GOP slammed for 'upside-down telling' of Epstein saga as Trump claims transparency was his idea

The New York Times congressional reporter Annie Karni says that Republicans have "created a bit of a reality distortion field" in their "upside-down telling" of President Donald Trump's ever-changing positions on the release of the files of late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

"Quotes from Republicans at votes last night created a bit of a reality distortion field. In their upside-down telling, Mr. Trump — who pushed hard to head off the vote — had consistently fought for the release of the Epstein files. And so had they," Karni posted on X.

Following Trump's sudden call for the release of the files after fighting for months to avoid doing so, Karni says, "Republicans in Congress distanced themselves from past efforts to kill or at least slow-walk the measure and embraced a bill they claimed to have supported from the beginning."

The upside-down telling, Karni says, was evident in the statements of Republicans who suddenly changed their own tunes.

“It’s going to be an important vote to continue to show the transparency that we’ve delivered,” said Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), the number two House Republican.

"Previously, Republican leaders had said the measure was unnecessary given that a House committee was investigating the handling of the Epstein case, and they claimed it did not adequately protect the identities of Mr. Epstein’s victims," Karni writes.

"Never mind that Republicans have worked for months to block a vote, wary of crossing a vengeful president," she adds, noting that Trump has called the Epstein scandal a hoax and ordered White House officials to tell lawmakers that any move to advance a vote on the Epstein files would be viewed as a “hostile act.”

With a likely unanimous vote in the House, Karni says, "they sought to erase all of that old drama."

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) claims that no one convinced Trump to flip flop.

"He has always been consistent on this,” Luna said. “It has been made very apparent that this was used to smear him, and I am not the only one that feels that way.”

Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE), "who has stood in front of raucous town halls where voters demanded the release of the files, said Mr. Trump’s change of position had had no bearing on his own. He said he had been a 'yes' on releasing of the files for months, even though he never added his name to the petition demanding such a vote," Karni reports.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), one of the four Republicans to stand with Democrats in signing the petition to force the vote on the files' release, said she was surprised Trump changed his tune on Epstein.

"When pressed on whether she was relieved that Mr. Trump had changed his position on the document release, Ms. Boebert replied tersely: 'I didn’t think that President Trump wouldn’t come around.'" Karni reports.

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), who was a firm 'no' on the release of the files and even echoing called it a Democratic hoax, was, Karni writes, "unapologetic on Monday night about doing an about-face. He conceded that he was following Mr. Trump’s lead after the president instructed House Republicans to back the bill."

“It is a hoax by the Democrats against Trump,” Nehls said, "lighting a cigar on the steps of the Capitol," Karni writes.

"So then why support it?" she asked.

“Why not?” he replied. “Trump said just release the damn files. He said do it — release the damn files.”