Zürcher Nachrichten - Trump claims Obama 'coup' as Epstein questions mount

The accusations, delivered in the Oval Office, followed a surprise announcement that Trump's Department of Justice would question an imprisoned, key former assistant to Epstein.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on X that disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein's alleged pedophile scheme, would be queried for new information.

"No lead is off-limits," Blanche said.

However, the show of transparency appeared to be part of a concerted effort by the White House and Trump's allies to quell speculation about the convicted sex offender, who was long rumored to be a pedophile pimp to the powerful and who committed suicide in his prison cell in 2019.

While meeting with the Philippine's president in the White House, Trump dismissed the Epstein case as "a witch hunt."

"The witch hunt that you should be talking about is, they caught President Obama, absolutely cold," he said, launching into a meandering series of unsubstantiated accusations around Obama trying to "steal" the 2016 election, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.

"Obama was leading a coup," Trump said.

The coup accusation centers on claims that fly in the face of multiple high-level official probes by the US government. However, it resonates with Trump's far-right base -- in part thanks to blanket coverage by the popular Fox News network.

Trump's attacks on Obama are "part of a larger strategy of distraction, but they also serve another function: to cast the president as a victim of Democratic treachery," said Todd Belt, at GW University's Graduate School of Political Management.

In another ploy to bury the Epstein controversy, Speaker Mike Johnson, a key Trump Republican loyalist, said he would shut down the House of Representatives until September.

This was to avoid what he called "political games" over attempts by mostly Democrats to force votes on exposing more about the Epstein case.

- Entangled in conspiracy theory -

Epstein was awaiting trial on trafficking charges when he was found hanged in his New York cell.

Authorities declared it a suicide but the death super-charged fears, especially on the far-right, that a "deep state" cover-up is in place to prevent the names of Epstein's clients from being made known.

Trump's attempts to stop Epstein speculation clash with the fact that his own supporters are the ones who have most pushed conspiracy theories -- and believed that Trump would resolve the mysteries.

They were outraged when Trump's FBI and Justice Department said on July 7 that the death was confirmed a suicide and that Epstein never blackmailed prominent figures or even had a client list.

Trump tried numerous measures to placate his base, including ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to try to obtain release of grand jury testimony in Epstein's aborted New York case.

But the issue flamed up again last week when The Wall Street Journal reported that it had seen a birthday greeting penned in 2003 by Trump to Epstein on his 50th birthday.

The letter reportedly featured a hand-drawn naked woman, with Trump's signature forming her pubic hair, and reference to their shared "wonderful secret."

Trump insists he did not send the letter and has filed a lawsuit against the Journal.

Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing but was close friends with Epstein for years and was photographed attending parties with him.

Among the other celebrities with connections to Epstein was Britain's Prince Andrew, who settled a US civil case in February 2022 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17.

Giuffre committed suicide at her home in Australia in April.

Maxwell is the only former Epstein associate who has been convicted. She is appealing her sentence before the Supreme Court.

David Oscar Markus, Maxwell's lawyer, confirmed on X that he was in discussions about her meeting with government representatives.

"We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case," Markus added.

L.Zimmermann--NZN