After months of MAGA infighting and an unusual Republican break with President Donald Trump, the GOP-controlled House is expected to overwhelmingly pass a bill seeking to force the Justice Department to release a huge trove of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. (It may have already passed, depending on when you’ve opened this newsletter.)
However, before the legislation heads to the Senate, I feel compelled to highlight a particularly egregious moment from our president amid his efforts to convey a chill, copacetic vibe with the Epstein vote. Here’s how he responded to a question about his name appearing in last week’s email dump.
“Quiet! Quiet, piggy!”
As I note here, the White House appears to have tinkered with the transcript, conveniently omitting both the reporter’s question and “piggy” from Trump’s response to it. But I’m here to report on the deeply misogynistic remark, as well as the clear rage Trump still holds over House Republicans defying his opposition to today’s discharge petition. No, this simply is not a man at peace. The same frustration was also seen in House Speaker Mike Johnson today, as he too attempts to feign support for a bill he has vehemently opposed.
So what’s going on? Read my take on their cosplay here.
—Inae Oh
