On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi met with Rep. Lauren Boebert in the White House Situation Room in an attempt to persuade her to remove her name from the discharge petition that would force a House vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The Situation Room is one of the most secure facilities in the most secure building in Washington, D.C. Holding a meeting in the Situation Room implies that sensitive information is being shared that raises national security concerns of the highest order.
Why?
What was so sensitive about the effort to strong-arm a member of the House over a vote on a piece of legislation that would deliver on Trump’s campaign promise to “release the Epstein files”?
We don’t know.
But the extraordinary secrecy and pressure brought to bear suggest that Trump is panicking.
Why?
Because Trump knows what is in the Epstein files.
Pam Bondi knows.
FBI Director Kash Patel knows.
The American people don’t know—but deserve to know.
The Trump administration is struggling mightily to prevent the American people from knowing the truth.
Why?
The logical conclusion is that the Epstein files contain information more damaging than the damning disclosures in emails from the Epstein Estate that were released on Wednesday.
The emails released on Wednesday were damning, indeed. They show Jeffrey Epstein claiming that “of course he [Trump] knew about the girls because he asked Ghislaine to stop.” Epstein wrote to a NYTimes reporter, “I know how dirty Donald is” and offered a photo of Trump with bikini-clad girls in Epstein’s house.
See NYTimes, What Newly Released Emails Tell Us About Epstein and Trump. (Accessible to all.)
There it is. That is all we need to know. “Trump knew about the girls.” He partied with them in Epstein’s house.
But it gets worse. Epstein also told Ghislaine Maxwell that
I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump… [VICTIM] spent hours at my house with him [Trump], he has never once been mentioned.
Although cryptic, the email rebuts Trump’s denials about his lack of knowledge or involvement with the victims.
Other emails suggest that Epstein and Trump maintained their relationship during the first year of Trump’s presidency. See HuffPo, Epstein Email Suggests Relationship With Trump After He Was President.
Even as Epstein claims to be spending the Thanksgiving holiday 2017 with Trump, Epstein was telling former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers that “I have met some very bad people, none as bad as Trump. Not one decent cell in his body.” NPR, White House downplays new Epstein emails that mention Trump.
The email disclosures on Wednesday are bad. Very bad. And the fact that Trump is panicking suggests much worse to come.
Or not. Let’s not set ourselves up for disappointment. Trump has slithered away from accountability on so many prior occasions that caution is warranted.
Still, it feels as though the dam is breaking. Momentum is building in both parties in favor of disclosure. See The Daily Beast, Republicans Break Ranks Against Trump in Epstein Vote Mutiny. (“[M]ultiple Republicans have already indicated they would vote to release the files even if they didn’t sign the petition to force that vote. . . . Rep. Ro Khanna predicted “40 to 50″ House Republicans could vote with Democrats despite pushback from the White House.”)
Trump is now attacking Republicans who support the release of the Epstein files. Trump posted on Wednesday that the effort to release the files was a Democratic “trap” and said, “Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap.”
The fact that Trump is panicking was highlighted on Wednesday evening after Trump signed the continuing resolution to reopen the government. Trump would usually answer questions from the media who attended the signing. Trump acknowledged that the media likely “had questions,” but walked out without answering a single question. See Mediate, Trump Refuses To Take Questions After Bill Signing.
Likewise, Fox News is ignoring the emails showing Trump’s knowledge of and interaction with “the girls” and a “VICTIM.” The spin over at Fox News is that “if Democrats really cared about the victims, Democrats would have released the emails while Joe Biden was president.” [I won’t link to Fox News. Look it up if you are interested!]
The above is merely a summary of the facts that can be found elsewhere. The real question is, “What does this development mean for those who seek to protect democracy from Trump’s ongoing assault on the Constitution?”
Good question! I am glad I asked!
The short answer is that pro-democracy grassroots activists should continue to highlight Trump’s relationship with Epstein and the extraordinary measures taken by the White House to prevent disclosure.
Trump’s presidency began with and was facilitated by a cover-up of a sex scandal involving Stormy Daniels. Trump won despite the Access Hollywood tapes in which Trump described his behavior in a way that can fairly be described as that of a sexual predator. Indeed, the E. Jean Carroll defamation case led to a finding by a civil jury that Trump likely engaged in sexual abuse of Carroll that matched his modus operandi described in the Access Hollywood tapes.
No other president of the US—past or future—would have or could survive a single one of the multiple sex scandals that Trump has endured.
While Trump’s assaults on the Constitution pose a graver risk to our democracy, if the issue that resonates with Trump voters is his association with a man he knew to be sex trafficking girls, then we need to highlight it as relentlessly as we can.
Many of the pro-democracy protester photos I have posted in this newsletter include pointed, humorous, and outraged signs that highlight Trump’s Epstein scandal. My favorite is “Honk if your name is not in the Epstein files,” an invitation for drivers to show support and declare their innocence (in contrast to Trump). I invite readers to include additional suggestions in the Comment section.
Scandal and corruption swirl around Trump like moths to flame. Sooner or later, one of them will fly too near the flame and set itself afire. Trump is perilously close to self-combustion over the Epstein files. He is panicking—for reasons that only he knows.
The Epstein scandal provides us with a political advantage at a time when Trump is weak on many other issues. Let’s convert that partisan political advantage into another barrier against Trump’s assault on democracy!
Volunteer trial attorney
I mentioned yesterday that two attorneys had reached out to me to volunteer their time to pro-democracy organizations—a corporate attorney and a litigator. In response, I now have inquiries from three additional attorneys willing to volunteer their time. More on this development tomorrow, but it is clear there is an opportunity for a group to act as a “matchmaker” for pro bono attorneys and pro-democracy organizations. That task exceeds my bandwidth, but if it sounds like something you can do, please contact me.
Today, I would like to highlight a California-based litigator who served as a lead trial attorney in major business matters involving hundreds of millions of dollars. He was successful and effective. Juries liked him. He is smart and sophisticated, and easy to work with. (I know, because I co-tried several cases with him.). He retired a few years ago to form an educational non-profit organization. But, like many of us, he has become increasingly concerned about the fate of our democracy and has reinstated his license to practice in California. He is seeking an opportunity that will enable him to utilize his litigation or business advisory skills on a pro bono basis. Please contact me at rbhubbell@gmail.com if you are interested, and I will connect you with him. Thanks!
Opportunities for Reader Engagement
Join Senate Circle and Progress Iowa to Launch Accountability Campaign for Ashley Hinson, Iowa’s Presumptive Republican US Senate Nominee
Please join Senate Circle and Progress Iowa for a fundraiser on Tuesday, November 18, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific / 8:00 p.m. Eastern to launch an accountability campaign targeting the presumptive Republican nominee, US Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-02). We will hear directly from Progress Iowa’s Executive Director, Mazie Stilwell, and Messaging Director Katy Siddall about their methodical and data-driven approach to messaging. Our dollars will ensure that Iowa’s swing voters and sporadic voters know Hinson’s votes on their key issues, such as rural hospitals, agriculture, and the rising cost of living.
Progress Iowa is the state’s leading communications hub. They conduct polling, analyze social media, and track media to develop winning messages, and then coordinate with grassroots groups to bring the best messages to the widest audience. Please help them reach the Iowans who, in 2026, will decide which party will hold a majority in the US Senate. Senate Circle is an all-volunteer giving circle focused on flipping the Senate through wins in Alaska, Iowa, and Nebraska.
When: November 18 at 8:00 pm Eastern/ 5:00 pm Pacific on Zoom
Where: Donate any Amount to Progress Iowa to Register: Flip Iowa’s US Senate Seat: Hold Presumptive Republican Nominee Rep. Ashley Hinson Accountable
Democracy Defenders, webinar Thu. Nov 13
Donald Trump is gearing up to disrupt the 2026 elections. That’s why Indivisible Action Coalition (formerly Indivisible Middle Tier) is organizing a series of webinars to empower Indivisible members to organize, prepare, and protect their local communities’ votes in 2026.
Please join us for our introductory webinar on the threats, the risk, and most importantly, what can be done in our local communities to protect our votes. The program will share practical solutions that can be accomplished by working with local election officials. It will feature election experts, including Marilyn Marks, executive director of Coalition for Good Governance, and Susan Greenhalgh, senior advisor for election security at Free Speech For People, as well as other leading subject matter experts.
Join us! November 13th, at 5pm PT/8pm ET.
Here is the link to register: https://forms.gle/SPwt52MeUUaCRYAz5
Concluding Thoughts
I had planned to address several other stories in today’s edition but concluded that we all need a break after the wild swings and emotional wallop of the last five days. We need to refocus on defeating Trumpism and restoring the rule of law. The politics of the Democratic Party will work itself out.
Our work is different: Reaching the hearts and minds of persuadable voters while standing as a warning to corrupt politicians that we will hold them accountable for their abuses.
I close by noting that the tide is turning against Trumpism across America, including in some unexpected places. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops just concluded an annual meeting. The Conference of Bishops issued an extraordinary rebuke of the Trump administration’s treatment of immigrants. See U.S. Bishops Issue a “Special Message” on Immigration from Plenary Assembly in Baltimore | USCCB.
The statement from the Conference of Catholic Bishops stated, in part:
We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.
We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care. We lament that some immigrants in the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status. We are troubled by threats against the sanctity of houses of worship and the special nature of hospitals and schools. We are grieved when we meet parents who fear being detained when taking their children to school and when we try to console family members who have already been separated from their loved ones.
Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of immigrants have made enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation.
I don’t expect the statement by the Conference of Bishops to affect the administration’s immigration policy. That’s not the point. The point is that it is extraordinary for the Conference of Bishops to issue statements that relate to domestic political policy in the US (abortion being the exception to the rule).
The Conference is, by nature, a conservative organization—religiously, socially, and politically. If Trump has offended the US Catholic Bishops with his immigration policy, you can be confident that he is losing tens of millions of conservative voters. They may not vote against Trump, but they might stay home.
We can’t count on Trump’s actions to defeat the Republican Party at the polls in 2026. But we can and should exploit his cruel and unlawful conduct to ensure that we retake Congress in 2026 and the presidency in 2028. We have made a good start on achieving those goals. Let’s keep it up!
Stay strong, everyone!
Pro-democracy protest photos
Lebanon, New Hampshire
Woodsville, VT
Burlington, VT
Walnut Creek Bridge Brigade, CA, Veterans Day
North Country Resilience, Franconia/Littleton, NH. Pictured below, Cannon Mt Ski Area exit
Indivisible, San Jose, Veterans Day
Chatham, MA: Below are photos from our Veterans Day ceremony. The emphasis on youth was both appropriate and crystal clear. The Senior Cadet leader spoke briefly about her positive experience in the program and her plans to attend the Massachusetts Maritime Academy to further her education. The scouts were in attendance. To me, this is a primer in raising good citizens. Always has been. . . . The ‘In Flanders Fields’ poem was solemnly read.
[Upon reflection, I deleted the moving and poignant photo of the ceremony because it included identifiable images of teenagers and children.]
Flag at the E. Harwich Fire Station
350 Eugene joined Indivisible’s weekly 10 am Resist! Persist! Repeat! Corner Protest this week. Third Act members showed up too and someone counted 81 protestors!
Daily Dose of Perspective
From Today’s Edition Newsletter via this RSS feed