Julian Epstein, a longtime Democratic attorney and former advisor to Hillary Clinton, asserts that legacy media outlets are overlooking a significant internal conflict within the Democratic Party, which he describes as a "civil war" between moderate Democrats and the far-left socialist wing. Epstein, who recently endorsed Republican Mike Rogers over progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's Senate race, detailed his concerns in a New York Post op-ed and in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Epstein contended that news consumers who rely on major outlets are being kept uninformed about the extent of this division. He specifically criticized the media for not fully acknowledging the "nature of the extremism that is happening with the left" and the "bigotry that is emerging on the left." He cited critical race theory as an example of an ideology that, in his view, promotes division and policy based on race. Epstein also expressed concern over what he perceives as the Democratic Party's alignment with "Islamic extremism."
"We've seen critical race is basically a permission slip for more bigotries. It's to divide, tell people the most important thing about them is race and then to start building public policy around that," Epstein said. "And now that they have embraced Islamic extremism, they have gone one step further into a sectarian set of beliefs. And I don't think the news media is covering that, and they should be covering that."
He suggested that if a movement similar to the KKK were to emerge within the Republican Party, it would garner widespread media attention. Epstein drew a parallel to what he described as "Hamas-aligned supporters" within the Democratic Party. He characterized groups associated with the "Iranian Axis," including Hamas and Hezbollah, as seeking to establish a "seventh-century caliphate" through violence, comparing their aims to those of Hitler and stating that the Democratic Party is aligning with such movements.
Epstein described the current situation as a "road to Damascus" moment for moderate Democrats, leading them to realize that the party has lost its "moral center." He believes the party is embracing "failed postmodern liberal set of ideas" and resorting to "identity politics" to engage the public while promoting a "failing welfare state," which he suggested is unsustainable, drawing parallels to European nations.
"So no, this is not a happy time, I think, for a Democrat, but more importantly, it's not a happy time for the country," Epstein concluded. He previously served as chief legal counsel for House Democrats during the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton.