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Donald Trump’s refusal to release the so-called “Epstein files” has been a disaster for him politically.
The failure to define just what those files are has been a tragedy for the victims.
Having covered Jeffrey Epstein’s case and Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial live from federal court, Vicky Ward and I drew upon our decades of experience researching and reporting on those cases to shed light on what the phrase means to us during a 40-minute conversation.
For us, the Epstein files refers to all records from the various criminal, civil, and government proceedings involving the late predator. That definition recognizes the vast amount of information already in the public record — and points to a framework for understanding the case’s enduring mysteries.
Why did multiple billionaires like Leslie Wexner and Leon Black pay Epstein a vast fortune for purported financial and tax advice when Epstein was not an accountant or a tax lawyer?
What investigations into the Epstein saga remain active?
Why did Attorney General Pam Bondi falsely claim that she had been releasing “Declassified Epstein Files” that were nothing more than previously public court exhibits from the Maxwell trial?
Is there any evidence that a single so-called “Epstein file” was ever classified — that is to say, information affecting the U.S. national security? (In our decades of covering the case, neither of us have seen any evidence of a classified Epstein document referred to or mentioned anywhere in the public record.)
In February, Bondi invited MAGA influencers to Main Justice to hand them binders of the “Declassified Epstein Files,” which were nothing more than reheated and previously public court records. The influencers posed for smiling photographs with the binders, even though they were carrying files of a case about the sexual abuse of minors.
It’s little wonder why the Epstein debacle has been so politically damaging to the Trump administration, which has been grooming supporters for years to drum up suspicion about the “deep state” elites, only to suddenly abandon that fixation.
There are genuine avenues for journalistic, congressional, and potentially prosecutorial investigation in the Epstein saga, but they require precision and care, not the cynical manipulation of poorly defined terms. That’s why having a shared understanding of the phrases we discuss and a clear delineation of what we do and do not know are so important.
Watch the full conversation in the video, and my recent conversation with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) about his ongoing Epstein-related investigation.
Before you go
I am writing this dispatch from an airport, and I am about to take off to Nashville, Tenn., for another hearing to determine whether Kilmar Abrego Garcia will be released on bail. I am able to do this because of my paid subscribers, who recognize the need for live court reporting to have a clear understanding about the cases that affect our lives and shape our national stories.
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