Democrats Fracture Over Epstein-Trump Smear Campaign: ‘Complete Bulls**t’
Tensions are escalating within the Democratic Party as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries faces backlash for aggressively promoting a strategy to tie President Donald Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Axios reported.
Jeffries has reportedly been urging Democratic members to highlight Epstein in their public messaging, despite no new evidence linking President Trump directly to Epstein’s criminal activities. This tactic, perceived by many as desperate political maneuvering ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, is causing significant internal friction.
Multiple House Democrats have voiced frustration, seeing Jeffries’ directive as a diversion from substantive policy debates. One Democratic lawmaker anonymously described the strategy bluntly: “Candidly, this whole thing is just such bulls**t.”
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, dismissed the Epstein tactic outright. “I think the big focus is going to be on health care, because that’s what people care about, and I don’t think this issue is big outside the Beltway,” Suozzi stated clearly.
Likewise, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who frequently diverges from his party on key issues like immigration, emphasized his intention to discuss critical concerns such as Medicaid and tariffs, rejecting Jeffries' Epstein narrative.
However, the Democratic caucus is not unanimously opposed. Progressive Caucus co-chair Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) supported linking Epstein to broader political criticisms of Trump, alleging without providing substantial evidence, “Trump is willing to lie and betray his own people, and he’s willing to take away your health care to give it to his rich friends.”
Similarly, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) reinforced her stance, tying Epstein into economic themes: “I’m talking about Medicaid, I’m talking about tax breaks to billionaires — and I’m talking about Epstein, because he fits right in there,” she insisted, despite facing criticism for abruptly pivoting to Epstein during recent media appearances.
Some Democrats, speaking anonymously, admitted the Epstein messaging is less about establishing concrete evidence against Trump and more about exploiting Republican divisions. “This is a great opportunity for [Republicans] to kill each other,” one Democrat conceded. “MAGA attacking MAGA equals a win for us.”
Jeffries' relentless push has reportedly startled colleagues. His messaging committee, led by Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), has even distributed internal memos seeking to keep the Epstein narrative alive among constituents. Frost justified the tactic as an outreach opportunity: “We’ve encouraged members to lean into this, to talk to their constituents about it. It’s an opportunity to speak with people who might usually disagree with you.”
When confronted about whether this strategy weakens Democrats' policy critiques, Jeffries dismissed the concern, broadly condemning the Trump administration: “Donald Trump, his administration, and House Republicans have delivered nothing more than a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires.”
Notably, House Democrats unanimously opposed Trump’s recent "Big, Beautiful Bill," which solidified permanent tax cuts benefiting roughly 87 percent of American earners. Had the measure failed, Democrats would have effectively imposed significant tax hikes on millions of Americans.
Meanwhile, President Trump turned the Epstein narrative back onto Democrats and prominent liberal figures Friday, stunning reporters by offering to provide a "list" of Epstein’s alleged associates.
“You should focus on Clinton. You should focus on the president of Harvard, the former president of Harvard, you should focus on some of the hedge fund guys. I’ll give you a list,” Trump remarked candidly to reporters as he departed the White House for Scotland. He emphatically added, “These guys lived with Jeffrey Epstein. I sure as hell didn’t.”