantly political," she wrote.

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