'Took too long': Trump supporters wait for Epstein files

In Phoenix at a meeting of an influential conservative organization supporters of US President Donald Trump say they are keenly awaiting the release of the Jeffrey Epstein filesAs a Friday deadline looms for the Justice Department to publish the trove of documents related to the convicted sex offender some were impatient while others were eager to see Trumps name clearedI think it took too long Mike Costarell 58 told AFP at AmericaFest 2025 Turning Point USAs first major event since the September killing of founder Charlie KirkI think its important anybody that sexualizes children should be accountable for their acts And I dont care what side of the political aisle or how rich they are he saidEpstein convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution died in custody in 2019 awaiting trial for sex crimes against minorsFor years Trump and his acolytes stoked lurid conspiracy theories that powerful Democrats were hiding the truth about his crimes to prevent embarrassing revelations and called for the release of all files related to the caseBut since taking office in January the Republican president who benefitted from Kirks efforts to rally young voters to his camp has repeatedly demanded the nation move on dismissing the matter as a hoaxLast month a rare bipartisan effort in Congress forced him to sign a law requiring his administration to release the case file by the end of FridayFor Georgia student Gwyn Andrews Trumps reluctance to release the documents was baffling but she is hopeful the presidents name will be finally clearedIm glad that its finally happening she told AFP at AmericaFestKudos to Trump for finally getting it out It scares some Republicans who voted for him to now know that he kind of changed his gearsBut were glad that its back on track and I hope that will bring a lot of transparency to the deep state and to DCNew names in filesThe fourday AmericaFest which will hear from many of the luminaries of Trumps Make America Great Again MAGA movement is an opportunity to test the waters among the faithful at a time that wider public trust in Trump is flagging according to opinion pollsDespite a welldocumented friendship with Epstein that includes multiple photos of the two men together over a number of years many of those present expressed little doubt in Trumps narrative that the files are a red herringPhotographs released Thursday showed Epstein with figures including former Trump advisor Steve Bannon linguist Noam Chomsky and filmmaker Woody AllenNone of the photos had any context and none showed any criminal activityI dont expect itll be some earth shattering but I believe that people will be on that list that people dont assume said Jacob Ellison a 24yearold TexanI wouldnt be surprised if there are Republicans and Democrats alike on that list when it is releasedAs for Trumps involvement with Epstein Ellison said They do say hes close to people but I dont knowI like to believe that hes a family man He holds certain values and so thats what Im shooting forThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever