The White House reacted angrily Monday over the pervasive claims that President Donald Trump launched the U.S. war with Iran to distract from the “Jeffrey Epstein scandal,” calling the theory a “ridiculous take” and its believers “true morons.”
Before Trump authorized the initial U.S. strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, the news cycle was dominated by stories related to disturbing allegations against the president unearthed by journalists combing through the millions of Epstein-related files released by the Justice Department. That changed quickly, however, after the United States became ensnared in a conflict of its own making.
The U.S. war against Iran has dominated news headlines as the conflict continues to spiral out of control, but a growing number of advocates say they’re confident the Epstein-related scandal plaguing the Trump administration will once again reclaim the spotlight, and soon.
Among those advocates is Ann Olivarius, a lawyer who represents sexual abuse victims, who “said the war was a distraction and would remain so,” The Guardian reported on Monday.
“The files keep providing new material to rekindle attention, and the war will not extinguish this,” Olivarius told The Guardian. “The floodlight of attention will swing back in due course.”
The theory that Trump launched the war against Iran as a distraction has seen growing support, including from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who previously said that “bombing a country on the other side of the globe won’t make the Epstein files go away.”
The theory has also been floated by actress and television personality Whoopi Goldberg, and is supported by a majority of Americans — especially those under 45 — according to a new Data for Progress poll released last week.
When reached for comment, the White House not only lashed out at those who believed Trump launched the war to distract from Epstein, but also took potshots at The Guardian for even reporting on the matter.
“This is such a ridiculous take that it could only be concocted by true morons, such as Thomas Massie and ‘reporters’ at the Guardian,” a White House spokesperson told The Guardian.