Furor over Epstein files represents the most significant splinter in MAGA movement, political analysts say
The clock is officially on to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. One day after the near-unanimous House and Senate approval, President Trump said he signed the bill.
The Department of Justice now has 30 days to release them, though legal experts say a new investigation could lead to delays. That's because Mr. Trump instructed the DOJ to investigate links between prominent Democrats and Epstein. That move could stop the release of some documents that Attorney General Pam Bondi says would jeopardize an ongoing investigation.
Pundits say the fight over the documents and Mr. Trump's varied positions regarding releasing the files has split the MAGA base. Republican Party analyst Amy Frederiksen says Trump's campaign promise was to release the files, but he changed his mind multiple times.
"His attorney general said, 'On my desk, I have the list.' Republicans and MAGA were like, 'Release it. let's see it.' And then suddenly, 'No, there is no list, and we're not releasing the files,'" said Frederiksen.
Democratic Party analyst Abou Amara sees this as the most significant crack in the MAGA movement's foundation thus far.
"He rode that wave into office saying he was going to release the Epstein files. He made a promise not just to the American people, but to MAGA about the impact. And so I think that is why it's striking at the very core of Republicans and MAGA," said Amara.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who was once one of Mr. Trump's earliest and most vocal supporters, has now begun speaking out against the president. In response, Mr. Trump has labeled her as a "traitor" as she advocated for the release of the documents.
"I think it's a big crack. I don't think it signals a crack on all the other things, (but) I just don't think the president has got a lot of political capital still to spend," said Frederiksen. "This was a surprising self-inflicted wound."
Amara, however, said he sees this moment more like a crack in the windshield, ready to spread.
"The American people both feel economically out of place and also that the government is not actually working for them. It's working for a special, privileged group of people. This story fits exactly in that space," said Amara.