'Putin owns President of United States': Ex-aide hints Russian President, not Epstein files, holds real leverage over Trump

Speculation around Donald Trump’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein reignited last week after Elon Musk made a now-deleted claim that the president may have undisclosed ties to the late sex offender. Musk alleged this as the reason behind sealed case files, before removing the post without explanation.

‘I don’t believe the Epstein stuff’, says Scaramucci

Anthony Scaramucci, who served briefly as Trump’s White House communications director in 2017, has now weighed in on the controversy. Speaking to The Daily Beast Podcast, he said he didn’t believe the Epstein allegations.

“Did he go over the line with Jeff Epstein and do something super-malevolent and super-nefarious? I don’t believe that’s the case, because I think that would have come out. But again, I don’t know,” Scaramucci said.

Can Putin control Trump?

While dismissing Epstein-related speculation, Scaramucci pointed to another theory, one that has circulated for years, Russian President Vladimir Putin may be holding compromising material on Trump.

“But the flip side is, while I’m saying that to you, I believe there is kompromat on Donald Trump,” he said, adding, “I don’t know what it is. We all used to say, ‘OK, what is it? What is the hold that Vladimir Putin has on this guy?’”

‘He owns the president of the United States’

The former Trump aide questioned how a struggling leader like Putin could have such sway over a former US president.

“He’s in a trainwreck situation at home, and yet he owns the president of the United States,” he said. “How does he own the president of the United States? You tell me. He has to have something on him, OK, that we don’t understand,” he added.

Scaramucci suggested that the alleged kompromat might date back to Trump’s real estate days in the 1980s or 1990s. He dismissed the infamous and unverified “pee tape” theory, but added, “Something that would be too much for Trump, even Trump himself, to deal with.”

‘Trump only loves himself’

Dismissing claims that Trump has a fondness for strongmen, Scaramucci said the president isn’t motivated by admiration for authoritarian leaders.

“It’s bulls–t,” he said. “Trump doesn’t love authoritarians. He loves himself, OK? And he would not be kowtowing to Putin, sitting in the biggest economy with the biggest military,” he added.

No concrete evidence has surfaced to support claims that Russia holds any compromising material on Trump. The US president has repeatedly denied working with Russia.

Still, his history of avoiding direct criticism of Putin has kept the speculationalive.