Like Our Fearless Leader and my colleague JamieO, I was not sure that the Epstein stuff was going to move the needle with President Grievance’s fan base, or that it was actually worth spending time on. But as they’ve shown, I might be wrong.

The key thing in all of this is that the historical underpinning of MAGA is QAnon. And QAnon is a group of deeply weird and dangerous people. But at its heart, QAnon is about going after child molesters, whether they are the imaginary ones at Comet Pizza, or the real ones locked up in jail.

The fallout from the administration’s about face on releasing the Epstein files has riled up the QAnon nuts and so the administration has gone into overdrive in trying to redirect the national conversation: Obama is going to be arrested for treason!! Here are some MLK files!! Adam Schiff committed mortgage fraud!!

The Obama stuff is completely unbelievable:

Trump: "This is like, proof. Irrefutable proof that Obama was seditious. That Obama was trying to lead a coup. And it was with Hillary Clinton, with all these other people. But Obama headed it up … this is the biggest scandal in the history of our country."

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-07-22T16:08:17.296Z

Also President Grievance is completely unhinged—what the fuck is the digression about the tarting up of the Oval Office?:

REPORTER: Gabbard has submitted a criminal referral. Who should the DOJ target?TRUMP: It would be President Obama. And Biden was there with him … the leader of the gang was Obama. Barack Hussein Obama. He's guilty. This is treason.

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-07-22T15:57:47.596Z

The QAnon backlash has even shut down the House, thanks to House Democrats I should add. House business can’t continue until the House votes on releasing the Epstein files. Generic Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (John Mikeson?) washed his hands of the whole thing and turned it over to President Grievance to solve by recessing the chamber on Tuesday afternoon.

And so far the administration’s only plan seems to be to offer Ghislaine Maxwell a Get Out Of Jail Free card if she implicates, truthfully or not, a big name Democrat like Bill Clinton. (Yes, hardly a big name Democrat in 2025 but the GOP has nothing else to work with.) And so Maurene Comey got fired and Todd Blanche got brought in to help on the legal side.

No, really:

I mean, this is totally going to work, right? It’s not like Maxwell has lied about Epstein before. Oh wait:

GHISLAINE MAXWELL, 58, is charged with one count of enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, one count of conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, one count of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, one count of conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and two counts of perjury, each of which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

And this:

Trump Justice Department July 2020: Ghislaine Maxwell's "willingness to brazenly lie under oath about her conduct … strongly suggests her true motive hasbeen and remains to avoid being held accountable for her crimes.""her willingness to flout the law in order to protect herself."

— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw.bsky.social) 2025-07-22T23:09:36.941Z

Will her wholesale lies be enough for the QAnon people close ranks around President Grievance? Or will even they be able to see that this is sheer desperation? You hate to see it.

I may have been wrong about the Epstein stuff not moving the needle. I hope so.

I’ll leave you with this from the team at The Late Show: