Jeffrey Epstein, a well-connected financier, was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 following his arrest on child sex-trafficking charges. 

The circumstances around his death, which was ruled a suicide by hanging, and crimes have spurred fringe conspiracy theories, mostly on the far right. Some believe Epstein was actually killed as part of a cover-up; they also believe the “deep state” is hiding information about Epstein’s rich and powerful friends, who they say could also be implicated on sex trafficking charges

Trump did nothing to tamp down his base’s Epstein fixation during his reelection campaign. He even hinted he might release secret government documents that his supporters hoped would validate their conspiracy theories. But the Department of Justice said recently that there’s nothing more to reveal. 

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with White House reporter Natalie Allison about how Trump’s conflicting messages about Epstein are unsettling his base and causing strife within his administration.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Thomas Lu. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick with help from Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.