Posted originally on CTH on July 8, 2025 | Sundance
I’ll put the entire cabinet meeting in another post. It is interesting that RFK Jr. was not present (?).
For this outline, let’s focus on the issue that is exploding the MAGA and anti-MAGA universe on social media right now. President Trump and Pam Bondi’s response to a question about Jeffrey Epstein and the controversial DOJ/FBI memo that now states there is no “third party” or “client list” connected to the Epstein sex trafficking.
Obviously, President Trump is not happy with attention focused on the Epstein issues. The most likely reason for the frustration expressed is simply that President Trump is unaware how much the Epstein issues are -and have been- part of the background focus within the base of his support. Here’s the segment. WATCH:
First, kudos to Marco Rubio for his stone faced and remarkably unaffected disposition within the exchange. It takes time and experience to remain stoic at this level. Exceptional control.
Second, everyone here has a reasonable BS detector – meaning we can tell when a person is not telling the truth. It is transparently obvious AG Pam Bondi is extremely uncomfortable with the Epstein issue, and her responses indicate she is not being honest or forthright. You could say, she’s lying; however, the facts of her presentation are a little more complicated.
The main issue around Bondi’s less-than-fulsome response is the motive. Is she lying because she’s just grossly incompetent about the issue, or is she lying because she is nefarious in her intent. The Occam’s Razor answer to her obvious parseltongue is a combination of both.
Former AG Pam Bondi, now Attorney General Pam Bondi is entirely over her head when it comes to highly sensitive and critically important issues. She does not have the intellectual acumen to engage on a subject that is both complex and sensitive. Bondi is an unmoored ship, floating in the direction of tides, waves and winds on any particular subject.
When a controversial issue arises, the character of the individual becomes more visible. Direct honesty is challenging to an unmoored person because they are always guesstimating, attempting to navigate and find the best position with themselves as the focus of the issue, not the issue itself.
In general terms, when a person is unmoored, the personal character trait of ‘how does this affect me’ surfaces quickly and visibly whenever a topic of discomfort surfaces. If that topic is one of high public interest, the prism of self-interest, brutally visible, then creates the realization of distrust. This outward appearance cannot be hidden and begins the person into a downward spiral that becomes even more clear when the predictable anger defensive mechanism is triggered. We see all of that in Bondi’s reaction to the question.
This aspect of Pam Bondi’s character was why CTH was out front of the nomination in saying this could be a problem. If she was willing to go along with the fabrication of a false witness in the Zimmerman case, what does that tell us about predicting her behavior as the U.S. Attorney General? That reality was the source of our concern. Now people are starting to see it surface.
Bondi is both lying from incompetence, simply her words do not pass the standard of common sense, and she is lying from a position that the DOJ/FBI claims just simply do not add up.
Unfortunately, both Bondi and Trump’s response to the Epstein issue now open a huge gate for the opposition to exploit. Elon Musk and his legions of anti-Trumpers, both new and old, will now enjoy enhanced support as their attack exploits will benefit from visible obfuscation. MAGA people will begin to distrust, that opens the door for anti-MAGA elements to engage in the issue that both Bondi and Trump obfuscate. This is not good.
Lastly, regarding President Trump. There is a membrane around the President that is very difficult to penetrate. President Trump has guards around him that do not allow information to enter against their priority interests. Trump’s handlers, specifically Bondi’s key ally, Susie Wiles, have an agenda for President Trump, and they control his domestic political worldview by controlling the information that reaches him.
Yes, President Trump has handlers, monitors, who steer the subjects they want into his field of vision. If there is an issue they do not prioritize, he simply does not see it. The same applies to all Presidents and all Executives in positions of power, the issue is not exclusive to President Trump, and we all have reference points – albeit with less consequence.
President Trump is blind to the importance of the Jeffrey Epstein story, because he is disconnected from realizing the importance of the issue to his support base. It really is that simple. To him, this looks like a distraction, because from his well managed perspective this is not an issue the guards have drawn attention to.
President Trump’s primary way of sensing the priorities of the electorate were rallies and meetings with ordinary people and MAGA supporters. However, when he won the election he is now circled by people who -at times- have a completely different agenda and priority focus than the ordinary people left outside.
I understand this dynamic from my own personal engagement with people close to President Trump, in combination with watching closely how information flows into his psyche. That said, I am relatively optimistic the Epstein issue will soon be explained to President Trump in a way that changes how he approaches it.
Unfortunately, it takes time for information to penetrate the politically protective membrane around President Trump; but when it does, he will react to it. The ammunition this issue has provided to his enemies will quickly be noted by Dan Scavino Jr., Melania Trump and Barron Trump.
Despite the ugliness, President Trump is a man of honest temperament, and he can quickly adapt. However, Pam Bondi is structurally incapable of recovering, but I suspect she will appear on Sean Hannity in an effort to rehabilitate herself.
