Letters to the Editor: The Epstein case and its ‘drama’ should continue to haunt the Trump administration

To the editor: Californians really appreciate the reminder for us to hold on to some perspective during these dystopic times (“Maybe the Epstein case isn’t closed, but it’s not going to be political dynamite,” July 11). Let’s give the convicted felon occupying the White House and his reality TV show Cabinet a break from working so hard to keep the lid on the Jeffrey Epstein powder keg that haunts them incessantly.

In fact, I’ll tell my friend, whose daughter just dropped out of college for fear of being kidnapped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that he should pack up his cares and family and head to Disneyland this summer. Or maybe my grocery store cashier, a DACA beneficiary, should hold her annual family reunion in MacArthur Park?

Personally, I hope the topic of Epstein and its “tawdry soap opera drama” dominates the news cycle and this administration throughout its evil reign. It seems to be the subject that most gets under the very thin skin of a man who places cruelty and chaos above individual rights and democracy.

Deborah Chinn, Torrance

..

To the editor: So contributing writer Josh Hammer thinks we should stop worrying about who might have been involved in Epstein’s vile circle and spend our time doing other things. Easier said than done. You could go to a national park, except the staffing for the parks has been severely reduced. You could read a book, except your local library might have been affected by the administration’s cuts. You could go to church, except if you’re not white, you might have to worry about being harassed by ICE agents. What could the administration do that would be too much for Hammer?

Moira Waddell, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Hammer is absolutely correct: We should return to the important things and focus on what matters most. I just wish he’d written the same sort of column when Donald Trump was casting doubt on President Obama’s birthplace, when Trump was calling President Biden the head of a crime family or when JD Vance was accusing immigrants in Ohio of eating pets. Apparently, it didn’t occur to him to make the “log off social media” argument until Trump voters threatened to turn on their own kind.

Jeffrey Vaughn, Encino

..

To the editor: It’s ironic that the same weekend that both Hammer and President Trump encouraged Americans to forget about Epstein, highly respected attorney and author Marc Elias writes, “we may very well pinpoint this weekend as the moment [Trump’s] second term spun out of control.”

Robert Nicksin, Glendale