Wag the dog

THE EDITOR, Madam:

During Donald Trump’s campaign that resulted in his re-election last year, there was constant discussion about releasing Jeffrey Epstein’s FBI files. Numerous conspiracy theories came from all ends of the political spectrum, greatly exacerbated by voluminous amounts of disinformation on social media.

Today the deceased convicted paedophile dominates media sites around the world, and although the US Congress just released over 20,000 pages of his emails and other communications, those who believe in conspiracy theories are still not satiated. Congress may soon vote to release those FBI files, but their actions could be overturned by President Trump refusing to sign on the dotted line.

He may have just shifted the matter onto the back-burner for a while, by instructing his attorney-general to open investigations into former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and other prominent Democrats whose names appeared in Epstein’s communications. This is a deliberate distraction, giving Mr Trump reason not to release any FBI files while there are Department Of Justice investigations underway.

Distraction tactics are nothing new to Washington, and the world’s largest warship, USS Gerald R Ford along with several support vessels, now patrol the coastline of Venezuela, manned by over 12,000 sailors and marines. There must be considerable tension in the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, home to President Nicolas Maduro, who had a bounty of US$50 million placed on his head just a few months ago. Some kind of military action against him would certainly have the desired effect of distracting attention away from the Epstein Files.

It’s ironic that Bill Clinton is presently involved, as he used distraction tactics in 1999 by leading NATO bombing attacks on Serbia, then part of Yugoslavia. The bombardment lasted about three months, in support of Kosovo which was under attack from Yugoslavia, and happened when Mr Clinton was embroiled in the notorious Monica Lewinsky scandal. Mr Clinton was later impeached for lying to the US Congress, but acquitted in the Senate’ trial, thanks to the Democratic majority.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the attack on Serbia came not long after a satirical Hollywood movie was released with a plot about a foreign invasion to distract attention away from the president caught making advances on an under-age girl in the Oval Office. Truthstorians like me would see this as life imitating art, and that very funny movie is easily accessible online, just check the title ‘Wag the Dog’.

BERNIE SMITH

Parksville, BC

Canada