In response to the latest news about Trump’s attempt to cover up the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, DNC Senior Advisor for Messaging, Mobilization, and Strategy Tim Hogan released the following statement: 

“We are watching a government cover-up in real time. Donald Trump’s FBI, run by loyalist Kash Patel, redacted Trump’s name from the Epstein files — which have still not been released. While Trump and his administration try to cover up the heinous crimes included in those files, they’re simultaneously doing favors for convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. Trump has long believed that the rules that apply to others do not apply to himself and the rich and powerful. The American people deserve to know the truth, and they will not be satisfied by anything less than full transparency.”

NEW: Two days after Jeffrey Epstein accomplice and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell met with Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, she was quietly moved to a “less restrictive” facility.

New York Times: “Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein now serving a 20-year prison sentence for sexually exploiting and abusing teenage girls, has been moved from a federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas, her lawyer said on Friday. …

“The move … came about a week after Ms. Maxwell was interviewed over two days in prison in Tallahassee, Fla., about the Epstein case by Todd Blanche, the No. 2 official in the Justice Department and one of President Trump’s former lawyers. …

“Mr. Blanche met with Ms. Maxwell and Mr. Markus last Thursday and Friday amid a firestorm of criticism from Trump supporters who have called for the administration to release all federal files related to Mr. Epstein.”

Several of Epstein and Maxwell’s accusers are speaking out against Trump protecting convicted sex traffickers. 

Kaitlan Collins: “A new statement from the family of Virginia Giuffre and several of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s accusers:

“‘It is with horror and outrage that we object to the preferential treatment convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has received. Ghislaine Maxwell is a sexual predator who physically assaulted minor children on multiple occasions, and she should never be shown any leniency. Yet, without any notification to the Maxwell victims, the government overnight has moved Maxwell to a minimum security luxury prison in Texas. This is the justice system failing victims right before our eyes.  The American public should be enraged by the preferential treatment being given to a pedophile and a criminally charged child sex offender. The Trump administration should not credit a word Maxwell says, as the government itself sought charges against Maxwell for being a serial liar. This move smacks of a cover up. The victims deserve better.’”

NEW: Trump’s FBI redacted his name from documents in the Epstein files.  

Bloomberg: “The FBI Redacted Trump’s Name in the Epstein Files”

Wall Street Journal: “Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files”

“When Justice Department officials reviewed what Attorney General Pam Bondi called a ‘truckload’ of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein earlier this year, they discovered that Donald Trump’s name appeared multiple times, according to senior administration officials. …

“FBI Director Kash Patel has privately told other government officials that Trump’s name appeared in the files, according to people close to the administration. … 

“On July 15, an ABC News journalist asked Trump, as he took questions from reporters at the White House, what Bondi told him about the Epstein files: ‘Specifically, did she tell you at all that your name appeared in the files?’

“‘No, no, she’s—she’s given us just a very quick briefing,’ Trump responded.”

POLLING: As Trump and Republicans scramble to change the narrative, Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of his handling of the Epstein files. 

Rasmussen Poll: “Roughly two-thirds of every political category – 68% of Democrats, 66% of Republicans and 69% of unaffiliated voters – reject the idea that the Epstein case is closed and instead believe that there are dozens of powerful and wealthy offenders who need to face justice.”

CNN Poll: “Americans are broadly dissatisfied with how much Epstein info the government has released. …

“Very conservative Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are far more likely to be dissatisfied than are those who consider themselves somewhat conservative (48% vs. 40%).”

Fox News Poll: “Only 13% think the government has been open and transparent about the Jeffrey Epstein case, while more than five times as many, 67%, disagree – including 60% of Republicans and 56% of MAGA supporters.”

Quinnipiac Poll: “17 percent of voters say they approve of the way the Trump Administration is handling the Jeffrey Epstein files, while 63 percent of voters disapprove…”