Trump stayed friends with Epstein years after discovering he groomed employees

ALSO INSIDE: Labor leader Chris Smalls beaten, imprisoned on humanitarian trip to Gaza

Jul 30, 2025

Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.

And if you’re looking for a little more from COURIER, Akilah Hughes talks about ways people can fight back against Trump’s inhumane immigration policy in her new series, “How is This Better?”

Since day one of Trump’s political career, people have desperately attempted to normalize his absurd abuses of power and blatant corruption – and 10 years later, much of corporate media remains a victim of their own attempts to return to a sense of normalcy.

It’s time to stop sane-washing the insanity.

What Happened

Court records detailing sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre’s employment at Mar-a-Lago disprove President Donald Trump’s recent claim that he cut ties with Jeffrey Epstein when he discovered Epstein targeting resort employees for sexual grooming.

While speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump admitted that he had been aware of Epstein’s predatory tactics since 2000, when his accomplice, convicted sex trafficker Ghislane Maxwell, offered 16-year-old Mar-a-Lago spa employee Virginia Giuffre a job as Epstein’s private masseuse.

“I think she worked at the spa, I think so, I think that was one of the people. Yeah, he stole her. And by the way, she had no complaints about us, none whatsoever," Trump said. “He took people that work for me, and I told him, 'don't do it anymore.' And he did it. I said, 'stay the hell out of here.'"

Before her death in April 2025, Giuffrie went into excruciating detail about her time with Epstein, claiming she was forced to engage sexually with a number of Epstein’s business partners over the course of two years. She sued Maxwell and Prince Andrew separately for their alleged involvement, and both settled for an undisclosed amount of money and admitted no wrongdoing.

Court documents from the lawsuits were unsealed in 2019 — the day before Epstein’s death — and verify Giuffrie as an employee of Trump’s in 2000. But statements from the president himself make it clear that Epstein’s predatory practices —or “being a creep” as White House officials described him — weren’t a dealbreaker; the same year Giuffre escaped Epstein, Trump described him as a “great guy” who was “a lot of fun to be with.”

It wasn’t until Trump and Epstein got into a bidding war over a Palm Beach mansion in 2005 that their relationship deteriorated. Trump won with a $41 million bid, banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago, and later sold the estate to a Russian oligarch for $95 million.

Attempts to Sanewash

Far-Right Spin

Labor leader Chris Smalls arrested, beaten on humanitarian trip to Gaza

Israeli Defense Forces on Saturday commandeered a boat containing humanitarian aid for Palestine, taking its 22 passengers prisoner.

Passengers included US citizens, two journalists, and Amazon Labor Union Founder Chris Smalls; the latter was beaten, choked, and is being held at Givon Prison in Israel.

“We have been intercepted at sea, and I’ve been kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces, or forces complicit in Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians,” Small said in a video taken before his capture. “I appeal to my comrades, friends, family — to everyone — to put pressure on the US government to demand my release, and the release of my comrades.”

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The New York-based labor leader announced earlier this month he would join the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which has orchestrated humanitarian trips to Gaza featuring high-profile activists like Smalls and Greta Thunberg in an effort to highlight the dangerous opposition such aid efforts face from Israel.

Growing exposure to the horrors of war that Israel has unleashed on Palestine has slowly shifted public opinion on the war. Half of Americans expressed support for Israel when war broke out in 2023; now, less than one-third of people believe Israel’s aggression is justified.

US Rep. Gary Palmer, Alabama’s 6th Congressional District

Since taking office in 2015, Rep. Palmer has:

Seen his net worth fluctuate from $1.6 million to $3.4 million, then back to $1.6 million
Sponsored 107 bills, three of which have been signed into law
Accepted campaign contributions from fraudulent crypto bank FTX
Started his sixth term after promising to only serve five
Condemned the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and accused Trump of sending the rioters, but voted against certifying the election and impeaching Trump for his role in the insurrection

Fun Facts

Before being elected to Congress, Rep. Palmer earned his conservative bona fides by co-founding the Alabama Policy Institute, a think tank that pushed for more private prisons, successfully petitioned the Alabama Supreme Court to constitutionally define marriage as only being between a man and a woman, and was a major player in the creation of Project 2025.

Palmer has brought that same mentality to Capitol Hill, where he has consistently voted against abortion rights and LGBTQ+ rights, and is all on board with the Trump administration's mass deportation plan. His positions seem to come from the more conspiratorial wing of the infosphere: the news he shares on his congressional website is filled almost exclusively with far-right media publishers like New Tang Dynasty, Yellowhammer, and Fox News.

Recently, Palmer appears to have developed a particular fixation on the transgender community. He’s accused the National Institute of Health of hiding research into puberty blockers and called for a transgender employee at an Alabama space camp to be fired because of a post he saw on the disinformation media account Libs of TikTok.

Far-right NC legislators override eight vetoes

By Michael McElroy, Cardinal & Pine / COURIER

NC Republicans on Tuesday overrode eight bills Gov. Josh Stein vetoed this summer, including bills that remove climate change protections and allow private school teachers to bring their guns to school.

They were only able to pass these bills, bypassing Stein’s vetoes, because in each case, at least one Democrat voted with them.

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A post shared by @cardinalandpine

SB 266: Undoing a key law to fight climate change
HB 193: Arming private school teachers
HB 318: Local police cooperation with ICE deputization
HB 549: Expanding powers of the state auditor
HB 805: Gender identity erasure codified into law
SB 416: Allows more dark money in politics
SB 254: Puts charter school transparency under the legislature’s authority
HB 402: Legislative oversight for changes to state rules based on cost

For a full breakdown on each veto override, check out McElroy’s full article here.

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