>>514736533
This is also true, and something I've said myself in past threads. They sort of massively blew it on this, such that almost no version of the list they could possibly release will ever be considered 'real' by everyone. There will always, always, always be some holdouts that will go full JFK assassination conspiracy theory on this for decades to come, theorizing about some powerful person who escaped justice.
The only version of the list that could possibly be released now that people MIGHT believe is one that implicates Trump himself. And I don't say that because I, personally, demand that be true. But rather because that would represent a clear and obvious *failure to cover up*.
If Trump releases the list and Trump isn't on it, then "Trump withheld information to protect himself" is an obvious narrative that arises organically, with "and he protected other people as well, like X person" follows soon after.
But if the Trump administration is forced to release the list and Trump IS on it, then that undercuts conspiracy theories. If Trump wasn't even able to protect himself from scrutiny, the one person he was most motivated to make sure was not touched by this, then the idea that he prioritized sparing some other secret cabal of people rings hollow. Sure, you'll still have SOME people that will claim to believe it, but it won't be anywhere near the levels of mistrust as if Trump isn't on the list.
I believe that these reaction predictions hold true regardless of Trump's actual level of guilt or innocence. Because at this point people are not reacting to the facts of the case, but the appearance of the coverup that Trump has created by his attempts to deny, delay, and dismiss everything Epstein related with seemingly growing desperation.