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Democrats are once again planning a blitz of town hall meetings in Republican-led communities, though this time they are armed with a new and polarizing topic: Jeffrey Epstein.
The issue of the so-called “Epstein files” — including the details of high-profile people associated with the disgraced financier and sex offender — continues to divide the GOP, with some calling for further transparency and others, including the president himself, urging people to move on.
“Let them destroy each other. If we have to throw a log on the fire, we’ll do it,” one House Democratic aide told The Hill.
Further fuel for such fires followed a report from The Wall Street Journal that revealed the alleged existence of a “bawdy” 50th birthday card from Trump to Epstein. The president has denied the validity of the letter and has filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch,WSJ’s parent company Dow Jones and the two journalists whose bylines appear on the story.
During the town halls, Democrats will reportedly attempt to marry the Epstein fallout with their previous attack lines, including broken promises by Trump and the GOP to lower costs for working families.
Tax cuts and an apparent refusal to share information of those allegedly associated with Epstein demonstrate the GOP’s protections for the super wealthy, Democratic officials argue.
“Everything that House Republicans have done, everything this administration has done since Donald Trump took office, is in defense of the elites,” Democratic whip Katherine Clark told The Hill.
The outlet points to scheduled visits to Republican towns by Democrats in coming weeks.
On July 31, Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan is scheduled to speak in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin — the hometown of his GOP counterpart Derrick Van Orden.
Florida Democrat Maxwell Frost has also planned a series of meetings, including a July 26 town hall in Dayton, Ohio, with Senator Chris Murphy, and another event with Senator Elizabeth Warren in Nebraska at the end of August.
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who launched a series of “fighting oligarchy” rallies with Senator Bernie Sanders earlier this year, is also reportedly eyeing additional travel to Republican hotbeds while Congress is on its summer recess.
The plans appear to already be rattling some Republicans.
“Democrats are still pretty determined to hijack our town halls and try to prevent us from having this conversation with our constituents, so I would encourage them to use other means,” National Republican Congressional Committee chair Richard Hudson toldThe Hill.
Meanwhile, the Epstein saga shows no signs of slowing down after the financier’s ex-girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche twice last week.
During the in-depth interviews Maxwell answered questions about “100 different people,” her lawyer said.
According to The New York Times, Maxwell has made it clear that in exchange for information she wants a reduction of her 20-year sentence or a pardon.
When asked by reporters about a potential pardon for her, Trump replied: “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I haven’t thought about.”
