Commentary by U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci
The American people have short memories—but political operatives have long attention spans. They know how to smother a story before it catches fire. And right now, they’re working overtime to do just that.
The scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein ignited in recent weeks. This time, the outrage wasn’t confined to the fringes or alternative media. It started breaking through to the mainstream, reaching the base of the Republican Party—particularly those in the MAGA movement. The timing was remarkable. Grassroots conservatives, once dismissive or indifferent to the Epstein saga, began asking uncomfortable questions about who exactly was connected to one of the most prolific abusers in modern history.
And then, just as the spotlight was inching closer to why Donald Trump wasn’t just releasing all documents as he agreed to, the distractions began.
We’ve seen this before. Back in Trump’s first term, we were told John Durham would deliver a reckoning for Obamagate—that intelligence officials who spied on Trump’s 2016 campaign would finally face justice. After years of delay and slow walking, Durham delivered a report with no criminal accountability. No indictments of major players. No closure.
Now, years later—and right as Epstein’s ties to the elite, , come under renewed scrutiny—Obamagate is suddenly back in the headlines. Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, has announced that Barack Obama, James Comey, John Brennan, and James Clapper are under investigation for treason. Think about that for a moment. Treason. That word is nuclear in American politics, and it conveniently exploded into the news cycle the same week the Epstein files were being discussed in conservative circles with more urgency than ever before.
Then came the Wall Street Journal article. According to the Journal, a 2003 birthday letter from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein had surfaced—complete with a crude drawing of a nude woman, allegedly in Trump’s hand. This kind of story should have been the beginning of a real reckoning. A moment of clarity. But instead, it became the trigger for Trump to claim victimhood once again. He lashed out at Rupert Murdoch, declared the letter fake, and threatened to sue.
Rather than digging deeper into the content of the letter or the implications of the relationship, many in Trump’s base pivoted back to what they know: defending their guy from the “deep state media.”
Epstein Effect
The effect? Epstein faded from view.
To ensure the distraction cycle kept spinning, Trump even shared an AI-generated video showing Obama being arrested in the Oval Office—pure fantasy, served with a straight face. The timing was surgical. He understands how to drive the conversation, and more importantly, how to hijack it. Whether the video was satire, bait, or a media trap, it accomplished its purpose: it pulled oxygen away from Epstein.
Now we’re being told the Martin Luther King Jr. files are being released—another conveniently timed national headline, intended to grab emotional attention and steer it away from a very real and ongoing scandal involving elite abuse, corruption, and cover-up.
None of this is accidental. This is narrative management at the highest level. These stories don’t cancel each other out by coincidence—they are strategically deployed like sandbags around a collapsing levee.
I’ve served in Congress. I’ve watched how narratives are killed. First, you delay. Then, you discredit. Finally, you distract. That’s exactly what’s happening with Epstein.
Let’s not pretend Epstein’s crimes ended with his death. The network that enabled and protected him didn’t vanish. It still exists—financially, politically, socially. There are powerful interests terrified of what could be uncovered if people follow the evidence. So instead, they offer the public a buffet of alternate storylines.
Durham didn’t deliver justice, but the promise of Obamagate justice still plays well with a certain crowd. And Trump knows that. Rather than address the Epstein files—documented in the black book, the flight logs, and photos—he throws the base a bone: “Don’t look at at this anymore , look at Obama.”
It’s working. Again.
But it shouldn’t.
We can’t let AI deepfakes, lawsuits against Murdoch, or long-dead civil rights files distract us from the central truth: children were trafficked and abused, a global network enabled it, and no one has truly been held accountable.
The American people deserve more than theater. They deserve transparency. And most of all, they deserve to know who was involved, who knew, and who is still covering it up.
Because if this scandal is buried under distractions one more time, justice won’t just be delayed—it’ll be destroyed.
Jim Renacci is a former U.S. Congressman, businessman, and conservative leader dedicated to putting America first.
CONTACT: Jerry McGlothlin for Jim Renacci 919-437-0001 jerry@specialguests.com
