The release of a few million more Epstein-related documents came with gruesome and disgusting revelations about the sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated on minors by the likes of the deceased Jeffrey Epstein and the people in his orbit.
Adriana E. Ramírez
The names in the document trove, which features real evidence and unverified information from tip lines, include former President Bill Clinton and current President Donald Trump, as well as many people now serving in the Trump administration, and a handful of billionaires.
All these people should answer questions about their possible involvement, as should anyone and everyone whose names appear on these documents. No one should be able to walk away from an accusation like this without interrogation.
It is entirely possible that some of these allegations — now, apparently, including allegations of even greater offenses than sexual abuse against minors — are false. To a certain extent, the sheer amount of revelatory information belies belief.
But such is the nature of the entire Epstein situation. As the information pours in, the more incredible the truth seems to be. Much like the Sean Combs trial, the more we learn the extent of the depravity, the more likely people will try to explain it all with conspiracy theories.
Yet one truth remains clear: The truly wealthy, the people who are yacht-and-helicopter rich, know one another and operate in similar social circles.
Regardless of political differences, the Clintons have always been friends with the Trumps. They have attended one another's weddings and rites of passage. The terribly rich Epsteins of the world have always rubbed elbows with the likes of royalty and Richard Branson.
Which is to say, the conspiracy theorists were right. There are secret political cliques, happily discussing changes in the world order over drinks before asking when exactly "will be the wildest party on your island?"
After the files were released, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN's Dana Bash, "I can't talk about any investigations, but I will say the following, which is that in July, the Department of Justice said that we had reviewed the files, the Epstein files, and there was nothing in there that allowed us to prosecute anybody."
"The entire world can look at and see if we got it wrong," he added.
The entire world is looking. And while most of us are not lawyers, we also live in a moment in history in which journalists are being arrested for attending protests and a man was put on trial for throwing a Subway sandwich at federal agents. We are not inclined to trust officials investigating possible crimes in which their boss is named.
It seems strange that given the sheer amount of content, which includes emails, photographs and other correspondence connecting financially and socially powerful people to Epstein, that Blanche would dismiss even the possibility of an inquiry or deposition.
"There's a lot of horrible photographs that appear to be taken by Mr. Epstein or people around him, but that doesn't necessarily allow us to prosecute somebody," he said.
Politicians in the U.K. and Slovakia have already resigned after being implicated in the new document release. But, as the mostly female and incredibly powerless survivors have pointed out, little to nothing has been done on the American side. The only person held accountable is serving an increasingly more comfortable sentence at the president's behest.
All this underscores the real lesson of the entire Epstein mess: There are different rules for the ultra wealthy. They can buy American citizenship (see Nicki Minaj). They can smuggle huge amounts drugs into the U.S. and be pardoned (see former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández). They can ask that their names be redacted from the Epstein papers, even as the names of those abused remain.
A group of Epstein survivors said: "This is not over. We will not stop until the truth is fully revealed and every perpetrator is finally held accountable."
But who will hold these perpetrators accountable? A government full of people named in the files? An attorney general who has vowed to protect the president from attack?
"Accountability" implies a world order grounded in fairness. But as the president and his family enriches itself to the tune of over $3 billion in one year alone, while also suing the federal government it controls for an additional $10 billion, it's evident that none of the people in power are willing to go against their own. When you're wealthy enough, it doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or Republican.
No amount of money should prevent justice from being served. Every person involved or named should be dragged into a hearing or put in jail for shirking their subpoenas. That's what actual accountability would look like, and we all deserve as much, before we forget what justice looks like.
