Tick-Tock: Redirecting Attention from Epstein Coverup Conspiracy
[NB: check the byline, thanks. /~Rayne]
I’m going to let this collection of snapshots speak for themselves. Links to these stories will be furnished at the bottom of the post; some publication times are overseas and may not be the first publication time but an unspecified update time.
\
I know, I know — I screwed up and should have parked the two August 6 10:48 AM ET stories side by side. You get the drift; those two and the story between them are listed in Google News as published 19 hours ago from approximately 9:00 AM ET when I started pulling these together.
How conveniently the story about Vance’s canoe trip popped up just about the time the Epstein conspiracy meeting was making too much trouble for Trump and his conspirators, just about the time Team Trump was desperate enough to think about compromising one of their Epstein skeptics to change the direction of media and public attention.
UPDATE — 10:40 AM —
I want to point out KATV changed the headline as well as the lede of their story. The image above shows the original headline which is still evident in the story’s URL. The update changes the impetus of the story completely.
What I can’t tell is how long it takes for Google News to swap the original headline for the “updated” version of a story. Clearly it didn’t happen between 5:42 PM ET when the story was “updated” by The National News Desk and refreshed at KATV, and roughly 9:00 AM ET this morning when I took a screen capture from Google News.
What’s interesting is the “updated” story angle — Vance’s denial about the Epstein files meeting — emerged almost in tandem with the Ohio River story.
This may not be the only “updated” story out there.
___________________
Top Trump officials will discuss Epstein strategy at Wednesday dinner hosted by Vance
Updated Aug 6, 2025, 3:46 PM ET
PUBLISHED Aug 5, 2025, 10:04 AM ET
By Alayna Treene, Josh Campbell, Paula Reid, Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/05/politics/trump-blanche-epstein-maxwell-vance-bondi-patel-meeting
Trump Officials to Discuss Handling of Jeffrey Epstein Case: Report
Published Aug 05, 2025 at 11:07 PM EDT
By Anna Commander
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-officials-discuss-handling-jeffrey-epstein-case-report-2109432
Top Trump administration officials will meet to strategize on Epstein, Maxwell, CNN says [1]
Wed, August 6th 2025 at 10:26 AM Updated Wed, August 6th 2025 at 5:42 PM
By RAY LEWIS | The National News Desk
https://katv.com/news/nation-world/top-trump-administration-officials-will-meet-to-strategize-on-epstein-maxwell-cnn-says
Vance, Bondi, Patel to huddle at VP residence for meeting amid Epstein fallout [2]
By Breanne Deppisch, David Spunt, Jake Gibson
Published August 6, 2025 10:48am EDT | Updated August 6, 2025 2:07pm EDT
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vance-bondi-patel-huddle-vp-residence-epstein-strategy-meeting
Vance expected to host Epstein strategy dinner with Bondi, Blanche, Patel
August 6, 2025, 3:32 PM
By Katherine Faulders
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/vance-expected-host-epstein-strategy-dinner-bondi-blanche/story?id=124407326
Vance To Hold Epstein Strategy Meeting With Top FBI, DOJ Officials
August 06, 2025 10:48 AM ET
By Reagan Reese
https://dailycaller.com/2025/08/06/jd-vance-fbi-doj-strategy-meeting-epstein-fallout-ghislaine-maxwell/
JD Vance’s Epstein strategy dinner with Kash Patel today: ‘Missing from this group is….’
TOI World Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Aug 06, 2025, 22:24 IST
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/jd-vances-epstein-strategy-dinner-with-kash-patel-today-missing-from-this-group-is-/articleshow/123145846.cms
JD Vance to host Epstein strategy dinner with top Trump officials, including AG Bondi, FBI boss Kash Patel
Published Aug. 6, 2025, 12:47 p.m. ET
By Breanne Deppisch, David Spunt, Jake Gibson
https://nypost.com/2025/08/06/us-news/vance-to-host-epstein-strategy-dinner-with-bondi-patel-blanche/
JD Vance to meet with top Trump officials to plot Epstein strategy – report
Wed 6 Aug 2025 13.20 EDT
By Anna Betts-New York
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/06/jeffrey-epstein-jd-vance-trump-meeting
JD Vance denies convening Trump’s top team to discuss Epstein
Wednesday August 06 2025, 7.25 pm BST, The Times
By Lara Spirit-Washington DC
https://www.thetimes.com/us/american-politics/article/epstein-strategy-dinner-jd-vance-maxwell-xrmvz7qjt
JD Vance’s team had water level of Ohio river raised for family’s boating trip
Wed 6 Aug 2025 17.46 EDT
By Stephanie Kirchgaessner and David Smith
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/06/jd-vance-ohio-lake-water-levels
Trump Makes JD Vance Awkwardly Deny Secret Epstein Crisis Talks
Updated Aug. 6 2025 8:31PM EDT
Published Aug. 6 2025 8:02PM EDT
By Farrah Tomazin
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-makes-jd-vance-awkwardly-deny-secret-epstein-crisis-talks/
Planned dinner for Trump officials to discuss Epstein appears to have been moved amid media scrutiny
Updated Aug 6, 2025, 9:38 PM ET
PUBLISHED Aug 6, 2025, 3:55 PM ET
By By Kristen Holmes, Alayna Treene
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/06/politics/jd-vance-dinner-epstein-scandal
Trump team looking to Joe Rogan for help amid lingering Epstein-Ghislaine Maxwell fallout, report says
Thursday 07 August 2025 14:41 BST
By Oliver O’Connell
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-epstein-joe-rogan-vance-maxwell-dinner-news-live-b2803187.html
[1] See update at bottom of post above
[2] Headline from embedded video appears in Google News; article headline is different
___________________
*** NEED FROM YOU *** Any story about the Epstein files should be archived because they are subject to change. At least two of the stories above may have been manipulated so that the original headline doesn’t now appear in Google News.
To archive in the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive:
• Copy the URL of the news story.
• Go to https://web.archive.org/
• Paste the URL into the Save Page Now field at the lower right of the site and click on Save Page button
• When next page opens, click on Save Page, check the box to include error messages (this will tell readers when the page may have gone bad/been pulled)
Don’t let them try to sweep coverage under the digital rug!
###
I get the sense that being a press or comms secretary in this admin involves skills familiar to those engaging in caged mud wrestling.
You’d have to get down in the mud and whatever else is in the cage to pull this off. Somebody had to wrangle Vance on this. Somebody had to have the temerity or stupidity or both to float a balloon to see if Joe Rogan would bite, knowing how little Rogan wants to participate in the Epstein coverup, damaging his credibility with his audience.
As I have written before, if you want MAGA to start bleating in a certain direction, you go to the influencers to herd the MAGAts. Certainly Rogan is one of the influences that you woul go to, and Loomer is another. Loomer is certainly more influential than Rogan is, and she has the orange sexual deviant’s attention.
Glad it’s still being reported by some, however the Epstein story has all but disappeared from my news feed. This administration generates a firehouse of important stories and it’s simply impossible for the media, or anyone to keep up unless they can spend the entire day watching television and reading the Internets. Really appreciate this blog for the steady and reliable updates. Who knows if the Epstein thing will ultimately go somewhere or if it will fizzle out. Time will tell, but at this point I see little mention by my trusted sources: ABC, CNN, and the NYT. I am glad though the media is remaining (somewhat) focused on the absolute and devastating humanitarian crisis Gaza- may that focus continue.
AP’s front page has zip. If you click on “US” you find one story, way way down at the bottom of the scroll:
Victims feeling exhausted and anxious about wrangling over Epstein files
and it contains links to other aspects of the affair, but nothing on the cancelled (if it was) meeting. AP’s front page has tariffs tariffs tariffs, and other stories about Administration threats and malfeasance. PedroV is correct: Trump always has some other BS to unload, so news organizations can’t keep up. “Flood the zone,” as Bannon said.
The thing is, I can’t see the Epstein story going away that easily, especially when Trump and his lawyers keep doing things to return the focus to Maxwell, and whenever the story comes up, it dominates for a while.
“Vance’s denial about the Epstein files meeting — ”
I recall a former vice presidential candidate once whining, “The rules were that you guys weren’t gonna fact-check,” . Also something to the effect of “we are going to make stuff up just to change the narrative.”
The story updates and changes are so reminiscent of Orwell’s memory hole. (no relation) What was yesterday is different today.
It’s truly frightening how the flood of info and disinfo overwhelms such a large percentage of Americans.
It seems to me that the whole Trump universe is forcing a reckoning with the internet and the Information Age that humans were going to have to face and reckon with inevitably.
Maybe the following will open up stories by the msm again on Trump/Epstein Child/Human Trafficking businesses:
https://bsky.app/profile/sethabramson.bsky.social/post/3lv7swu6gbc2u
The Thread:
https://bsky.app/profile/sethabramson.bsky.social/post/3lv5flgq5vs27
[Moderator’s note: formatting added to make it clear which portion of your comment is excerpted from Abramson’s Bluesky thread. /~Rayne]
I am not holding my breath about Abramson’s book.
I’m gonna go with some simple guesswork.
Ron Wyden’s indicated that a lot of Epstein’s money went through Russian banks.
We’re all know that Eric said that the Trumps didn’t need American bank loans because the Russians keep their coffers filled.
We’re pretty sure Trump was using his real estate to launder money for the Russian mob which is a Siamese twin of the Russian gov.
Trump and Epstein were joined at the hip for 15 or so years.
Trump is under Putin’s thumb (seen via his behavior which makes no sense otherwise).
It’s all just one happy family of sex trafficking mobsters.
If I had EVIDENCE to PROVE it this would be the FIRST place I’d post it. I actually trust Marcy and Rayne’s integrity.
I don’t.
Speaking of Epstein’s money, here’s Wendy Siegelman:
https://bsky.app/profile/wendysiegelman.bsky.social/post/3lviqmulfx22y
August 3, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Links to:
Epstein’s Cryptic Touch
Jeffrey Epstein touched cryptocurrency in a lot of inappropriate places.
Michel de Cryptadamus Jul 23, 2025
“It’s all just one happy family of sex trafficking mobsters.”
Exactly. As Trump said in the Fox interview where he probably wouldn’t release the Epstein files, “you don’t want to affect people’s lives if there’s phony stuff in there. There’s a lot of phony stuff in THAT WHOLE WORLD .”
How would someone know that there was a whole separate world, as opposed to just the widely known Epstein case, if one wasn’t involved with it in some way?
But clearly there was a small group of sex trafficking, powerful people. Normally they were hidden within modeling agencies .
Meidas Touch has done a lot of reporting recently on Trump’association with John Casablancas who ran Elite Model Management ,which had a history of alleged sex trafficking. He died a while back. Also known is his long standing friendship with Epstein while Epstein was sexually trafficking girls. Epstein was working with Jean-Luc Brunel, who like Epstein, died in prison recently after being charged with raping minors. Brunel ran the world famous Karin Models which also had a long history of sex trafficking allegations.
For a long stretch of time Mr. Trump was associated with that whole world, while it was going on. Not to say he is complicit, but birds of a feather, tend to fly together.
In the end, the big happy family is mostly dead, but Trump’s favorite sex trafficking criminal seems to know enough that she may get a free pass.
VIDEO of the exchange between a Reporter/TRUMP/VANCE at 8/6/25 5:49 PM ET:
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lvr7je2c3z23
August 6, 2025 at 5:53 PM
VANCE:
At about 4:05 PM, NBC confirmed the meeting WAS being planned:
https://bsky.app/profile/kylegriffin1.bsky.social/post/3lvqzhryr7s2l
August 6, 2025 at 4:05 PM
One of the more egregious failures of the courtier press is to evaluate statements by Trump, Vance et al in their obvious context. The only appropriate way to rewrite that headline is, “Admitted Liar Rejects Reports of Top Administration Officials Meeting to Strategize on Epstein.”
Even a YLS graduate could distinguish between saying he’s not meeting “to discuss the Epstein situation,” which might be true, but only because he’s meeting to discuss the Trump situation. Vance is no more truthful than Donald Trump.
It seems to have been just a change of venue.
https://bsky.app/profile/kylegriffin1.bsky.social/post/3lvte2w4qoc2b
August 7, 2025 at 2:20 PM
The distraction doesn’t seem to be working. In a rage tweet, Trump moved up his illegal tariff deadline 24 hours, to further roil the markets and capture the news. Doesn’t seem to have worked either, presumably, because the tariff increase was already priced in.
He’s so desperate for a change of subject he’s throwing all the spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks — including his bullshit about a new unconstitutional census.
So much flop sweat.
He’s also thrown some the spaghetti from the roof of the White House.
Will spaghetti stick to a wall covered with ketchup?
Thank goodness they weren’t planning to meet on the TARMAC in Arizona…
now THAT would have been “horrible”.
Trump: Bill Clinton meeting with Loretta Lynch ‘so horrible’
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/trump-bill-clinton-loretta-lynch-meeting-224983
Louis Nelson 06/30/2016
I MEAN! WHO would DO this? [!!!]
Yeah, that. Thank you, harpie, for footnoting the rank hypocrisy.
:-) <3
Coincidently, in her new Post, Marcy mentions a particular meeting which
was arranged on 6/29/16, the day BEFORE Politico published this article:
The Russia Russia Russia Grievance Was Built Into Russian Attack from the Start
https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/08/08/the-russia-russia-russia-grievance-was-built-into-russian-attack-from-the-start/
From the Ohr testimony Marcy provides there,
I think the breakfast meeting itself took place on 6/30/16.
The Politico article came out at 12:12 PM EDT.
Marcy:
EVERYTHING I’ve written above is WRONG. OY!
Marcy is writing about a JULY 29, 2016 meeting, NOT June.
APOLOGIES!
I have to give Trump and his allies credit for their media manipulation strategy. Yesterday ABC News reported that sources told them that Maxwell had told Blanche that Trump wasn’t inappropriate in her company. That sounds like a “let’s run this up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes” leak.
The more spaghetti they throw against the wall, the more it looks like there are some spicy meatballs in the mix.
We are watching a cover up in plain sight. And the MAGAts are shamefully complicit.
“Anyone” = MAGA base members. Who else would even consider “saluting”?
It’s certainly a stretch to present Ghislaine as an authority whose words will quiet down anyone.
My guess as to why nothing’s sticking: the spaghetti sauce delivered to the White House contains WD-40.
Or ketchup is less sticky when applied vertically.
Except for the low-sugar variety.
Miss Maxwell saying Trump didn’t do anything “inappropriate” in her presence isn’t much of an alibi for Trump.
After all, this is a woman who doesn’t appear to find sexually abusing minor girls and then trafficking them into sexual slavery inappropriate.
Someone would really have to be a deviant to register on her scale.
Nice observation. Ghislaine Maxwell’s notion of “inappropriate” should be read as “inappropriate for her.” As a convicted child sex offender and trafficker, her perspective would not be on or near the average person’s 50-yard line. She’s already behind the end zone.
I think I used the wrong term, but the meanings end up the same.
Maxwell said Trump did nothing that would have “caused concern”.
It will be interesting and disgusting to watch Trump’s team try to make her credible.
to Memory hole:
What might have been cause for concern would be Trump, say, converting to Christianity, or a girl getting ready to bolt, just incidentally because he raped her.
Dear gods…I requested the first archive copy of more than half the articles I cited above.
The story about Vance and the Ohio River had already been archived FIVE TIMES today.
People, pay attention. You’re being redirected. It’s not that the Ohio River thing isn’t bad, it’s just that there’s something much worse going on and you’re being hoodwinked.
It isn’t even the first time Vance has gotten special privileges when out with his family. He seems to think that it’s part of his job perqs.
Vance has displayed this entitled attitude far longer than his VP tenure. It seems (to me) like a legacy of being anointed by Peter Thiel as a wunderkind. When figures of the kind of authority and power conferred by the amassment of wealth deem certain mediocrities to be prodigies, those mediocrities get what used to be called a “swelled head.”
Vance wasn’t always like this. But his aristocratic self-conception is more cause than effect of his current job. The whole virulently converted Catholic aspect of it helps absolutely nothing, of course.
The synopsis from the reports I’ve read was the Ohio river thing was more or less not a big deal. The Army C.of E. said the request made by the U.S Secret Service met operational criteria and did not require a deviation from normal procedures, and that downstream stakeholders were notified in advance of the slight outflow increase.
Translation- a nothingburger became a distraction for media, while being a convenient diversion for the Trump administration.
Yes? So was this redirection a two-fer? A means to redirect attention away from the Epstein conspiracy while stabbing Vance in the back to make him less palatable if anybody is itching for 25th Amendment?
Or why not both?
I’m amused that there are pundits who seem to think that Vance can be bypassed if Convict-1 is removed from office (even if temporary). Vance cannot be skipped unless he is impeached and convicted and since neither the House nor the Senate would do so it seems Vance has been biding his time.
JD knows he’s unpopular (especially after getting booed yesterday), but he also knows he is simultaneously untouchable and not officially responsible for any of the WH foulups. It would be good to know what Vance discussed with Rupert Murdoch in MT, perhaps the succession plan involving the 25th Amendment setting out roles and tasks.
@ Rugger 9 @6 am above.
The press conference where JD Vance denied it was about the Epstein coverup, JD had a smile like the cat who ate the canary.
His trip to see Murdock and the drips of Epstein info give the impression that he could be someone keeping this going. He knows he is one bombshell news report from the throne.
Bannon described what they do, and why. “Flood.the.zone.with.shit”
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/07/nx-s1-5493197/doj-trump-jan-6-defendant-jared-wise-capitol-riot
Are they serving up liberal snowflake outrage stories to distract from the Epstein story? It’s like cat food.
It’s like crazy time now. Like why now? I don’t even want to hear how NPR got their hands on this video. I won’t believe anything anyone says. I repeat, like why now does this video come out?
Yes, they are serving up attempts to outrage liberals.
The Sydney Sweeney American Eagle Jeans/Genes hullabaloo was ginned up by the right-wing; Charlie Kirk in particular has multiple posts on Facebook and TikTok about it trying to push liberal outrage. The timing of the hullabaloo’s manufacture is coincident with Trump wanting the public to stop paying attention to his Epstein scandal.
ADDER:
(thank you, Rayne, for the instructions on how to archive in the Wayback Machine.)
From many reports, Maxwell had sex with some of the teenagers too. It’s often written that she procured the teenagers but she screwed them too, as it seems from the reporting.
PS- EW, you are one of my heroes. Incredible reporting. Thank you!
Gross. Maxwell is an awful, twisted woman who belongs in prison.
Kudos to Rep. Ayanna Pressley and her colleagues for supporting the survivors!
So while JD Vance, Wiles, Bondi, Blanche and Kash were planning how to protect the perpetrators, Rep. Pressley was calling for a congressional hearing to amplify the voices of trafficking survivors abused by Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and their co-conspirators.
Here’s an excerpt from the letter Rep. Pressley and her colleagues sent to Comer:
Dear Chairman Comer:
As the Committee moves forward with its investigation to uncover the full truth about Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and their co-conspirators, we are writing to request that the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hold a hearing to prioritize the individuals who survived the horrific abuse associated with these crimes, and whose firsthand accounts may not be sufficiently represented in the Department of Justice’s records. If we are to hold powerful people to account, our investigation must center the voices they tried to silence. To ensure that our investigation is comprehensive and credible, we urge the Committee to allow survivors the opportunity to provide their testimony if they wish to do so.
https://pressley.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pressley-Oversight-Dems-Letter-to-Chairman-Comer-on-Survivors-of-Epstein-Abuse.pdf
There has just been a major lurch towards a dictatorship. Trump just ordered federal law enforcement to patrol DC for the next 7 days.
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5442446-trump-federal-law-enforcement-dc/
“The enhanced federal presence will begin at midnight [tonight, Thursday, Aug. 7]. It will be led by the U.S. Park Police and will include officers and agents from the FBI, DEA, ATF, divisions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies. The White House said the federal law enforcement will be in marked units.
The announcement comes a day after President Trump said he was considering taking control of the Washington, D.C., police department in the wake of a violent attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer.”
I wonder if he will have them wearing the ‘SS’ on there uniforms yet ?
He’s sure DC is really really dangerous, because “Big Balls” got attacked. (In fact, it’s much safer than it used to be.)
Big Balls certainly does receive special solicitude. I doubt that any other rando that was the victim of attempted carjacking while driving around near DuPont Circle at 3 am would trigger a week long bout of extra police presence.
LOL. Nothing would get an extra police presence around Dupont Circle at 3.00 am, barring a presidential executive order.
BTW, what was “Big” Balls doing cruising Dupont Circle at 3.00 am? Movers and shakers don’t show up at the office until about 4.00 am. The bars close at 2.00 am and don’t open again until 6.00 am. So what gives?
That is an *excellent* question, EoH. What was “Big Balls” doing out and about at that hour in DC?
Was he meeting with someone? Was he getting back from tinkering on networked equipment he can’t access during regular business hours?
Was Trump’s erratic overreaction ordering more law enforcement in DC not just about the attack on “Big Balls” but to protect something else going on?
I’ve noticed recently that it’s being framed as the Epstein “situation” by the news media.
No, it’s not a “situation”, it’s a fucking active scandal covering up child rape. Active since Acosta gave Epstein a sweetheart deal in Florida back in ’08.
Thank you Rayne. The Retribution Regime for corrupted cruel criminals rewarding corrupted cruel criminals.