In the aftermath of a politically explosive article posted Thursday evening by the Wall Street Journal detailing Donald Trump’s extensive relationship with the billionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the Trump administration and congressional Republicans have scrambled to defuse the crisis triggered by the Justice Department’s refusal to release FBI investigative files on the Epstein case.

Release of the files could implicate hundreds of leading political and corporate figures, Democrats and Republicans, documenting the corruption and depravity of the entire ruling class. Six years after Epstein’s death, supposedly by suicide while awaiting trial in a Manhattan jail cell, over a thousand victims have been identified, but not a single perpetrator who availed himself of Epstein’s services as a procurer of teenage girls has been named by the government.

Trump and his MAGA allies promoted claims of a “deep state” conspiracy to cover up the scandal in order to protect leading Democrats, such as ex-president Bill Clinton, and pledged to release the Epstein file. But earlier this month, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a two-page report declaring that no “client list” had been found, that there was no suspicion of foul play in his death, and that no further information would be released about Epstein’s criminal activities.

This triggered an uproar from sections of Trump’s fascistic base, including former White House aide Steve Bannon, Elon Musk, and social media pundits Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones and Laura Loomer, who demanded the release of the documents and called for Bondi’s resignation. Even House Speaker Mike Johnson called for the release of the files.

Trump denounced his MAGA critics as “stupid” and “weak” and claimed they had fallen for a Democratic provocation. But following the Wall Street Journal article, he announced that he had instructed Bondi to go to court to seek the release of grand jury testimony in the federal case against Epstein. Bondi promptly reversed course and on Friday filed in court for the release of the testimony.

This move, however, falls far short of the demand to release the FBI’s Epstein file, which includes, among other things, reams of video recordings taken from Epstein’s homes. Moreover, it is very difficult to secure the release of grand jury testimony, which is highly protected by the courts, and in any event would take many months of legal wrangling to obtain. The move has more the character of a diversion than a concession to Trump’s enraged base.

Before Trump issued his call for the grand jury testimony, he posted on Truth Social a denunciation of the Wall Street Journal. He accused the newspaper of publishing a “false, malicious and defamatory” report and said he would sue the Journal, NewsCorp and Rupert Murdoch. He added, “President Trump has already beaten George Stephanopoulos/ABC, 60 Minutes/CBS, and others, and looks forward to suing and holding accountable the once great Wall Street Journal.”

Also Thursday evening, House Republicans, in a bid to appease the Republican base and preempt Democratic attempts to pass a resolution demanding the release of the Epstein file, obtained passage by the Rules Committee of a non-binding resolution concerning the controversy. The measure calls on the Justice Department to make available within 30 days “documents, records and communications” surrounding the investigation into Epstein, his death, and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. The resolution has not been scheduled for a vote and it is not clear if it ever will be.

The Rules Committee resolution was also meant to deflect a procedural maneuver by Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Trump critic, to force a floor vote on the matter, a move that had drawn the support of at least eight other Republicans.

In a social media post, Massie denounced the Rules Committee resolution as a toothless gesture that would not produce any new disclosures. “Congress thinks you’re stupid,” he wrote. “The rules committee passed a NON-BINDING resolution, hoping folks will accept it as real.”

Also on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal posted an editorial headlined “No Special Counsel for the Epstein Files.” The newspaper endorsed President Trump’s opposition to calls for the appointment of a special counsel to look into the Epstein case and the suppression of FBI documents. It noted that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said Thursday afternoon that Trump “would not recommend a special prosecutor,” and affirmed his support for this position.

The crisis within the political and media establishment over the Epstein case is bound up with the broader crisis of the Trump administration, facing mounting popular opposition to his assault on social conditions and democratic rights, and sharp divisions within the ruling class, particularly over economic policy. Murdoch has fully supported Trump’s unprecedented attack on social programs and his dictatorial moves, but he has been highly critical of Trump’s tariff war and his threats to fire Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell. At the same time, he has no desire to expose the pervasive corruption and depravity at the highest levels of the corporate and political establishment.