Warning: This article contains death by suicide, sexual assault, and other details that readers may find disturbing.
US President Donald Trump does not seem to be getting rid of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Epstein, a former investment banker, spent years sexually exploiting and trafficking young and underage women, as well as passing them on to his friends and business partners. The Epstein scandal had a wide-ranging impact on high society in the US, where many prominent politicians, businessmen and power brokers socialized with Epstein. In 2019, Epstein died while awaiting trial, hanging over the side of his cell bed.
More than six years later, the Epstein case has become a major sore point for President Trump. The general public and opposition politicians are demanding that the US Justice Department release the so-called “Epstein files” in full. Some files are publicly accessible, but many sections have been redacted.
Survivors of Epstein’s abuse are demanding that what authorities know be made public and that anyone who was part of Epstein’s sex trafficking network, or who participated in the sexual abuse, be held accountable.
Trump: Epstein ‘very fun to live with’
Trump was very clearly friends with Epstein in the 1990s – there are plenty of photos and videos to prove it. In an interview in 2002 new york In the magazine, Trump called Epstein “a great guy” and said, “He’s a lot of fun to be with. He also is said to like beautiful women, just like me, and many of them are younger.”
Trump and Epstein became socially separated in 2004. Trump himself was convicted of sexually abusing author E. Jean Carroll in 1996, and has tried to distance himself from the entire Epstein affair since the abuse allegations surfaced.
But interest in the case still remains. Notably, members of the opposition, not just the Democrats, are demanding a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bill that would require the Justice Department to publish all declassified records related to the investigation. Some members of Trump’s own party, Republicans, also consider it necessary.
Epstein abuse survivor Lisa Phillips said on the steps of Capitol Hill in Washington earlier this year, “Congress has to choose. Will you continue to protect the predators, or will you ultimately protect the survivors?” “Transparency is justice. Release the files, end secrecy and stand with us in declaring that no one, no billionaire, no politician, no world leader, is above the law.”
However, as of right now, nothing is really happening with the official Epstein investigation. Due to the ongoing US government shutdown, the House Oversight Committee, the main investigative body of the US House of Representatives, is not functioning at all.
Survivor’s posthumous memoir published
Instead, the information is coming from other sources. On Tuesday, the book “Nobody’s Girl” was published — a posthumous memoir by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the most prominent survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking network, who accused Britain’s Prince Andrew and other influential men of sexually abusing her as a teenager.
In April, the then 41-year-old died by suicide. In the book, she writes that Epstein had video recordings of his “clients” sexually abusing girls and women.
The memoir has fueled further speculation about Epstein’s “client list”, and whether it might be one of the documents the Justice Department has not released.
Trump actually made a campaign promise to release all the Epstein files — which is why some of his staunchest supporters, members of the Make America Great Again or MAGA movement, are angry that he hasn’t done so.
Could it be that Trump is blocking further publication of the Epstein files because they could damage him personally and politically? It is impossible to tell without a thorough examination of the documents. But one can try to answer how Trump’s supporters might react to potentially damaging revelations.
“Many Democrats hope the Epstein files can bring down Donald Trump,” said Ines Pohl, head of DW’s studio in Washington. “But that perception doesn’t match my experience on the ground. Certainly, the vast majority of Republicans and Trump supporters also consider Epstein a despicable criminal. But different rules apply to Donald Trump.”
Pohl has spoken to several Americans about their opinions on the Epstein files and Trump’s possible involvement. Often, the answers he has heard testify to Trump supporters’ strong rejection of the political establishment and their unquestioning loyalty to the man they consider “their” president.
He says, “The whole of Washington has dirt on their hands,” Pohl explained, so, “Why should Donald Trump be held accountable?”
If you are suffering from emotional stress or having suicidal thoughts, seek professional help. You can find information about where to get help, no matter where you live in the world, on this website: www.befrienders.org,
Janelle Dumelon and Thomas Latschne in Washington contributed to this article, which was originally written in German.