Following the U.S. attack of Venezuela and the capture of its autocratic leader, Nicolás Maduro, the altruism of President Donald Trump’s actions is being widely questioned.
For starters, the attack was carried out sans congressional approval. And for another, Venezuela is home to one of the world’s largest oil reserves – Trump even said the quiet part loud in this regard during the press conference held following the attack.
“Very large United States oil companies” would take part in fixing Venezuela’s “badly broken oil infrastructure,” he told reporters, so as to procure “a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground.” And while some of that fortune would be given to the Venezuelan people, an undisclosed secondary portion would be given to the U.S., Trump added – as “reimbursement.”
But perhaps there is another reason in the mix as well, one more personal than all that. Perhaps Trump also feels it’s better to be viewed as a money-hungry warmonger – than to be held accountable as a rapist.
Because amid all of this, the Trump administration has continually failed to release the vast majority of the files pertaining to the court case of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced former financier and sex trafficker who died in prison years ago. Despite the deadlines for disclosure mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, enacted last November – deadlines that have now come and gone – only about 1% of them have been released, and those that have been shared have been heavily redacted.
But now, our news cycle is utterly (conveniently) dominated by news of the U.S. attack on Venezuelan soil.
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform asserted just such a tie between the military operation and the ever-looming Epstein files. “We are sure it’s just a coincidence, but today [January 3] is the statutory date for the DOJ to explain its redactions in the Epstein file productions,” the body, run by Rep. Robert Garcia of California, posted on X. “We have not forgotten, and we won’t let up – regardless of the President’s new unconstitutional actions.”
It would certainly be in Trump’s best interest for a military invasion with iffy motives to become the biggest news story going – some of what has been shared regarding him and Epstein is rather damning. One document posted by the House of Representatives, for example, divulges alarming details about Trump’s sexual proclivities, relayed by Epstein himself to author Michael Wolff on tape – knowledge Epstein said he gleaned through a close friendship with Trump.
Unfortunately for the president, those who live under his administration are now well versed in keeping our eyes in numerous places. The downside of attempting to confuse and overwhelm a populace in service of getting away with illegal (and often morally bankrupt) activity is that many of us now know better than to be fully pulled away by anything – even the invasion of another country.
Trump needs to face facts: The spectre of Epstein isn’t going away. And neither are those of us who wish to see him fully brought to justice for his repeated victimization of women. ◼️
