The Sphinx Thinks It Stinks

Opinion Columnist, reporting from Washington

President Trump is desperately trying to move on from his ruinous war in Iran. But there was no way he expected to be moving on — or moving back — to the Epstein files.

The world gasped when the first lady emerged from the mists on Thursday to give a statement that ended up yanking America’s eyeballs back to Jeffrey Epstein.

“Be Best,” this was not.

After firing the prevaricating Pam Bondi and threatening on Easter that the Iranians might soon be “living in Hell,” the president surely thought he was finally wriggling away from the sordid, sticky pedophile scandal.

For mysterious reasons, the Slovenian Sphinx stunned the West Wing, walking into the grand entrance hall of the White House to dump kerosene on the flickering Epstein fire.

In effect, Melania’s dramatic message was: Hey, guys, we’re not done here yet. Everybody come look at what my husband so terribly doesn’t want you to look at!

No one, not even Trump’s inner circle, seemed to know that this bizarre monologue was coming or what was driving it.

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Maureen Dowd is an Opinion columnist for The Times. She won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary. She is the author, most recently, of “Notorious.” @MaureenDowd • Facebook

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