I haven’t written about Jeffrey Epstein in this space before, but with the Justice Department memo released last week, I’d like to make an observation or two. Epstein, who rubbed elbows with some of the world’s richest and most powerful, gained his spot amongst the elite by trafficking underage girls for powerful men. Last week, the Justice Department essentially said that there was “nothing to see here.” The memo they released claimed that after an exhaustive investigation into his files, they found no client list or credible evidence that Epstein was involved in blackmail. They also concluded that he did, despite many conspiracy theories, die by suicide.
I have no reason to believe that the Justice Department is lying about the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death nor do I doubt that he wasn’t involved in blackmail. And maybe there isn’t a client list or a smoking gun. Taking that at face value, it is still troubling that in all of his files and the files created during the investigation into his trafficking, the Justice Department says, “We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
Really? We know for a fact that rich and powerful men took part in Epstein’s trafficking both at his home and at his now-famous island. Names have been revealed in a number of civil cases, including the suit brought by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s many victims. She killed herself this past April.
Of course, nobody has admitted to taking part in Epstein’s trafficking. The only man who has suffered any kind of public ridicule is Prince Andrew and he remains free and uncharged. Every other man involved in this operation has been allowed to silently continue to live their lives. What’s interesting is that the same media outlets who write with outrage about Epstein’s activities, have written puff pieces and flattering profiles about the men who are alleged to have been his clients.
So, who has paid the price for this sex trafficking operation? Other than the now-deceased Epstein, the only other person charged was his co-conspirator in running the operation, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison back in 2022. Notice that while none of the men involved have been charged, the woman involved was easily charged and convicted. This is not to say that she shouldn’t have been, but why has justice only found the female member of the operation? Of course, the other individuals who have paid are the girls that were victimized by Epstein and his clients, including Giuffre, who was driven to suicide as a result of the abuse. Between Maxwell and the girls who were abused, it appears that as a society we are content with letting women pay the price for the abhorrent behavior of men.
How can that be? Maxwell was charged and convicted because there was evidence that these men existed. We have all seen the pictures of Epstein with some of the world’s most rich and powerful men. Are we really to believe that she was convicted based on evidence that no longer exists?
As with all things in this dystopian version of America, this has become a partisan divide. Republicans have long hoped that Epstein’s client list would be released, believing that there would be several prominent Democrats on the list. Democrats have long shared pictures of President Trump with Epstein and Elon Musk recently asserted that Trump was “in the Epstein files,” a claim he has walked back to some degree. Giuffre has said that she didn’t believe that Trump was involved in any abuse and he says that he cut ties with Epstein before the incidents that led to Epstein’s being charged.
Is child abuse really a partisan issue these days? Are we really only interested if the other “team” does it? What a terrible state we find ourselves in if that’s the case. But it isn’t just the misplaced partisanship of this that should trouble us. With the Justice Department making clear that no rich or powerful man will be held accountable for their actions in this case, it lays bare a truth that many have known for quite some time. We like to believe that no man (or woman) is above the law, but that’s simply not true. There is a system of justice for the wealthy and the powerful in this nation and a system of justice for the rest of us. Those poor girls who were abused will receive no justice, and the rich and powerful men who abused them will receive no consequences. Perhaps it’s time we revisit the idea of “justice for all.”