The Epstein files should not be as important as they are.
The Trump administration has embraced Russia, dumped allies and undercut Ukraine. It’s played judge, jury and executioner by bombing boats at sea. It has pirated oil tankers off Venezuela and flooded city streets with armed masked immigration agents.
The Epstein files should be just one of many outrages Democrats and Republicans could unite to condemn. But it isn’t.
This topic continues to occupy center stage, even though sexual misconduct allegations have long been levied against President Trump. That includes accusations by multiple women, a jury verdict that Trump sexually abused E. Jean Carroll, and Trump’s own words: The infamous Access Hollywood tape in which he extolled an assault strategy and his admission that he would walk into women’s dressing rooms in beauty contests.
Unlike years of allegations and admissions, however, the Epstein scandal persists. That’s partly because it plays into conspiracy culture and partly because as a candidate, Trump pledged to uncover any Epstein conspiracy.
Such a weak White House
But it’s also because every time the Trump administration dodges and weaves to keep the Epstein files under wraps, it amplifies what’s weak and wrong in this White House.
Just 11 months into his term, Trump is an astonishingly incompetent and increasingly unpopular president. Even the power that comes with the Oval Office can’t hide the self-inflicted political wounds tied to the Epstein scandal, and with them the confirmation that Trump is not the transparent leader that millions of Americans hoped he would be.
A different administration would have set a records release date months before Congress forced the president’s hand with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
A diligent Department of Justice would have built trust by working with victims’ lawyers on redactions. A skillful White House would have devised a plan to weather embarrassing revelations.
But Trump will not do that, for the same reason he will not revisit destructive tariffs or back away from extrajudicial killings off the coast of Venezuela — though it might boost his poll numbers. Sycophancy and short-sighted incompetence are baked into how Trump governs, and nothing brings those weaknesses into sharper focus than the Epstein files.
Bondi’s blunders
Under the Transparency Act, Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice faced a Dec. 19 deadline to release all — not some — investigative materials tied to Epstein.
Instead, it’s estimated only 10% of the files were made public. Grand jury minutes were blacked out but names of victims were revealed. Former President Bill Clinton was repeatedly in pictures, including one with Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and an unidentified child whose face was redacted.
It seemed ominous, but the child was Jackson’s son. The picture was already public.
Trump was rarely seen in the initial documents, despite a lengthy and close relationship with Epstein detailed by the New York Times. One photo depicted a collection of photographs in a desk drawer in Epstein’s home, with a photo of Trump visible in the open drawer. The image was abruptly removed, then restored.
Sixteen files disappeared from the DOJ website. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the files had nothing to do with Trump, and that 200 DOJ lawyers were working on the files’ release. Yet in March, Bondi reportedly assigned 1,000 agents to pore over the same documents and determine which might be released.
Following widespread blowback, more documents are being made public. But ineptitude has taken its toll.
There’s fear among Republicans that voters will punish them in the 2026 midterms for the botched release. U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, and Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie are weighing contempt charges against Bondi. And after months of blunders, the White House should expect suspicion that the complete files will never made public.
Grocery prices could drop. The Ukraine war could end. Trump might be able to claim credit for both, or more.
But the Epstein scandal isn’t going away. An incompetent administration has made sure of that.
The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.
