The Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial board bashed President Donald Trump's handling of what they dubbed "Jeffrey Epstein follies."
Lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of pages of documents from Epstein's case file on Wednesday, some of which were politically damaging to Trump. Experts have said the documents will make it more difficult for the GOP to support Trump's effort to prevent the files from being released.
The editorial argued that this new series of headaches for Trump is "exactly what the American people weren’t waiting for."
"As is so often the case, Mr. Trump has been his own worst enemy here," the editorial reads. "As a candidate, he fanned the expectations of the Epstein conspiracy theorists who think government is protecting the rich and powerful. Once in power, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel teased explosive findings but later said there’s nothing to see."
"Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has resorted to his usual default that it’s all a 'hoax,' even as he strong-arms Republicans to oppose the discharge petition," it added. "He looks like he has something to hide even if he doesn’t."