Advertisement
On July 21, former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four college students in Idaho in 2022. Trump said Kohberger had accepted a plea bargain to avoid the death penalty and should still be made to explain why he committed the murders. He called the killings “vicious” and said that while life in prison is serious, it’s not the same as getting the death penalty. Trump also asked the judge handling the case to make Kohberger explain his actions in court, saying there are “so many questions left unanswered.”
While Trump’s post didn’t directly mention anything else, the timing of it has raised questions. Some believe it could be a way to shift attention away from another issue that has been in the news lately: Trump’s possible ties to Jeffrey Epstein. In recent weeks, news outlets have reported more details about Epstein’s connections to powerful people, including Trump. Trump has responded by suing The Wall Street Journal and its parent company for $10 billion, saying their reporting on him was false and damaging.
Just one day after Trump’s Truth Social post about Kohberger, the Department of Justice, now led by officials loyal to Trump, said they were sending representatives to Florida to speak with Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s sex trafficking network. According to a statement shared by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed he had contacted Maxwell’s lawyer and that he expected to meet with her soon.
Blanche said no one from any previous administration had asked Maxwell if she was willing to talk to the government, but that was changing now. At the same time, the House Oversight Committee officially subpoenaed Maxwell to testify before Congress. Although a date hasn’t been set, Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee, said she could be the only person left who knows the full truth. He said he wanted her to testify quickly, warning against further delays that could prevent the truth from coming out.
Meanwhile, another key development came from House Speaker Mike Johnson, a strong Trump ally. Johnson announced a delay in a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bill that would make all unclassified government records about Epstein and Maxwell public. The vote has now been postponed until after the August recess. Johnson defended the delay by saying Republicans wanted to give Trump’s administration “space” to manage the issue and criticised Democrats for what he called “political games.”
The House Oversight Committee’s subpoena of Maxwell is still moving forward, even though the full House vote is delayed. The subpoena is separate and does not depend on the bill that was delayed. The delay may also help calm internal conflict within the Republican Party and give time for Trump’s team and Republican leaders to handle the situation quietly before lawmakers return in the fall.
Together, these events have added even more attention to the Epstein case and how it continues to impact people in power, especially Trump. While his comments about the Idaho murders may seem unrelated at first, critics say the timing is worth noting.