Republican strategist Scott Jennings shrugged off a Wall Street Journal report on a letter allegedly written by President Donald Trump during a Thursday night panel discussion.
The Wall Street Journal published an article Thursday evening claiming Trump sent financier Jeffrey Epstein a “bawdy” letter for his 50th birthday that included a drawing of a naked woman. Jennings downplayed the impact of the story when “CNN NewsNight” host Abby Phillip asked about it.
“I mean, my reaction to reading this was, ‘So?’,” Jennings said. “I mean, 2003, before anything had happened, we know Donald Trump knew the guy. We also know he disowned him and kicked him out of his club. I was waiting all day long for this rumoring of a bombshell. This looks like kind of a dud to me.”
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Trump denied he sent the letter and threatened legal action in a Thursday night post on Truth Social.
“The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk,” Trump posted. “Also, I don’t draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third-rate newspaper. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Jennings predicted the Wall Street Journal article would lead to Trump gaining support from his base, including critics.
“This gives me like, Kavanaugh yearbook vibes,” Jennings said. “My impression is Republicans are going to rally around the president on this thing. I mean, he may have been facing some turbulence over the Epstein situation, but this is the sort of stuff that brings people to circle the wagons around him.”
Some of President Donald Trump’s supporters have criticized him and Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the Epstein files, with the president being “ratioed” on Truth Social over the matter, Newsweek reported. Trump fired back at the critics in a Wednesday post on Truth Social and also defended Bondi in a lengthy statement posted Saturday on the site.
Epstein, who pleaded guilty to sex charges in 2008, reportedly committed suicide in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial after he was arrested in 2019 on new charges. A coroner hired by Epstein’s brother claimed Epstein suffered injuries inconsistent with suicide.
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Epstein had extensive ties to celebrities, politicians and business executives, such as L Brands founder Lex Wexner, director Woody Allen and Prince Andrew, even after his 2008 guilty plea to the sex charges. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates also met with Epstein repeatedly, as did employees of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with Gates meeting with the disgraced financier as late as 2019 despite concerns expressed by his then-wife, Melinda, according to a May 2021 report by The Wall Street Journal.
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