The MAGA movement's obsession with the mythical "Epstein files" has descended into chaos, with Trump loyalists turning on each other over a conspiracy that doesn't exist—while conveniently ignoring their leader's own disturbing ties to the convicted pedophile, a columnist wrote Wednesday.
The supposed "client list" of the accused late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is pure fiction, repeatedly debunked by journalists who actually exposed Epstein's crimes, Amanda Marcotte wrote for Salon. Yet MAGA influencers are now savaging Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI director Kash Patel, and deputy director Dan Bongino for denying the existence of the documents.
The irony is staggering, Marcotte wrote. If such a list existed, Trump would likely top it. Unlike others falsely accused of being clients, Trump has openly celebrated sexual violence, she wrote. He bragged about assaulting women in the "Access Hollywood" tape, saying he was "fortunately" living in "the last million years" when men could sexually assault women. A civil jury found him liable for sexual abuse, and he responded by victim-blaming E. Jean Carroll, asking: "What kind of a woman meets somebody and brings them up and within minutes you're playing hanky-panky in a dressing room?"
Trump and Epstein were documented close friends who publicly praised each other. As New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg noted, Trump surrounds himself with men facing similar accusations because "putting them in charge proclaims that their values are now ascendant—power, aggression, hierarchy and leader-worship."
The Department of Justice this week released a two-page memo debunking conspiracy theories about confirming Epstein killed himself and kept no blackmail lists. But MAGA's commitment to misinformation runs deeper than loyalty to any individual, Marcotte wrote.
"It's easy enough to believe that Pam Bondi, Kash Patel and Dan Bongino are lying, because, like basically everyone in Trump's orbit, they lie all the time about everything," she wrote. These officials previously promised MAGA supporters a "truckload" of new Epstein information, setting up their own credibility crisis.
The real danger isn't this particular conspiracy—it's how misinformation always benefits authoritarianism, she added.
"Some of the loudest and looniest of MAGA conspiracy theorists, like Alex Jones or Laura Loomer, won’t shut up about the 'Epstein files,' even though keeping that narrative alive guarantees more photos floating around of Trump hanging out with Epstein back in the day."
"Authoritarianism thrives when truth doesn't matter and when only power matters," experts warn.
