Congress

‘The powerful protecting the powerful’: Democrats see an opening on Epstein

Published

1 year ago

July 16, 2025

Democrats are stoking the online flames of the Jeffrey Epstein controversy. Internal memos and polling suggest the issue is breaking through to voters.

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) accused President Donald Trump of “hiding the Epstein list” in a post on X. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries insisted at a press conference Americans “deserve to know the truth.” The Democratic National Committee last week launched an X bot that posts daily, “Has Trump released the Epstein files? No,” and House Majority PAC rolled out a “simp target list” of “complicit” GOP members. And on Tuesday, Democrats attempted to cast a procedural vote as a referendum to compel the release of more Epstein-related material.

It’s a trollish, conspiratorial-minded response to Republican infighting that Democrats haven’t traditionally engaged in, particularly around Epstein, the accused sex trafficker whose 2019 death in prison was ruled a suicide. Just six years ago, the DNC lambasted “baseless conspiracy theories.” But now, as the Trump administration has tied itself in knots over the Epstein case, Democratic leaders have stopped holding back as they work to capitalize on fissures threatening Trump’s relationship to his MAGA base.

“I just want to remind the American people that in February of this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi acknowledged the existence of Jeffrey Epstein’s client list. In fact, she said that Jeffrey Epstein’s client list is ‘sitting on my desk right now.’ Where is that client list? What is Attorney General Bondi hiding?” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) told reporters on Tuesday. “This is the case of the powerful protecting the powerful. We need to have those files released.”

Interviews with a dozen Democratic elected officials, strategists and aides cast the controversy as helpful not only in dividing Trump’s base but also illustrating the president’s flip-flopping tendencies, even on his core campaign issues. Democrats argued they can tie the episode into a larger narrative about Trump’s other broken campaign promises, said Pat Dennis, president of American Bridge, a Democratic super PAC that specializes in opposition research.

“It’s an interesting foot in the door to the overall case that he doesn’t have your back on Medicare, on health care, on veterans,” Dennis said. “It’s a way to get into, ‘maybe this guy doesn’t have your back,’ and that’s been one of the hardest things for Democrats to do.”

Trump told Fox News in a June 2024 interview “I guess I would” release the Epstein files.

But the opening may be short-lived. Democratic strategists said they do not expect Epstein-related conspiracies to show up in their TV ads or dominate the party’s midterm messaging, with the GOP megabill likely to take center stage.

“I’m focused on the damage that the one big bad bill is doing, and I’m going to stay focused on that,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), chair of the centrist New Democrat Coalition. “And if the president’s covering up something, I’ll let him deal with that.”

There’s internal evidence that the very online dustup may still have legs for now.

Internal Democratic polling, obtained first by Blue Light News, found that 70 percent of voters said law enforcement is withholding information about powerful people connected to Epstein, including 61 percent of Trump voters, according to an online survey of more than 10,000 people conducted by Blue Rose Research from July 8 to 11. A majority believe that the “authorities are keeping secret” Epstein’s client list to “protect powerful people like Donald Trump,” including a third of Trump voters.

Two-thirds of voters said the case is important because it’s about “government transparency and holding powerful people accountable.” When asked if Trump was or may be involved in the cover up, 58 percent of voters said he maybe was or definitely was.

Another memo from Future Forward, the biggest Democratic super PAC in 2024, outlined the Epstein case’s broad, if shallow, reach among voters. The memo, shared on Thursday with party insiders and obtained by Blue Light News, highlighted several viral videos on the scandal, including a Jon Stewart segment that attracted 1.4 million views on TikTok and creator Philip DeFranco’s video calling Trump “not a happy boy” when being questioned about Epstein, racking up 1.6 million views on TikTok.

Even so, the memo warned that it’s “too early to say whether this will be of meaningful political consequence to Trump.”

“This subject is not as effective at moving Trump disapproval (or 2026 vote choice) as some of the more direct criticisms of” Trump’s megabill, the memo continued. “However, a moderately persuasive message that gets lots of views because it is timely and addresses the conversation people are having anyway is impactful.”

Republican operatives insist they’re not sweating it and believe the Epstein story will quiet within weeks. Like Democrats, they don’t think it will resonate much in next year’s midterms.

A Republican campaign strategist, granted anonymity to discuss the issue candidly, echoed it “will not be a driving issue for voters the way the economy, taxes and immigration will be.” But they advised that the “administration can address these concerns by putting out more information, explaining it more, providing more answers — all of those are very fixable solutions.”

“In the short term, Democrats might score points for hitting it, but Democrats don’t have any credibility on this issue,” this person added.

There are signs the fury among Republicans has quieted, though the issue is still simmering below the surface. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) backed an ultimately doomed Democratic-led amendment in the Rules Committee to compel the release of more Epstein-related files. Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk said he was “done talking about Epstein” and he is going “to trust my friends in [the] Trump administration to handle Epstein files.” Other Republicans derided it as a distraction.

On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his support for Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has come under the greatest scrutiny for her handling of the case, and suggested the controversy was manufactured by Democrats.

Democrats have their own vulnerabilities on this subject. Former President Bill Clinton has acknowledged associating with Epstein, though he has vigorously denied any knowledge of his crimes.

But on Capitol Hill, Democrats made clear they’re going to try to yolk their GOP rivals to Epstein.

“They said they were going to do something after stoking up all of this conspiracy themselves … [now], they’re in the position where they can be transparent and share with all the inquiring minds, and they won’t do it,” said Lori Trahan (D-Mass.). “And so it just begs the question, you know what, why not?”

Democrats are looking to pump that narrative back into the digital ecosystem. Dennis confirmed that American Bridge is working with influencers “to make sure that everybody in our ecosystem has the background info they need to hit these folks as hard as possible.”

Still, not all of the hits might land. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) attracted some eye rolls on social media for posting a song about releasing the “Epstein files.”

Mia McCarthy and Brakkton Booker contributed to this report

Congress

Trump apparently shares Tom Cotton’s phone number in push to make Daylight Saving Time permanent

Published

1 day ago

October 3, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

President Donald Trump appeared to share Sen. Tom Cotton’s phone number in a Saturday morning social media post imploring the Arkansas Republican to get behind a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.

“Almost everybody wants “The Sunshine Protection Act” to pass, except for Tom Cotton,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “To the Great People of Arkansas, please let your Senator know it would be a GREAT Bipartisan WIN for the United States Senate, and for America, itself.”

The president has spent months personally pushing Senate Republicans to end the practice that sees Americans change their clocks twice a year, cementing more sunlight hours in the evening for all twelve months of the calendar. Cotton, whom Trump called “a friend of mine” in the Saturday post, has long argued that making daylight saving time permanent would leave children, farmers and other early risers in the dark for hours on winter mornings.

One of Trump’s key selling points on Saturday: the PGA tour.

“The PGA TOUR, as an example, needs more Daylight in the afternoon in order to finish their Tournaments,” he said, attaching a letter from PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp endorsing the bill. ”Likewise, regular Golfers, Tennis Players, Hunters and, perhaps most importantly, Farmers who want more Daylight to play or work.

A Blue Light News call to the cellphone number went to voicemail. A spokesperson for Cotton did not respond to a request for comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The current version of the bill was introduced in the House in January 2025 by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), with Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) leading the Senate version. The legislation would make daylight saving time permanent across most of the country, ending the twice-yearly clock changes. The legislation has been stalled in the Senate since July.

The president encouraged supporters of the bill, dubbed the “The Sunshine Protection Act,” to call Cotton to “let your Senator know it would be a GREAT Bipartisan WIN for the United States Senate, and for America, itself.”

During the 2016 Republican presidential primary, he publicly gave out the personal cellphone number of then-rival Sen. Lindsey Graham after the South Carolina Republican criticized him. Trump, who came to count on Graham as a reliable Senate ally after he won the presidency, revisited the moment during Graham’s funeral in July, acknowledging that sharing the number was something he “shouldn’t have done.”

Kelsey Brugger contributed to this report.

Congress

Sanders to rally for Troy Jackson in Maine

Published

2 days ago

October 2, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Sen. Bernie Sanders will hit the road for Troy Jackson in Maine starting Oct. 10, the first time the progressive leader will stump for the candidate this cycle.

The Vermont independent plans to hold three rallies with Jackson, according to an itinerary shared first with Blue Light News: first in Bangor on Oct. 10th followed by Lewiston and Biddeford on Oct. 11.

The Maine swing will kick off Sanders’ travel for the final stretch of the midterms, covering ground throughout October for House and Senate candidates, POLITICO reported.

“Bernie and Troy know that working people built this country and deserve a government that fights for them,” Jackson spokesperson Dan Gottlieb told Blue Light News. “Susan Collins has had nearly 30 years to deliver, and working Mainers are still getting squeezed while she serves the billionaires and corporate interests who bankroll her campaigns. Mainers don’t need another six years of excuses.”

Sanders campaigned ahead of major wins for progressives in the primary season, speaking at more than 60 rallies since last year’s Fight the Oligarchy tour and endorsing more than 90 candidates up and down the ballot.

He’s also opening his substantial $23 million campaign war chest, POLITICO reported, and contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars toMinnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s Senate campaign and others including Angie Nixon in Florida and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison,

Sanders will return to Maine after initially backing Graham Platner’s campaign for Senate. Allegations reported by POLITICO ultimately led him to call on the Democratic nominee to drop out of the race.

Sanders had not formally endorsed Jackson since he clinched the nomination from Platner, though he previously backed Jackson’s initial run for governor.

Congress

Hill: Trump’s ‘lack of favorability’ creating challenging politics

Published

2 days ago

October 2, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

House Financial Services Chair French Hill said he has “no concerns” about winning back his Arkansas seat in the upcoming midterm elections, but the six-term House member acknowledged the political headwinds for his party.

“I consider the atmosphere a very tough political environment right now because of President [Donald] Trump’s lack of favorability at the top, and you know people are concerned about, as I say, what it’s like to live under an inflated economy the last four years,” Hill said in an interview.

Hill is in a solidly red district, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, and said he is up against a “weaker candidate this time than I’ve had in past races.” Polling in the district, however, has shown a tighter race. The two polls done this year placed Democratic challenger Chris Jones ahead of Hill by a few percentage points. Any perceived polling victory for Jones is still well within the margin of error, and one of the polls had a Democratic sponsor.

Stephannie Lane Baker, a spokesperson for Jones, said that “of all the Republicans in Congress, the chairman of the Financial Services Committee doesn’t get to dodge responsibility for this economy. He’s in trouble, and he knows it.”

Additionally, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s PAC, Ready for the Fight, committed more than $1 million in television ads through the next five weeks for Jones’ race in Arkansas’s 2nd District, Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the PAC confirmed. Overall Democratic spending on advertising for the race was just over $1 million, primarily made up by contributions from the Ready for the Fight PAC, with Republicans spending almost $2.7 million on ad buys, according to AdImpact, an advertising tracking service.

Hill said he has addressed affordability concerns “head on” this Congress.

“My work on housing, my work on the Price Stability Act, my work to try to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse, and drop the federal budget deficit as a percentage of GDP,” Hill said. “All these things can contribute to a more affordable environment for people. So I’ve tried to make that a forefront of my campaign this year.”

Hill was a key architect of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan housing affordability bill that became law in July. The Price Stability Act, which is unlikely to become law this year, would narrow the Federal Reserve’s current dual mandate of pursuing maximum employment and price stability to focus exclusively on containing inflation.