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Pam Bondi Reportedly Created 1,000 Witnesses to the Jeffrey Epstein File - emptywheel In her bid to politicize the search for Jeffrey Epstein files, Pam Bondi created one thousand witnesses to what might be in the file.

"In her bid to review these files, Bondi created one thousand witnesses to what is in the Epstein file — and Bondi’s attempt to politicize the search for Epstein files."

Read @emptywheel.bsky.social on bombshell revelations of the Durbin letter:

www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/18/p...

Technically, this is dated. But I feel like this still isn't getting the focus it deserves.

Whether or not we learn Trump was raping Epstein's girls, his super power is failing him and it's driving him nuts.

Hmmm.

Someone went to Dick Durbin.

At least one someone.

Questions that answer themselves!

YouTube video by Adam Mockler Watch Joe Rogan Realize TRUMP TRICKED HIM

Great to see Gen Zer @adammockler.com cover Texas Rep. James Talarico's viral appearance on Joe Rogan. "Talarico, a Christian pastor, powerfully pushes back on MAGA theocracy." I agree - this is the blueprint for how Ds can & should communicate to win. ⬇️
📺 youtu.be/XmWAMbgD0Mw?...

The Secrets about Russia's Influence Operation that Tulsi Gabbard Is Still Keeping from Us - emptywheel At least as part of her information operation, Tulsi Gabbard released a newly declassified version of the 2017 Intelligence Assessment on the 2016 Russian attack.

The Secrets about Russia's Influence Operation that Tulsi Gabbard Is Still Keeping from Us

www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/19/t...

I really don't think so (though James Dennehy's retirement came right before this). Bondi REALLY tried hard to scapegoat Kash and FBI for this. Plus, the FBI was already pissy bc they were being pulled from actual crime to arrest Latino grannies.

Note: It doesn't mention the firing of Maurene Comey.

Maybe I was schooled in Chekhov's Gun but really hard to see how THAT doesn't backfire in spectacular fashion.

Trump was annoyed by the constant questions from reporters—had Bondi told him that his name, in fact, was in the Epstein files? (“No,” came his response)—and frustrated by his inability to redirect the nation’s attention to what he views as his successes, four White House officials and a close outside adviser told us. But more than that, Trump felt deeply betrayed by his MAGA supporters, who had believed him when he’d intimated that something was nefarious about how the Epstein case has been handled, and who now refused to believe him when he said their suspicions were actually baseless. Jonathan Chait: Why Trump can’t make the Epstein story go away He—the president, their leader, the martyr who had endured scandals and prosecution and an assassin’s bullet on their behalf—had repeatedly told them it was time to move on, and that alone should suffice. Why, he groused, would the White House add fuel to the fire, would it play into the media’s narrative? In particular, Trump has raged against MAGA influencers who, in his estimation, have profited and grown famous off their association with him and his political movement, according to one of the officials and the outside adviser, who is in regular touch with the West Wing. They and others we spoke with did so on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to anger Trump by talking about a subject that has become especially sensitive. Trump told the outside adviser that the “disloyal” influencers “have forgotten whose name is above the door.” “These people cash their paychecks and get their clicks all thanks to him,” the adviser told us. “The president has bigger fish to fry, and he’s said what he wants: Move on. People need to open their ears and listen to him.”

This @jonlemire.bsky.social story on poor Donald Trump betrayed by his MAGAts will bring a tear to your eye.

www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

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A page showing "Moscow's Efforts to Manipulate Foreign Elections, 2000-16." The substantive details on what was done are all redacted. Highlighted countries include: Netherlands, Germany, Czechia, Italy, Montenegro, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan.

And relatedly, there's a 1-page appendix on past Russian election interference, still significantly redacted, that wasn't in the public version.

Two heavily redacted paragraphs describing, "We assess Germany's federal elections in September 2017 will be the next major focus on Russian influence operations."

Some of the most extensive redactions describes why the spooks thought Germany was next (it discusses France, which of course WAS attacked the next year, in subsequent ¶¶).

In 2011, US-based Russian officials had a draft plan to influence the 2012 US presidential election, The plan advocated exploiting the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling to fund candidates supporting Russian interests, eventually creating a pro-Russia PAC to openly advance Moscow’s agenda. SVR officers in San Francisco were tasked to compile information on US firms with ties to Russia, , possibly in support of this plan; we have no information to indicate the plan was implemented.

There's a bit more on RU's past efforts to tamper in elections, such as this description of using campaign finance loopholes to fund candidates. It all seems so quaint now with China just paying Trump in crypto in plain sight.

Redaction, redaction, "using trolls as well as RT as part of its influence efforts to denigrate Secretary Clinton" redaction "amplified stories on scandals about Secretary clinton and the role of WikiLeaks in the election campaign, including an article claiming that she allegedly considered killing Assange.

Here's one of the most interesting redactions. First, there's a subhed to the section that discusses trolling (the next ¶ is abt Prigozhin's effort). But there's also a lot of the WHO that is missing here.

One reason I'm interesting is bc there's an overlap bt pro-Trump trolling and RU trolling.

Between December 2015 and June 2016, GRU cyber actors scanned an identified US-based third-party vendor of electronic voting equipment and services, [redacted]

Here's the only reference to one of two hacks explained in the docs Reality Winner leaked.

I don't rule out this was REALLY recent information, and his staff took quite a while to get the actual letters loaded to his server.

So maybe them.

nidentified actors using GRU infrastructure on 12 July compromised the Illinois State Voter Information Center using seven Internet Protocol (IP) addresses registered to King Servers, a Russian company that provides virtual private network (VPN) services that obscure the source of Internet traffic, [redacted]

They say a lot more about various. attempts to hack states.

Here's what they say about an Illinois hack, for example. (I had heard from sources the IL hack was far worse than public reports of it.)

legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

Links:

legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

www.dni.gov/files/docume...

A screen cap. [Redacted] Although we saw Russian collection on some Republican-affiliated targets, [3.5 lines redacted]

Russia collected on some Republican-affiliated targets but did not conduct a comparable disclosure campaign.

One thing Tulsi did with her propaganda campaign yesterday was release a declassified version of the somewhat classified 2017 ICA. So I'm wasting a day w/o rain to compare the two.

Eg, the more classified version said MORE about RU not leaking stolen GOP files.

When a government official who regularly lies - and works for a President who always lies - says "Don’t you dare ever say that again.”

Say it again. And again and again. It's like Trump saying stop asking about Epstein

Cause Trump/Miller/Noem are racial profiling. She knows it. We all know it

WOWOWOWOWO.

Let's think about that! Who does the repitition?

PUNDITS!!!

Can they repeat?

Yes.

How do I know?

Bc the only thing they repeat is dumbass stuff like treating Pelosi as if she's more important than Jeffries.

They DO repeat. But the dumbest most dishonest stuff.

I think there are some faith communities who would/do.

But yeah, in general, you're right.

Every week for the past 7 I've caught one or another whiner making false claims about what Dems haven't done.

Like Epstein messaging--they've been doing this since March. Wouldn't be hard to keep pushing Wyden's follow the money args.

Yes.

Ethno-nationalist who has amplified and endorsed far-right propaganda about a “non-white invasion” has not ruled himself out of running for the presidency.

Pam Bondi Reportedly Created 1,000 Witnesses to the Jeffrey Epstein File - emptywheel In her bid to politicize the search for Jeffrey Epstein files, Pam Bondi created one thousand witnesses to what might be in the file.

Anyway, I RTed Durbin's letter several times, and did a post. Meanwhile, there are still LOTS of people whining that Dems aren't messaging on Epstein.

www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/18/p...

According to information my office received, *you then pressured the FBI to put approximately 1,000 personnel* in its Information Management Division (IMD), including the Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS), which handles all requests submitted by the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act, *on 24-hour shifts to review approximately 100,000 Epstein-related records in order to produce more documents that could then be released on an arbitrarily short deadline. This effort, which reportedly took place from March 14 through the end of March,* was haphazardly supplemented by hundreds of FBI New York Field Office personnel, many of whom lacked the expertise to identify statutorilyprotected information regarding child victims and child witnesses or properly handle FOIA requests. *My office was told that these personnel were instructed to “flag” any records in which President Trump was mentioned.* Notably, in 2002, Mr. Trump said of Mr. Epstein, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy, He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”7 Just yesterday, it was reported that the Department previously reviewed a “leather-bound album” comprised of dozens of letters from Mr. Epstein’s friends in celebration of his 50th birthday in 2003.8 The letters were collected by Mr. Epstein’s partner Ghislaine Maxwell and included one from President Trump that allegedly “contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker … and the future president’s signature is a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist.”9

Take as an example Dick Durbin's letter revealing that Bondi assigned ONE THOUSAND people to review Epstein files, working 24-hour shifts.

This is devastating whistleblower testimony. James Comer builds years long campaigns off less.

www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/do...

I'm not asking people to be as stupid as Benny (who went from Epstein skepticism back to the fold of Russian disinformation in a few days). I'm saying that if the only thing you repeat are criticisms, you have conceded to fascists.

W/o repetition of what messaging there is, it doesn't exist.

One reason I'm so impatient with lefty pundits saying, "It's not our job to do messaging, it's Hakeem's job. Our job is to complain abt what Hakeem does wrong," is bc Tulsi can put out outright bullshit and have a mob of trolls turn it into the truth within hours.

TY. But it became the plan in April bc it was becoming an embarrassment?

People I’ve spoken with in the USG are skeptical/dismissive that this was always the plan.