Panic Sets in at the White House

11.13.25

Happy Thursday and welcome back to today’s edition of Common Sense with Ally Sammarco—your daily briefing on politics. Let’s break it down.

Epstein Files Vote Set for Next Week….House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday night that the House will vote next week on a bill to release all Jeffrey Epstein–related files—a move forced by a rare bipartisan coalition led by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY). The pair reached the 218-signature threshold after newly sworn-in Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva added her name just hours after taking the oath. The White House spent the day scrambling to contain fallout from newly released Epstein emails, some referencing Donald Trump’s past connection to Epstein. Democrats are framing the vote as a transparency test, while Republicans accuse them of “slandering” Trump for headlines. Behind the scenes, GOP leaders reportedly pressured members like Rep. Lauren Boebert to back away from the discharge petition—but failed.

Common Sense takeaway: This may be the thing that causes the dam to break against Donald Trump. Republicans have campaigned for years on releasing the Epstein files. If they were to back out now, it would reek of corruption and collusion. And once the files are released, can Republicans defend pedophilia? Let them try and see what happens.

Republicans Cry “Hoax” Over Epstein Revelations…..As pressure builds for the full release of the Epstein files, top Republicans are scrambling to dismiss the scandal as political theater. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off newly released emails linking Trump to Epstein, calling the renewed focus a “Democrat hoax” meant to “distract from the shutdown.” Trump echoed that line almost word-for-word, posting that “the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax” is just another attempt to smear him. Other Republicans quickly fell in line, accusing Democrats of “slandering” Trump instead of focusing on the victims. The problem? The documents are real—released by both parties—and include direct references to Trump from Epstein himself.

Common Sense takeaway: In what world would Democrats collude with Jeffrey Epstein 14 years ago to concoct emails to take down Donald Trump, who wasn’t even a political candidate yet? Give me a break, Karoline. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.

Prince Andrew Begged Epstein to Clear His Name, New Emails Show…..Among the thousands of newly released Epstein documents is a stunning email thread between Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and “The Duke”—almost certainly Prince Andrew. In the 2011 exchange, Andrew frantically pleads with Epstein and Maxwell to publicly insist he “knew NOTHING” about the allegations headed their way. “I can’t take any more of this,” he wrote, demanding every legal statement explicitly distance him from the scandal. But the documents don’t stop there. In another email, Epstein appears to contradict Andrew’s long-standing claim that he didn’t remember meeting accuser Virginia Giuffre—confirming she was on his plane and did take the now-infamous photo with him. Epstein even strategizes about investigating Giuffre to paint her as a “fraud,” suggesting Buckingham Palace “would love it.” Andrew was recently stripped of his royal titles and is now going by Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

Common Sense takeaway: These pedophiles spent more time trying to cover up their crimes than they did thinking about the consequences of their actions. Prince Andrew should be in jail.

Trump Weighs Military Options in Venezuela as Tensions Escalate….President Trump was briefed this week on updated military options—including potential airstrikes on ports, airports, and military sites — following the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, in the Caribbean. The show of force boosts U.S. troop presence in the region to 15,000. Sources stress the briefing doesn’t mean an attack is imminent, but Trump has been mulling these options for weeks. The most extreme scenario on the table is a special operations mission to capture or kill Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro—something experts say is unlikely and legally murky at best. Lawmakers recently reviewed a classified Pentagon target list, but even they say the administration has no clear legal justification for direct strikes. Any move against Maduro could create a dangerous power vacuum and further destabilize the region.

Common Sense takeaway: This is an important issue but also very clearly an attempt to distract from the Epstein files. If Donald Trump would rather send Americans troops into a foreign nation than expose the truth about his involvement with Epstein, I think you know what that means.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense. Check back tomorrow for more.