Perhaps President Donald Trump truly changed his mind on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files because he realized he could no longer corral his own party — especially after his campaign promises to release the files. Or maybe he dragged his feet, brilliantly waiting to make his 3D chess move until Democrats were heavily invested in publicizing those records before “caving” and giving them exactly what they may soon regret.
Either way, Trump’s about-face is welcome. After the president gave his blessing a few days ago, Congress acted quicker than you can say “sex trafficking” to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The House voted 427-1 (Republican Clay Higgins was the sole “no” vote), and the Senate soon approved it by unanimous consent. The bill now heads to Trump’s desk, where he’ll likely sign it. Then, Attorney General Pam Bondi would be directed to declassify and release all documents related to Epstein and his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking. Redactions can be made to protect victims.
The information released so far has been frustratingly sparse. The much-ballyhooed February release of Justice Department binders to a group of right-wing social media influencers was a total dud and an embarrassment for Bondi. The media’s scoop on Epstein’s 50th birthday book, which contained a sketch allegedly drawn by Trump, was similarly an eye-roller.
Unfortunately, Trump’s transparently political demand that Bondi “investigate” various Democrat associates of Epstein simply in retaliation for the “hoax” they’ve perpetrated on him is not how the Justice Department should be run. His statement and Bondi’s obedience undermine the Rule of Law.
Still, the whole reason so many Americans on both sides are demanding actual information about Epstein and his “clients” is that there’s plenty of reason to believe that he wasn’t the only one abusing teenage girls. Powerful people are likely guilty of statutory rape, and the public wants to see justice done rather than two-tiered “justice” in which the rich and influential get away with it. Many, many young women have had to live with the shame of being exploited. One of them — Virginia Giuffre, a victim of the UK’s Prince Andrew — committed suicide earlier this year.
The Trump DOJ has said there’s no “client list,” which is likely true, but that doesn’t mean there’s no incriminating information among those in Epstein’s wide-ranging social network.
The trouble will happen if there aren’t convictions. “How will we know if this bill has been successful?” Representative Thomas Massie asked on the House floor. “We will know when there are rich men in handcuffs being perp-walked to the jail.”
The first embarrassed person (thanks to the trove of Epstein emails released last week) was former Harvard University President Larry Summers. He was also the treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, another known pal of Epstein, and a chief economic adviser to President Barack Obama. Summers continued communicating with Epstein well after his crimes were known. Summers now says he’s “deeply ashamed,” has resigned from the OpenAI board, and is “stepping back from public commitments.” Harvard says it is “conducting a review of information concerning individuals at Harvard.”
As for the idea that Trump is implicated in any wrongdoing, which Democrats hope with every fiber of their being, Trump responded, “Nobody cared about Jeffrey Epstein when he was alive and, if the Democrats had anything, they would have released it before our Landslide Election Victory.” He’s right.
Heck, Epstein himself would have released it to help his own defense case — especially given his resentment after Trump dumped him as a friend when he discovered some of what was going on. “That island was an absolute cesspool, there’s no question about it,” Trump said in 2015. “Just ask Prince Andrew. He’ll tell you about it. The island was an absolute cesspool.”
In 2014, journalist Michael Wolff wrote an unpublished profile of Epstein. That, notes veteran columnist Byron York, was “when Epstein was alive and active” and yet “Trump wasn’t part of the picture.” At least until he ran for president, when Wolff tried to get Epstein to extract a “debt” from Trump via blackmail. The dirt never materialized. Why not?
Meanwhile, there’s Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Asked why Joe Biden didn’t release the Epstein files when he ran the Justice Department for four years, Schumer spluttered, “That’s the question every American is asking. … What the hell is he hiding!?”
Uh, what?
As for other Democrats, the maxim “be careful what you wish for” comes to mind. As a White House statement noted:
Why aren’t Democrats talking about the fact that Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands) solicited (and was given) $30,000 from Epstein for the DCCC after he was already a convicted sex offender? Or the fact that Plaskett herself accepted maxed out donations from Epstein for her own campaign? Or the fact that the wife of the former Democrat governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands told Epstein “we would have a friend in Stacey” if he made said donations? Or the fact that Plaskett was literally texting Epstein during a committee hearing?
Why aren’t Democrats talking about the fact that former President Bill Clinton traveled on Epstein’s aircraft 26 times? Or the fact that one of Epstein’s victims wrote that she saw Clinton on Epstein’s island with two young women? Or the fact that Clinton’s visit to the island was corroborated by one of his former top aides?
There’s also a fundraising connection between Epstein and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in 2013, years after Epstein’s initial conviction. Congressman James Comer said, “Hakeem Jeffries’s campaign solicited money from Jeffrey Epstein.”
This sordid story is a long way from over. A lot of Washington’s politicos are using it for political advantage at the moment. Some of them may end up regretting that decision.
