Explosive Epstein report sent 'desperate' Trumps 'running for their lives': analyst

Democratic strategist Mike Nellis said on his podcast that a new House Judiciary Committee Democrats’ report on President Donald Trump’s ties to late financier and child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein casts first lady Melania Trump’s earlier press conference in a new light, and that the Trumps are “running for their lives.”

Nellis replayed Melania Trump’s April statement that Epstein “did not introduce me to Donald Trump.”

He then cited a Daily Beast report in which Sarah Matthews, a deputy press secretary in Trump’s first term, said on The Bulwark podcast that the “weird random press conference” is the most convincing sign the Democrats’ report is probably accurate.

Per Nellis’s account, the report alleges Trump took part in Epstein’s circle in the 1990s, including an allegation involving a woman then 24, whom it says was promised a visa and New York University admission in exchange for her silence. It also cites two FBI witnesses who said Epstein made the introduction between Trump and Melania.

Nellis said longtime Trump ally Paolo Zampolli has publicly said the same, though Trump’s side has credited Zampolli with the introduction, and that Zampolli’s emails are being redacted.

Nellis also cited reporting from the Daily Beast and CBS News that Justice Department files show Epstein-related classified records passed through Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office, which he said contradicts Blanche’s statements that nothing is being withheld on national security grounds. Nellis argued Blanche should be impeached.

He pointed to an Oct. 28 YouGov question asking whether Trump “was involved in crimes allegedly committed by Jeffrey Epstein.” 51 percent said yes, 27 percent said no, and 23 percent weren’t sure. He urged Democrats to follow through on promises to ensure all the files are released — a promise Trump himself once made that sunk him with some of his supporters.

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