By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — Faced with the prospect of massive Republican defections in the House of Representatives, President Trump said on Sunday night that he no longer opposes a bill calling on the Department of Justice to release all files pertaining to the late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.
In a message posted on social media, Trump commented, “We have nothing to hide and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party. … I DON’T CARE. All I do care about is that Republicans get back on point.”
In other Epstein related developments:
— House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said “They’re doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not.”
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) whose call for the release of the Epstein files infuriated Trump, told Dana Bash of CNN on Sunday prior to the President’s self-reversal: “I think America needs to come together and end all the toxic, dangerous rhetoric. I’m leading the way with my own example and I hope President Trump can do the same. … I would like to say, humbly, I’m sorry for taking part in the toxic politics.”
–Former President Bill Clinton’s Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who now is on the Harvard University faculty, said he will step back from public life in the wake of disclosures that he had a long-running correspondence with Epstein. In an interview with the Harvard Crimson, Summers said: “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein. While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort.” Summers is a former president of Harvard University.
–U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) announced that she will vote to open the Department of Justice’s Epstein files when the House of Representatives takes up the matter on Tuesday. In a press release, Jacobs commented: “Trump doesn’t need this bill to pass at all. He already has the authority, TODAY, to release every single document if he actually wanted to. So don’t let him fool you. This is not a sudden change of heart. He doesn’t care about the survivors — he cares about protecting himself. So he’s pretending to ‘support’ the bill because he sees the writing on the wall: this vote is happening whether he likes it or not. Let’s be clear — this isn’t some political ‘gotcha’ against Trump. This fight is about justice for the survivors. It’s about thousands of women and girls who were abused and trafficked, and then silenced. They deserve justice and accountability — and that’s true whether the abuser is the President of the United States or an unknown guy on the street, and it’s true whether the perpetrator is a Democrat or a Republican.”
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Becca Balint (D-Vermont) has joined 20 other House Democrats in sponsoring a resolution accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The anti-Israel cosponsors also include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ro Khanna and Lateefah Simon of California, and Pramila Jayapal of Washington.
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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he opposes any attempt to establish a Palestinian state. On Monday, the U.N. Security Council adopted U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for peace in the Middle East. The vote was 13-0 with China and Russia abstaining. The peace plan calls for the establishment of a Board of Peace, with Trump at its head, to temporarily govern Gaza, and an International Stabilization Force (ISF) would take over responsibility from the Israel Defense Forces now patrolling The Gaza Strip.
Following the vote, Trump messaged on Monday: ““Congratulations to the World on the incredible Vote of the United Nations Security Council, just moments ago, acknowledging and endorsing the BOARD OF PEACE, which will be chaired by me, and include the most powerful and respected Leaders throughout the World.” He said that announcements of the names of Board members will be made in the coming weeks.
CNN reported that “US Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz said Monday that the ISF, ‘a strong coalition of peacekeepers, many from Muslim majority nations like Indonesia, Azerbaijan and others,’ will deploy to Gaza ‘under a unified command’ in order to ‘secure Gaza streets … oversee demilitarization … protect civilians and … escort aid through safe corridors.'”
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At the Zionist Organization of America’s (ZOA) gala Sunday, named for the late Justice Louis D. Brandeis, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-New York, recalled posing a question to three university presidents at a congressional hearing. “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university’s code of conduct?” She said she anticipated that the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania would answer in the affirmative. However, one after the other, they said it depends on the context, resulting in the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard separating with them. “Let me be clear with you all tonight: it does not depend on the context,” said Stepanik, a candidate for governor of New York.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Rabbi Dr. Yechiel Leitner, told the ZOA gala: “I represent a people indigenous to the State of Israel. Analyze everything that we have faced for two years. Analyze everything that we are facing today. And it comes down to that one sentence. Zionism, depicting and expressing the unbreakable bond between the people of Israel and the land of Israel is the beginning of Jewish history. Our history in Israel begins when G-d told Abraham in Bereishit, Lech Lecha, go to the land I will show you.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said “My friends, I am optimistic tonight about our future , because in our region, strength equals respect. And since the seventh of October [2023], we have more than proven our capabilities.”
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ZOA National President Morton Klein said Monday that his organization “opposes selling powerful F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia… An F-35 stealth fighter can reach Israel in mere minutes. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is reportedly seeking 48 F-35s, a larger number than Israel currently has. This massive, dangerous sale is likely to violate the U.S. legal obligation … to assure Israel’s quality military edge (QME)…”
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Graffiti painted on the door of Mexico’s Supreme Court building said “putajudia” — Jewish whore — accompanied by a crossed out Magen David. Widely believed to refer to Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, the graffiti prompted the official Jewish Community of Mexico to strongly condemn the “antisemitic remarks and expressions.” The community statement added “antisemitism is a form of discrimination according to our constitution and must be rejected clearly and unequivocally.” In a comment on X, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned “the antisemitic and sexist slurs directed at Mexico’s President @Claudiashein.” Sa’ar added: There is no place for such attacks in political discourse. All forms of antisemitism, in any context, must be rejected unequivocally.”
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Ukraine’s president Volodymr Zelenskyy said Sunday that negotiations with Russia are underway for a prisoner exchange which, if successful, could bring home 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers in time for the winter holidays.
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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.