Written by J.D. Wolf
On Thursday, the Trump administration invited a group of MAGA influencers to the White House. While they were there, Attorney General Pam Bondi gave them a "Phase 1" binder of Epstein documents.
Many of the MAGA influencers were seen posing and smiling with their Epstein binders, which contained potential evidence against individuals who sexually abused children (the binders turned out to contain redacted versions of documents that had already been publicly released years ago). The optics of this were so bad that even MAGA and pro-Trump accounts criticized the influencer group and the White House on social media.
One of the individuals invited to the White House and given a binder was Jessica Reed Kraus, a pro-Trump figure and self-described independent journalist who has been granted access to Mar-a-Lago, Trump campaign events, and even intimate Trump family gatherings. On Instagram, Kraus stated that she had "earned" the Epstein binder, which drew further criticism.
Kraus, who has a large following on Instagram and Substack, covered the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, a close associate of Jeffrey Epstein who helped groom his child victims. As criticism over the binder incident mounted, screenshots of Kraus wearing a "FREE GHISLAINE" shirt began circulating on Twitter.
MeidasTouch has confirmed the authenticity of the screenshot of Kraus, which was shared by Laura Loomer and others, showing her wearing a "FREE GHISLAINE" shirt. On her Instagram account in August 2024, Kraus posted a picture of herself wearing the shirt during a trip to cover the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
According to an archived version of Kraus' Instagram Stories, she implied that her "FREE GHISLAINE" shirt was her "favorite controversial tee" just before posting a picture of it.
Another picture of Kraus wearing the "FREE GHISLAINE" shirt appeared on the Reddit channel r/HouseOnFire. The image shows Kraus outdoors with RFK Jr. supporters at the DNC.
In June 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse minors. Kraus has advocated for Maxwell’s release in exchange for revealing Epstein’s clients, calling her conviction "absurd" while those clients remain free.
Calling for the release of a convicted abuser of young girls is quite the stance to take—but apparently, it’s not one that disqualifies someone from access to the White House. During her visit on Thursday, Kraus posted a picture of herself with Trump, JD Vance, and RFK Jr. behind the desk in the Oval Office.
While leaving the White House, Kraus was pictured holding a binder and wearing a "Trump Was Right About Everything" hat. Nothing shouts "independent journalist" quite like wearing a hat like that.
One of Trump's White House invitees—someone the administration, via Pam Bondi, entrusted with potentially sensitive information about sexual abuse victims—advocated for the release of the very person who groomed them for abuse. Does the West Wing do any basic vetting?
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The whole thing was a farce to make it appear they were following through in a promise. I hope MAGAs will finally start understanding how that are being constantly played.
They think rape is funny? Tape of underaged girls? They are scum!