Steve Bannon at CPAC 2023 on March 3, 2023 (Lev Radin/Shutterstock.com)
One exchange recently unearthed in the latest tranche of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents shows an exchange between Epstein and Steve Bannon — who was President Donald Trump's chief strategist during his first administration. Now, MAGA activists are demanding Bannon explain an apparent plot to oust Trump via the 25th Amendment.
In the text exchange in December of 2018 and January of 2019 (shortly after Democrats flipped 41 Republican seats in the 2018 midterm elections), Epstein remarked that "emotions are running high" among Democrats he spoke with. Bannon agreed, saying Democrats were "going to blow him up right out of the box." He added that the White House "has zero plan to punch back," comparing Trump's situation to "Fort Apache with no cavalry enroute."
"And no soldiers in the fort," Epstein said. "He is really borderline. Not sure what he may do."
"I think it's beyond borderline. 25 Amendment," Bannon responded, referring to the constitutional amendment laying out the process to have a sitting president removed from office.
The Daily Beast reported Monday that the exchange has set off a firestorm of outrage among MAGA Republicans. Gen. Michael Flynn (Ret.), who served as Trump's first national security advisor until he was fired for lying about being in contact with Russian officials, demanded accountability for Bannon in a post to his X account.
"The WH or at least DOJ needs to come out and say what they plan on doing with this information," Flynn wrote. "I remember all the 25th amendment talk back in the first term. It was really ugly. If Bannon AND Epstein were behind it, Bannon needs to be brought in for questioning. And he needs to address this and all the other s—— he was doing on behalf of Epstein."
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) responded to Flynn's post by writing: "Agree completely. Steve Bannon went to jail for Trump (I was there), but back on 1-1-19 (after Dems took the House) he was texting with Epstein about 25th amendment. Also, there is no excuse for having such a friendly relationship with Epstein, post conviction, 2018-19. None."
Bannon's remarks also caused an outcry among Trump's base. MAGA influencer Catturd tweeted to his four million followers that the exchange was just "only one of thousands of disturbing messages between Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein," and that there were "hundreds" more that were "way worse." U.S. Navy veteran and Trump supporter John Blount concurred, saying Bannon "needs to be dealt with."