CNN's John Berman flipped a Republican strategist's argument upside-down during a discussion of the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Many of president Donald Trump's supporters are furious over a Justice Department and FBI memo stating there's no evidence that the notorious sex trafficker kept a "client list," and everyone from MAGA influencer Laura Loomer to conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly have called for attorney general Pam Bondi to be fired over the matter.
"Megyn Kelly is a serious commentator most of the time," GOP strategist Brad Todd told "CNN News Central, "but there is something to the notion that there's a 'clickbait industrial complex' out there, and this is the perfect kind of tabloid story for them. This drives clicks from people who can't quit doomscrolling on social media, and it's really nothing more than that, and I think the president's right. There are serious things happening, there's serious progress being made in things like making sure taxes don't go up, trying to crack down on illegal immigration, and I think the fact that so many people in the 'clickbait industrial complex,' if you will, are focused on what is really a silly story, is pretty insulting."
Berman raised his eyebrows in disbelief and noted that some high-ranking Trump officials – including FBI director Kash Patel and deputy director Dan Bongino – peddled Epstein conspiracy theories for years before their appointments to lead the federal law enforcement bureau.
"Yeah, but to sort of misquote [the horror movie] 'Scream' here, the clickbait was coming from inside the house for a long time, Brad," Berman said. "It was supporters, fierce supporters of president Trump, people working to get him elected, people who now have positions of power, whether it be Dan Bongino or whether it be the attorney general, Pam Bondi, when she said she was reviewing the client files, whether it be then-senator, now vice president JD Vance, who talked openly about the Epstein investigation and talked about the need for transparency."
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