This is (forgive my geekishness) the "Ash Move": in "Alien," when the infant creature bursts from John Hurt's chest and a few of the crew pick up weapons, Ash — the "science officer" who's actually a company plant working to preserve the specimen — shouts "Don't touch it! Don't touch it!" and the crew instinctively withdraw at the sound of his authoritative voice, so the tiny creature runs away and soon they're all dead except for a single survivor.
Every time MAGA is vulnerable or Trump is vulnerable, we're told not to attack. Nancy "Impeachment is off the table" Pelosi says "We want a strong Republican party" or "this is a distraction." Our MAGA relatives must never be made to feel shame or remorse; we must protect their feelings by not insulting them. Trump should not be crudely mocked on "South Park" because we "shouldn't lower the discourse to their level." The Epstein scandal really means that Democrats should "focus on kitchen table issues."
They're not actually androids put there by "the company" to protect the villains, but they might as well be.
The logic of Democrats about impeachment only makes sense in Washington. "If the public views impeachment as overturning the election, then we cannot do it." Or, here's a thought, Democrats. Be leaders in the common understanding of every day people. If the public has a misguided or incomplete understanding of impeachment, then undertake to change the public's mind. That would be leadership. Democrats' failure to engage based on some sort of procedural checkmate mindset, perhaps derived from too many years, in Washington is killing this country.
This weird aversion Democrats have to mixing it up in the political arena by forcefully and righteously making a case that the American people will hear and understand is probably the main reason the Party has lower approval ratings than Donald Trump. People respect the man in the arena because of his integrity and courage. He gets in there and throws some punches even if he is overmatched.
Democrats look like they are coming to the voters and saying, no we can't step into the arena because Republicans will hit us. Yes, Democrats they will. But y'all can and should hit back.
As a trial lawyer, I've come to believe that, if you want (or need) someone to believe something, you must say it clearly, directly, and repeatedly.
Impeachment is the unambiguously appropriate remedy for so many things Trump has done, stretching back to the Comey firing and constitutionally prohibited emoluments early in Trump's first term. Maybe it was hard to see ex ante, but it is now inescapably obvious that failing to discuss and attempt impeachment for each and every one of Trump's impeachable offenses has only served to normalize that misconduct and shift the conversation from whether that misconduct is disqualifying to more Trump-favorable ground.
*Of course* Trump should be impeached--pick a reason--but it's inconceivable it will ever happen if Congressional Democrats won't talk about it. I believe that's true even if Dems had sufficient majorities to impeach and convict all on their own, if for no other reason than the public would be positively baffled by an out-of-nowhere impeachment.
I am not a particularly advanced political strategist, but it seems like we ought to get at least one impeachment resolution in for each impeachable offense.
Make every Republican get on record that they don't think (child rape / sending people to be tortured / secret policing / falsifying weather reports / ...) is disqualifying.
Who says that there are only lists of names? From what has been reported, Epstein's safe contained all sorts of material, including videos!!! Trump isn't worried about being on a list; he's knows that there is much much more damaging stuff in the hands of the FBI and DOJ....if it hasn't already been 'redacted'....desaparecido. If Epstein was pimping children to elites, and getting fabulously wealthy in some obscure way, can anyone say the words 'blackmail' or 'extortion' are not on the table? And if anyone believes that this wealthy individual committed suicide with hundreds of the world's elite under his potential thumb, I have some crypto to sell you. Missing 2:30 minutes of tape, guards mysteriously missing with someone under 'suicide watch', a fast whitewash immediately following. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to say none of this passes the stink test. It reeks. Muskie cried; Dean cheered; Hillary emailed; Kamala pulled an HHH - all of their candidacies sank as a result of nothing-burgers. The Dems can't make something of a REAL scandal that bites at the top of the ladder?
articles and podcasts I have listened to say the files Epstein kept are voluminous. Possibly including videos which he may have use to both watch and extort money from his clients... Ron Weyden, follow the money is an excellent article https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/business/epstein-banks-wyden-trump.html
Does anyone out there believe for a second that if Donald Trump was in an environment where very young, attractive ladies were available to him he would exercise one iota of caution?
One of the people that Epstein “stole" from Mara Lago was Virginia Giuffre, who said Ghislaine Maxwell recruited her into Epstein's circle when she was a 16-year-old Mar-a-Lago locker room assistant.
sooo- we already know Trump is a rapist and sexual abuser, we have photos, many females’ testimony and gosh - a bunch of guilty verdicts! how can these files be any more damning? he never should have been allowed to run let alone be elected president. of course he should be impeached, for all that and all that’s he’s doing now.
It's as though the Dem leadership doesn't want to attack, or fight, or even lead, but rather to pander and placate. "Tell us (in polls) what you want, and we'll give it to you, just as soon as you help us get rid of those nasty Republicans." This, while actual Nazis have taken over the government. Talk about not meeting the moment...
Thank you Brian, you hit on where I was stuck yesterday. I agree that the Democrats should force the House to vote on an Impeachment Resolution(s) NOW.
Brian writes, "I think it points to the possibility that Trump himself might not know exactly what he did, when, where, or with whom." Well, the fact that the basis of Trump's relationship with Epstein was their mutual "love of beautiful women" (as stated by Trump), I find it very hard to believe that Trump would quibble over a girl's age. When you take in the fact that he owned the Teenage USA pageant and has admitted (with pride) to being a peeping Tom during the pageant, Trump doesn't have any past innocence to fall back on. Believe the victims in this. And yes, IMPEACH!!!
Great piece Brian! Thank you! FYI if you haven’t seen it, Kate Manne recently did a substack post about the woman who alleges Trump raped her at Epstein’s house when she was 13. It includes a transcript of the woman’s testimony if you are interested in reading it (FYI it’s pretty horrific). I don’t know how to post a link or I would include it. Thanks for your great work!
Every American, especially Trump supporting voters, needs to watch the Netflix four part series about Jeffrey Epstein. Listen yourselves to the many women (former underage girls), police chiefs in Florida and New York, victim’s attorneys and Federal investigators. See his private island, Palm Beach estate and Manhattan mansion. Photos and videos of the people he associated with-you’ll recognize some. Especially check out G. Maxwell’s role in soliciting girls. Relevant in this moment to understand what’s happening.
Two things. One, there are ‘files’ and there are people. The women who were then young girls always seem to get short shrift in these discussions, but their stories are the most damning evidence if they could or would speak. Some have, but most haven’t. It’s not hard to imagine why. And second, as has been mentioned in various articles, our constitution isn’t well designed to address what we’re facing today. It may be that no constitution could have been designed to meet the challenge, but it’s certainly the case that our politicians today, on both sides of the aisle, lack in different respects the kind of character needed to meet the moment.
This is (forgive my geekishness) the "Ash Move": in "Alien," when the infant creature bursts from John Hurt's chest and a few of the crew pick up weapons, Ash — the "science officer" who's actually a company plant working to preserve the specimen — shouts "Don't touch it! Don't touch it!" and the crew instinctively withdraw at the sound of his authoritative voice, so the tiny creature runs away and soon they're all dead except for a single survivor.
Every time MAGA is vulnerable or Trump is vulnerable, we're told not to attack. Nancy "Impeachment is off the table" Pelosi says "We want a strong Republican party" or "this is a distraction." Our MAGA relatives must never be made to feel shame or remorse; we must protect their feelings by not insulting them. Trump should not be crudely mocked on "South Park" because we "shouldn't lower the discourse to their level." The Epstein scandal really means that Democrats should "focus on kitchen table issues."
They're not actually androids put there by "the company" to protect the villains, but they might as well be.
Great analogy.
The logic of Democrats about impeachment only makes sense in Washington. "If the public views impeachment as overturning the election, then we cannot do it." Or, here's a thought, Democrats. Be leaders in the common understanding of every day people. If the public has a misguided or incomplete understanding of impeachment, then undertake to change the public's mind. That would be leadership. Democrats' failure to engage based on some sort of procedural checkmate mindset, perhaps derived from too many years, in Washington is killing this country.
This weird aversion Democrats have to mixing it up in the political arena by forcefully and righteously making a case that the American people will hear and understand is probably the main reason the Party has lower approval ratings than Donald Trump. People respect the man in the arena because of his integrity and courage. He gets in there and throws some punches even if he is overmatched.
Democrats look like they are coming to the voters and saying, no we can't step into the arena because Republicans will hit us. Yes, Democrats they will. But y'all can and should hit back.
As a trial lawyer, I've come to believe that, if you want (or need) someone to believe something, you must say it clearly, directly, and repeatedly.
Impeachment is the unambiguously appropriate remedy for so many things Trump has done, stretching back to the Comey firing and constitutionally prohibited emoluments early in Trump's first term. Maybe it was hard to see ex ante, but it is now inescapably obvious that failing to discuss and attempt impeachment for each and every one of Trump's impeachable offenses has only served to normalize that misconduct and shift the conversation from whether that misconduct is disqualifying to more Trump-favorable ground.
*Of course* Trump should be impeached--pick a reason--but it's inconceivable it will ever happen if Congressional Democrats won't talk about it. I believe that's true even if Dems had sufficient majorities to impeach and convict all on their own, if for no other reason than the public would be positively baffled by an out-of-nowhere impeachment.
I am not a particularly advanced political strategist, but it seems like we ought to get at least one impeachment resolution in for each impeachable offense.
Make every Republican get on record that they don't think (child rape / sending people to be tortured / secret policing / falsifying weather reports / ...) is disqualifying.
Who says that there are only lists of names? From what has been reported, Epstein's safe contained all sorts of material, including videos!!! Trump isn't worried about being on a list; he's knows that there is much much more damaging stuff in the hands of the FBI and DOJ....if it hasn't already been 'redacted'....desaparecido. If Epstein was pimping children to elites, and getting fabulously wealthy in some obscure way, can anyone say the words 'blackmail' or 'extortion' are not on the table? And if anyone believes that this wealthy individual committed suicide with hundreds of the world's elite under his potential thumb, I have some crypto to sell you. Missing 2:30 minutes of tape, guards mysteriously missing with someone under 'suicide watch', a fast whitewash immediately following. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to say none of this passes the stink test. It reeks. Muskie cried; Dean cheered; Hillary emailed; Kamala pulled an HHH - all of their candidacies sank as a result of nothing-burgers. The Dems can't make something of a REAL scandal that bites at the top of the ladder?
articles and podcasts I have listened to say the files Epstein kept are voluminous. Possibly including videos which he may have use to both watch and extort money from his clients... Ron Weyden, follow the money is an excellent article https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/business/epstein-banks-wyden-trump.html
Does anyone out there believe for a second that if Donald Trump was in an environment where very young, attractive ladies were available to him he would exercise one iota of caution?
Surely you're not talking about the same guy who would barge into the Miss Teen USA dressing rooms then brag about it on a national radio show?
One of the people that Epstein “stole" from Mara Lago was Virginia Giuffre, who said Ghislaine Maxwell recruited her into Epstein's circle when she was a 16-year-old Mar-a-Lago locker room assistant.
There are victims who testified that Trump raped them. When are we going to support the victims and stop trying to absolve the perpetrators?
sooo- we already know Trump is a rapist and sexual abuser, we have photos, many females’ testimony and gosh - a bunch of guilty verdicts! how can these files be any more damning? he never should have been allowed to run let alone be elected president. of course he should be impeached, for all that and all that’s he’s doing now.
But they did impeach in 2019.
Now, after the Supreme Soviet’s immunity decision, as they say in finance, TINA. There is no alternative.
The tactical question is how to even get this to a vote and pull respectable numbers?
Immunity only applies to official acts. This is…not one of those. Plus, this is a political recommendation, not a criminal one.
It's as though the Dem leadership doesn't want to attack, or fight, or even lead, but rather to pander and placate. "Tell us (in polls) what you want, and we'll give it to you, just as soon as you help us get rid of those nasty Republicans." This, while actual Nazis have taken over the government. Talk about not meeting the moment...
Thank you Brian, you hit on where I was stuck yesterday. I agree that the Democrats should force the House to vote on an Impeachment Resolution(s) NOW.
Brian writes, "I think it points to the possibility that Trump himself might not know exactly what he did, when, where, or with whom." Well, the fact that the basis of Trump's relationship with Epstein was their mutual "love of beautiful women" (as stated by Trump), I find it very hard to believe that Trump would quibble over a girl's age. When you take in the fact that he owned the Teenage USA pageant and has admitted (with pride) to being a peeping Tom during the pageant, Trump doesn't have any past innocence to fall back on. Believe the victims in this. And yes, IMPEACH!!!
Great piece Brian! Thank you! FYI if you haven’t seen it, Kate Manne recently did a substack post about the woman who alleges Trump raped her at Epstein’s house when she was 13. It includes a transcript of the woman’s testimony if you are interested in reading it (FYI it’s pretty horrific). I don’t know how to post a link or I would include it. Thanks for your great work!
Every American, especially Trump supporting voters, needs to watch the Netflix four part series about Jeffrey Epstein. Listen yourselves to the many women (former underage girls), police chiefs in Florida and New York, victim’s attorneys and Federal investigators. See his private island, Palm Beach estate and Manhattan mansion. Photos and videos of the people he associated with-you’ll recognize some. Especially check out G. Maxwell’s role in soliciting girls. Relevant in this moment to understand what’s happening.
Two things. One, there are ‘files’ and there are people. The women who were then young girls always seem to get short shrift in these discussions, but their stories are the most damning evidence if they could or would speak. Some have, but most haven’t. It’s not hard to imagine why. And second, as has been mentioned in various articles, our constitution isn’t well designed to address what we’re facing today. It may be that no constitution could have been designed to meet the challenge, but it’s certainly the case that our politicians today, on both sides of the aisle, lack in different respects the kind of character needed to meet the moment.