67 Comments
User's avatar
Ken Bass's avatar

There is even more to Trump’s relationship with Maxwell. Maxwell was good friends with Melania and it was through Maxwell that Trump met Melania. In an ethical administration (ha!) Trump would be recused from anything to do with Maxwell or Epstein, and in a functioning Congress the House and Senate would be aggressively digging into this.

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Ginger's avatar

oooo... melania is involved in this...? yikes..how can anyone be friends with maxwell and be clean at the same time... this stinks

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NubbyShober's avatar

After Dems retake Congress next year, there will be plenty of investigations into Trump's lawbreaking and unsurpassed corruption.

The big question right now is if Ghislaine will, as Jedd surmises, accept some form of leniency from Trump's DOJ to testify that the Trump-to-Epstein 50th birthday card was a fake, and that she only saw Donald behaving like a perfect gentleman at Jeff's pedo parties. Only a full and unredacted transcript of her nine hour session with AAG Blanche will reveal what sort of deal she was offered to make Donald look good. Or at least, less bad.

Trump will never pardon her, as it would absolutely infuriate the GOP Base. But he could ensure she gets other perks. Like better food and lodging.

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Ellie Hampton's avatar

The bigger question: Can the Dems overcome the voter purges, gerrymandering and rigging of elections to gain a majority? We can hope so, and we MUST do everything possible to make it happen.

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NubbyShober's avatar

Red states have relied on gerrymanders and voter purges to retain power...since forever. Wisconsin was once a poster child for this, with GOP holding veto-proof Statehouse 67% supermajorities in a roughly 50-50 Dem-GOP state.

But gerrymandering *Congressional* districts was always strictly off limits; until a few years ago, when the Roberts SCOTUS ruled that it was "...a state's rights issue." Now TX and other Red states are getting increasingly brazen in their lawless intent to establish permanent minority rule.

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BabsPHL's avatar

Maybe that's why Malaria isn't in DC anymore! Those pix of her with the Cons - all 3 of them - point to her being a willing participant in all the sordid dealings with Maxwell, Epstein, Trump - or TEMM. Let's see if she wears the infamous 'i really don't care do u' jacket for the next 3+ years!

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Pam B's avatar

I'm not going to defend Melania's part in any relationship with Epstein and Maxwell. But she posted relevant pages from her book that she met Trump on a night out with her girlfriends. And I read an interview a long time ago with a kind of 'fixer' who got Melania modeling jobs when she came to NYC that basically said the same: models were encouraged to attend an event and Trump was there.

Maxwell's name has never come up in this scenario. I'm more apt to think she was a plant by Russia to keep an eye on Trump than to say Maxwell knew an adult model to introduce to Trump.

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Dorothy Stahr's avatar

Both can be true. Putin is the master of collecting kompromat on foreign visitors, leaders and those he can groom to be leaders.

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Terry's avatar

It's also easy to say, Melania has been married to trump for how long? trump cheated on her with Stormy when she was breastfeeding, and I'm really unsure when Karen McDougal came in. 2006 their affair started? Not to mention trump was married to Marla when Melania was screwing him. It's already noted that the first time trump had sex with Melania was on Epstein's jet. I've listened to her speak too often. How to tell a trump from most anyone? The trump is the one pathologically lying.

"Who gives a fuck about the Christmas stuff and decorations? Give me a fuck" ~ Melania trump, yeah, that one.

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Peter's avatar

A Maxwell pardon can almost guarantee that hundreds of victims will come forward, sue the shit out of her, and release every dirty detail that exists about Trump and the other animals that raped these children.

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Tom's avatar

Sure, but where do you think all those hours of legal aid that were "donated" to Trump will go?

And who is appointing an ever growing number of judges to hear the cases?

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Peter's avatar

If those sellout firms are forced to do pro bono defending Trump and Maxwell from pedo charges, how diligent do you think that defense will be? As for judges, I doubt that even the hackiest useless Trump hack wants to be the one who lets pedos off the hook. This is the most toxic of all crimes, why do you think Trump is working so hard to cover up his active participation?

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Tom's avatar

Lawyers fight hard for evey client, as they should do. I'm sure these firms already represent pedophile and other horrific people. Why would they worry about that now - esp if it would outrage the man who blackmailed them into doing his dirty work already.

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Peter's avatar

I'm not convinced. They are already losing clients because they sold out to the Orange Pig, defending his pedo rapes could easily be the bridge too far that drives the rest of their clients away.

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Susan Melnik's avatar

Do you have an army of angels ready to guard victims who come forward from the army of thugs she has up her sleeve? Besides, any lawsuits that do pop up will be snuffed out in an instant. The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave has been overtaken by the world of the thugs and the socialites of the tyrants.

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MLMinET's avatar

Hope so!

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Joseph Mangano's avatar

What's especially sickening is how Trump-friendly media will try to paint the picture that Ghislaine Maxwell is a victim. I saw a recent video clip of Newsmax host Greg Kelly offering as much. She's a collaborator, pure and simple.

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Sher''s avatar

There's nothing they can't/won't spin....

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VALERIE MELUSKEY's avatar

She was a participating groomer.

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avillagedweller's avatar

You lost me at NEWSMAX! Never cared for Greg Kelly. Not because of his politics. I have no issue with real conservatives. But Trump by any definition is not a conservative . He’s not even a Republican except for having used the party as a platform to launch his own party. These days what we would have called far right

Republicans years ago are now, considered RINOs.

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Tom's avatar

Some day, when the American republic is refounded on the ashes of Trump's authoritarianism, the new Constitution needs to severely limit the POTUS pardon powers.

We've seen abuses from all presidents, but Trump has made it a core part of his takeover. People operate unconstitutionally with full knowledge of immunity and/or a pardon

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Adam's avatar

You damn right!

Suggested edit - "We've seen abuses from all presidents but none so wantonly egregious as what we've seen from the Pretender in Cheese"

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Sher''s avatar

PREACH!

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VALERIE MELUSKEY's avatar

Let us remember that this whole Epstein saga portrays the story of Trump's attitude toward women and girls: they are to be used by men for their pleasure--how the women feel about any of this is of no interest or concern to Donald John. ...think of Melania, remember Stormy Daniels, and even how he thinks about his own daughter.

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Ginny K's avatar

Thank you for this. What gets lost in many stories is what Maxwell and Epstein and their "clients" did to these girls. It is horrific and we need many more stories, with as many details as possible (while protecting victims) so the public knows what these people did. Otherwise Rancid donald's clear plan to try to sweep this stinking mess under the rug might work--again. We cannot let that happen. We need to surface these stories and all the connections to this "administration." Acosta. Bondi. The 2008 sweet heart deal. Bill Barr. Howard Lutnick. It all needs explaining. Thank you for all of your work.

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J E Ross's avatar

From what I’ve read, it wasn’t only Epstein and Maxwell who sexually victimized children. According to victim statements and other reporting, the girls were trafficked in part to be prostituted to Epstein’s billionaire “guests” who somehow found reasons to transfer over a billion dollars to Epstein’s accounts. Also, in Trump’s mind, Maxwell probably could both falsely exonerate him and implicate Democrats and other “enemies”— legitimately or not—may not matter to him. In his analysis of the risk/ benefit of her pardon, the only people not considered at all are the victims.

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Tom's avatar

Let's not forget, the normal pursuit of justice would NOT involve dumping raw evidence in the public domain.

We're in this mess because multiple administrations refused to indict the wealthy and well-connected perpetrators.

FFS, they didn't even want to prosecute the ringleaders until forced by public pressure.

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Henry's avatar

I always find it amazing how MAGA supporters can't recognize and accept the reality that Trump is a myopic old doddering money grubbing fool and totally incapable of serving as President of a lemonade company let alone the United States.

I realize they wanted the comradery, they wanted the wealth, they wanted to belong to something bigger than themselves, they were bored, they were ignored, under educated, they were nostalgic for "the good ole days"...but couldn't they recognize the fact that they were always making excuses for his crazy/ignorant childlike behavior?

Had it been their crazy uncle, aunt, sister, brother they could have/should have made the comparison? The Trump supporters I have known and some which I still know...wouldn't let someone like Trump repair their leaky faucet or advise them about today's upcoming weather. Tough/difficult to believe that we let these persons got so emotionally desperate.

It is also odd that we/society allowed the variable of money/dollars/wealth to be the determinate factor of our politics, despite the lessons of history and the destruction of previous societies/governments...especially when we are facing the biggest cost of all...the Earth's destruction. We are quite literally as the song says "...burning down the house..."

"Ah, watch out

You might get what you're after

Cool babies

Strange but not a stranger

I'm an ordinary guy

Burning down the house"

Talking Heads

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Katy Bolger's avatar

Yes, Henry, rational minds do have a difficult time getting into the mindset of magats even when we give them all the handicaps of poor education, 20 years of white supremacy radio/internet programming, growing spewing male toxicity and its attendant trad wife rights givebacks, and militarized policing. The people who look up to the maga ideology are sick in the head and may or may not be curable. Change what you can, brother, and leave the scraps to the dogs.

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Adam's avatar
Jul 29Edited

True words. You can't save them all and anyone who insists the world is really flat, the lame-brains with their chem trails, their sick preoccupation with guns-guns-guns, those who believe in those rumored sex changes for grammar school students, Haitians eating the dogs, eating the cats, etc should be greeted in this manner: "Hey, hello, you got to go, GTFO right now!"

Send them to the happy place of their choice - Alligator Bay (I refuse to use the 'offcial one') or Guantanamo. They like red hats. We can pair them with t-shirts that say "Guantanamo Ho" and make a mint!

PS: Better yet, the t-shirts should read "A Gitmo Ho - 47 grabs mine - All DaTime!"

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Lidia Pousada's avatar

Trump is the populist demagogue inciting the angry mob that our founders most feared.

MAGAs are the rampaging villagers with torches and pitchforks who are only too happy to hang scapegoats or burn heretics at the stake.

Trump is not an anomaly. And angry mobs are nothing new.

We’ve seen this kind of delusional group hysteria many times in history — during the French Revolution, the Salem witch trials, the Nazis in WWII, the McCarthy Era, etc.

Just as we must protect democracy from fascists and dictators, so must we protect it from the willful ignorance of mob psychology.

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Sher''s avatar

It's pretty clear why to anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together…

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Sandi R.'s avatar

I have been led to believe male child molesters are generally treated with abuse by other prisoners. What's the story with female child abusers? A very angry, vengeful part of me wouldn't interfere if this sordid bit of humanity literally had the crap beaten out of her. Then I breathe in.

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Deepak Puri's avatar

Three infographics to help follow Trump's Ghislaine pardon scheme.

Mapping the Mar-a-Lago Crime Scene

https://thedemlabs.org/2025/07/23/mar-a-lago-crime-scene/

Follow the money behind the Epstein, Trump and Ghislaine with this relationship map

https://thedemlabs.org/2025/07/25/epstein-trump-putin-relationship-map/

Follow the Trump — Epstein Timeline with this interactive chart.

https://thedemlabs.org/2025/07/16/trump-epstein-timeline/

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The View From America's avatar

Alternative thought: She gets out of prison, and those accused deal with her in their own terminal ways

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Tom's avatar

She doesn't need to leave prison for that

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The View From America's avatar

Indeed.

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David Shible's avatar

I applaud your creative use of the word "terminal". Remind me not to owe you any money. Ha Ha.

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Steve S.'s avatar

This case is so completely sickening & the fact that ol’ Scump knew both Epstein and Maxwell to the degree he obviously did, shows abundantly how terminally SICK this country & the people who voted for FAT, disgusting, chair warming FILTH have become. DESPICABLE.

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Susan Melnik's avatar

Ghislaine met with Trump's DOJ stooges last week, and this week she asks Supreme Court to overturn her conviction. How transparent is that? What better way for a Supreme Court to spit upon their own robes and do the president's bidding! The People made rape illegal, and the Supreme Court is going to cover for a bunch of rapings now. How contradictory. Democracy dies not just in darkness but also in dirty black robes.

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Ck's avatar

Thank you for using the word “girls” throughout this article. The victims were children when they were raped and abused, not “underage” as the NYT and WaPo and WSJ like to refer to them.

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