Donald Trump never did anything inappropriate with young girls. Neither did Prince Andrew.
And neither did Bill Clinton. And there is no Epstein client list.
That’s all according to Epstein’s chief accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
The newly released transcript of Ghislaine Maxwell’s interview with a DoJ representative contains nothing unexpected. It reads plainly like scripted damage control.
The interview with Maxwell happened to be conducted by Trump’s former personal lawyer: which, some would argue, renders it less a Department of Justice affair and more a personal operation for the President.
It would be surprising if anyone gives credence to Maxwell’s testimony.
Far more interesting at this point is the relationship between President Trump and the Kremlin.
The palpably odd spectacle of Vladimir Putin dog-walking the US President last week raises some questions.
Or more accurately, it prompts us to re-ask old questions.
The much-hyped meeting and press event happened on American soil and yet it was Trump that looked lost and the Russian President who looked in control.
Really, Trump looked highly unsettled. His facial expressions and body language were off. His usual brashness and confidence was absent.
And Putin was allowed to address the cameras first, despite Trump being the host and this being in America. When it was his turn to speak, the American President had practically nothing to say. And they took no questions.
It was all very weird. Trump honestly looked like someone under duress.
In addition to this, no progress of any description was made regarding a resolution to the Ukraine conflict: despite all of Trump’s predictions to the contrary.
Like many, I’ve been mostly sceptical about the Russia-Gate thing.
In my case, more ambivalent than sceptical. My view has always been that Russia was definitely a big influence on the 2016 election information war and online propaganda operations: but that the claim that Russia ‘hacked’ the election or that its involvement invalidated the election was exaggerated for political purposes.
Russia exercised some underhanded influence on the election, sure: but no more so than America, Britain or others routinely influence elections or political processes in other countries.
Take the American interference in Ukraine and the Maidan Revolution, for an obvious and pertinent example, long before the Russian invasion.
Besides which, Israel was just as much – and likely even more – involved in pushing Donald Trump into office. As were things like Cambridge Analytica, which was largely rooted in elements of the British right-wing establishment.
But the Democrats didn’t bother pointing to any of that, instead choosing to focus solely on Russia – because it was more convenient and because no one wanted to publicly open up those other rabbit holes.
That’s still my view.
But then when you watch Putin and Trump together – especially this strange spectacle in Alaska last week – you have to wonder again what hold the Kremlin has over Donald Trump.
The notion that Russia has compromising material on Trump has been around for a long time: it predates even the Epstein scandal (or at least predates the exposure of the Epstein operations).
Is it possible Putin has access to some of that Epstein information regarding Trump? It seems feasible. If not Epstein related material, then some other equally compromising information.
One of the strangest things was something that happened on Russian state TV the day after Trump’s 2024 election victory. Specifically, they broadcast a naked photo of Melania Trump. On state-controlled television.
Why? Was it to send a message to the US President-elect? A warning? A reminder of who’s boss?
Melania has been implicated by some in the Epstein/Trump business too: with an outstanding allegation that she in fact first dallied with Trump on the Lolita Express itself.
That remains unsubstantiated. But again, why would Russian TV broadcast a nude picture of Trump’s trophy wife on the day of his election win?
It’s very odd.
The ‘Kremlin Papers‘, allegedly leaked by Kremlin insiders, also strongly suggested Putin having compromising data on Trump.
The documents, which remain unverified, claimed that Moscow launched a multi-pronged programme to help Trump win the 2016 election: they also suggested Putin’s ability to control Trump, with the papers themselves describing Trump as an “impulsive, mentally unstable and unbalanced individual“.
Regarding the report’s hinting of kompromat on Trump, a former British diplomat suggested the Kremlin’s ‘kompromat’ on the president was collected during ‘certain events’ that happened during Trump’s trip to Moscow in November 2013.
Those papers remain difficult to ascertain the reliability of: but if the claims are true, it implies completely separate kompromat from the Epstein affair.
Some of Trump’s actions regarding Russia have been odd too.
For example, ceasing all spying operations and cyber operations in regard to Russia. Which seems an odd move for the United States, given that there’s been no reciprocal announcement from Moscow.
It’s a strange thing to publicly announce too.
Even stranger, all counter measures against Russian cyber activities in America have been stopped. That’s a really weird one. As this Reuters article from March explains, ‘Several U.S. national security agencies have halted work on a coordinated effort to counter Russian sabotage, disinformation and cyberattacks…’
At the same time, the FBI halted its work ‘to counter interference in U.S. elections by foreign adversaries including Russia and put on leave staff working on the issue at the Department of Homeland Security.’
Even if the goal is to normalise relations with Moscow and have a reconciliation of sorts, it is bizarre to completely stop all counter measures against the cyber threat posed by a foreign power – especially when that power is a well known cyber threat, particularly with ransomware attacks.
It makes no sense: unless Trump was simply instructed by the Kremlin to lower America’s defenses and allow the Russians free reign.
But it’s beginning to seem more and more like Trump really is compromised by Russia.
If so, the fact that he’s also clearly controlled by Israel means Donald Trump is probably the most compromised US President there’s ever been.
