Epstein emails have Democrats confident they’ll catch the roadrunner

Crash Course subscribers can join the conversation. Tap the heart if you like what you read and click the speech bubble icon to leave a comment.

The news, in brief …

• “Of course he knew about the girls”: New emails reveal Trump “spent hours” at Epstein’s house

  Epstein said Trump was "that dog that hasn't barked." Read more.

• “Wrong”: House Republicans blast “self-serving” payday for GOP senators in budget bill

  A provision in the bill to reopen the federal government could line several senators up for hefty payouts. Read more.

• Progressive Wilson on the brink of victory in nail-biter Seattle mayoral race

  After trailing by over 10,000 votes on Election Day, Katie Wilson now leads Seattle’s mayoral race. Read more.

• “Unreal”: MAGA fury after Trump “broke everyone’s heart” with visa comments on Fox News

  The president argued Americans "don’t have certain talents" while defending the H-1B worker visa program. Read more.

Make me smarter …

Donald Trump’s enemies list keeps growing

Retribution on behalf of the president is now the Justice Department's primary focus. Read more.

Is that all, folks?

​The best summation of the Donald Trump era came before he had even won an election.

​In October 2016, Jesse Farrar tweeted the three-step routine of each new controversy that attempted to attach itself to the soon-to-be president. “Well, I'd like to see ol Donny Trump wriggle his way out of THIS jam!” he wrote as a gleeful spectator to Trump’s assured comeuppance. Of course, the scandal quickly slid off of Teflon Don.

​”Ah! Well. Nevertheless,” Farrar’s dejected narrator responded.

Trump’s opponents have seen the process play out enough times to predict the beats, and yet, they can’t break from the long-held belief that actions have consequences. They operate as if the Trump administration exists in reality and is subject to the same universal laws that govern the rest of our world. Each new trap laid by the Democrats is doomed from the get-go because the Trump administration operates on Looney Tunes logic.

​When our Bugs Bunny president needs to punish his enemies, he’s able to create a hammer out of thin air. His discursive weaving foils any attempt to pin him down on a topic, the same way Daffy Duck’s hooting and bouncing around the room frustrates his on-screen partners. If he finds himself facing the freshly painted cliff face of the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court has ensured that he’ll have a briefly accessible tunnel to escape through.

​And still, Democrats are celebrating the latest batch of Epstein ephemera that confirms what we already knew: Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were long-time associates. They ran in the same circles. And Epstein was a world-historical creep.

​Democrats spent Wednesday afternoon admiring the massive ACME Corporation mousetrap they’d set up, so satisfied in their craftsmanship that they didn’t realize they were the ones standing too close to the trigger plate. One nonsensical “meep meep” from Trump and he’s off like a shot, leaving the Democrats nothing but a smoke outline and a world of hurt.

​There was a brief period when the logic of our world applied to Trump. When the president was out of power, there could have been a concerted effort to see the president face consequences for his obvious crimes. It was squandered like so much rocky outcropping, with his opponents running headlong until they were out of land and floating over the chasm of Trump’s second term. Jack Smith held up one last sign to let us know that the president really did break the law and then plummeted into the abyss.

​As the House moves forward with its push to release all the files related to Epstein, it can be tempting to think Democrats have lit the fuse on the big rocket that will obliterate Trump’s presidency. But we’ve seen this too many times before. It’s going to explode in our faces if it even bothers to blow up at all.

What do you think? Will this time be different? Will Trump’s association with Epstein actually sink his second term? Sound off in the comments.

Before you go …

After Election Day losses, Trump and MAGA will strike back hard

Far from being a lame duck, Trump and MAGA will only escalate their attacks on democracy. Read more.

ALSO FROM SALON

In partnership with

Trusted by millions. Actually enjoyed by them too.

Morning Brew makes business news something you’ll actually look forward to — which is why over 4 million people read it every day.

Sure, the Brew’s take on the news is witty and sharp. But the games? Addictive. You might come for the crosswords and quizzes, but you’ll leave knowing the stories shaping your career and life.

Try Morning Brew’s newsletter for free — and join millions who keep up with the news because they want to, not because they have to.

Try it now