Trump completely botches Epstein List release — Should’ve just exposed it all online

We have to talk about this botched Epstein List release from the Trump administration. Despite being a sports blog, we like to dive into the world of politics from time to time — and given the nature of the list and how it’s getting ‘released,’ there’s no time like the present to dive back in.

On Thursday, the American people were promised a release of the infamous Epstein List — a list that, supposedly, has hundreds upon hundreds of names on it, most of whom work in government, Hollywood, and are otherwise uber rich. You all know the Epstein story by now, so I’m sure you know what kind of crimes those names are implicated in.

On Thursday, we didn’t get what was promised. Instead, we got “Phase 1” of the list drop—meaning a select group of conservative social media influencers received binders containing some of the Epstein files. They were handpicked to be the messengers for this monumental release.

I don’t know who any of these people are, to be honest. But based on the way they left The White House, with their laminated binders in hand, I’d venture to say they’re fucking dorks who are all chasing the same thing, and it’s not child predators. It’s attention and social media fame — and this binder is their golden ticket.

How can anyone holding a binder filled with evidence of some of the worst crimes imaginable be grinning from ear to ear and posing for photos? This isn’t a photo op. They’re holding proof of one of the biggest crime scandals in American history — yet their reaction is to smile and wave like they’re at an amusement park.

Trump’s messengers off to do fuck all with Phase 1 of Epstein List drop

A group of people, including @DC_Draino, exit the West Wing smiling and waving binders reading “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” pic.twitter.com/ERxNBpIO4Z

— Josh Sukoff (@JoshSukoff) February 27, 2025

At least one of the influencers who received a binder, Nick Sortor, came out and said everything in the binder was already known, and that essentially all of it is redacted.

I reviewed one of the Epstein Files Phase 1 binders.

And to say I’m disappointed is an understatement. pic.twitter.com/FH5lN1pI7r

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 27, 2025

>> You can read the full Phase 1 release here.

At the end of the day, no matter where you stand politically, this should infuriate you. For years, Trump promised the American people he would release the Epstein List. He said it during his last term. He campaigned on it heading into this election. And yet, here we are—staring at pages upon pages of redacted information, along with flight logs we already had.

This is a dog and pony show, and we’re the spectators. This is not how you release files of this magnitude if you actually care about justice. No, this is what you do when you want credit for something you’re too afraid to fully deliver. You stage an overhyped spectacle, hand it off to your most loyal followers, dress it up like a major event, and then parade in front of the press, acting like you’ve done something groundbreaking.

This was a huge opportunity for Trump, and he completely blew it. I’m not a Trump supporter, but I’ll admit—if he had truly released the full, unredacted Epstein List, I would have given him some respect. And the thing is, it would’ve been so damn easy. Just upload the full PDF online and let the world see it.

If you want a real, unbiased release, you let the American people see it for themselves.

If you want to control the narrative, you selectively hand files to your most die-hard supporters and let them release them on their own platforms.

It’s that simple. There’s no amount of bullshit spin Trump can throw at this to save face — at least in my eyes. I know some people will eat it up no matter what.

And let’s be real: we’re probably never going to see the full list. No one involved will ever do time. Looking at this whole charade, you have to ask — why is Trump handling it this way? It sure as hell feels like he’s hiding something. If he wasn’t, why not just release everything? None of this adds up when you actually stop and think about it.

I hope we get real transparency from Trump moving forward. But my gut tells me we won’t. Like I said — this is nothing but a dog and pony show.

To be fair in all of this, Attorney General Pam Bondi has demanded the rest of the files to be delivered to her desk by 8AM Friday. I’m sure they’re feeling the heat from this underwhelming drop. So, we’ll see if that changes anything.