They say old sins cast long shadows and the reported Jeffery Epstein client list is certainly overshadowing much of what is taking place in American politics.
The far right (MAGA) are not happy that President Trump’s administration has decided not to release the Epstein files. Supporters say that was a campaign promise made by Trump in August 2019, after Epstein’s death. To add fuel to the fire, Trump retweeted a post that alleged Bill Clinton was connected to Epstein’s death during that time.
Fast forward to June 2024 when Trump was asked if he would release various files including the John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. assassination files and the Epstein files during an interview with Fox News, Trump responded, “Yeah, yeah, I would.”
Now the president has done a 180. On July 16, Trump posted to his social media platform blaming Democrats for the files and those who he called “past supporters” of his for the fixation on Epstein.
“Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this “b——,” hook, line, and sinker,” Trump wrote on his own conservative social media platform. Which is odd given that Trump played a significant role into spreading the “b——-” in the first place.
In an unlikely pairing, Democrats have jumped on the MAGA bandwagon also demanding the files be released. A super PAC working to elect Democrats to the House is naming and shaming Republicans who once demanded to see records from Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation but voted against the Democratic effort to release them.
What I am struggling to understand is what do either side hope to gain with the release of the files. Is it simply looking to hold Epstein’s clients accountable and bring them to justice? Maybe Republicans think they’ll find high-level democrats like Bill Clinton named while Democrats think they’ll find Donald Trump’s name in there. What does each side hope to gain?
I am reminded of a fundamental principle in legal settings; “do not ask questions you don’t know the answers to.”
It was this theory brought up in the O.J. Simpson murder trial, where prosecutor Christopher Darden’s decision to ask Simpson to try on a glove found at the crime scene famously backfired. The glove appeared not to fit, allowing defense attorney Johnnie Cochran to deliver his unforgettable line: “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
Maybe those on the right and left don’t care where the proverbial chips fall and simply want justice, but in today’s hyper-divided political discord, I for one am not sure that is the case. I am reminded of the old adage, “be careful what you wish for”. There might be hidden downsides or unexpected challenges that come with getting it.