Epstein, Washington & Wall Street: Justice Redacted
Opinion | Brian Schreiner
On January 30th the Department of Justice finally got around to releasing over three million pages of records related to their Jeffrey Epstein investigations. Rest assured, the DOJ has formally announced that while Epstein’s personal crimes were vast, there was no sex trafficking ring serving other powerful men. The DOJ and FBI have concluded there’s only "scant evidence" that could support any criminal charges against any high-profile "uncharged third parties." The names appearing in those three million pages are just social and professional contacts, not criminals. The investigation is closed.
Patrick E. Boyle, a financial writer and vlogger I follow, has been reporting on the Epstein case for years and his recent vlog was exceptionally written and delivered in his post last week, “The Devil Himself! - The Worst of The Epstein Files.” I urge you to watch the whole thing. Some highlights combined with a few comments of my own are below.
While the massive data dump is intended to be the final word on a scandal that has lingered over the global establishment like a particularly persistent bad smell. The files read like a “Who’s Who” of the people who run the world. The list includes two U.S. Presidents, a rotating cast of British and European royals, and a huge number of well-known figures in business, law, and finance.
The release of the documents was a total mess. On the first day of the release, the DOJ website featured a convenient “Download All” button, but once they realized how many people were actually using it, the button was removed. And the DOJ was actively removing other documents just after they were released, often with no explanation. There are still more than 2 million documents missing.
The missing records include bank and brokerage records along with communications with foreign governments–basically the documents needed to follow the money trail.
The documents that have been released are heavily redacted and many of them bizarrely. In one document, the “JP” in JP Morgan was redacted–presumably a failed attempt to protect the privacy of a multi-billion dollar investment bank that has been a household name for over a century.
By law, each redaction is supposed to come with a written justification, but that hasn’t happened. Instead there are entire hundred-page files that are just solid black blocks.
The DOJ released unredacted photos of victims–including nude photos of young women or possibly teenagers with their faces visible–as well as some victims who had never come forward publicly. Unbelievable. You have to wonder what’s going on at the DOJ… They seem totally uninterested in investigating crime or protecting victims. They’re acting more like a private security firm for Epstein's pedophile network.
While everyone has been busy talking about the files, it's worth keeping in mind that the official position of the U.S. government is unchanged. The FBI say their systematic review revealed no incriminating client list and that they didn't uncover any evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.
Meanwhile, police in London seem to have looked at the exact same data, but with redactions and reached a very different conclusion.
Last week, the Metropolitan Police launched a criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson, a prominent British politician and former UK Ambassador to the U.S. The Epstein files revealed that while Mandelson was a serving government minister, he was providing Epstein with insider information about the $500 billion Euro bailout and the UK's banker's bonus resulting in insider trading by Epstein. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who appointed Mandelson, is now fighting for his political life.
In Slovakia, a former foreign minister and adviser to the Prime Minister was forced to resign due to his relationship with Epstein. In Norway, police have opened an aggravated corruption investigation into a former Prime Minister looking into whether he received improper gifts and loans from Epstein. In Turkey, prosecutors have launched an inquiry into allegations that children were trafficked into Epstein's network from Turkey.
It's a striking contrast. In Europe and Asia, homes are being raided and senior officials are resigning over the contents of the files. Meanwhile, in Washington, law enforcement authorities are still insisting that there's no evidence of any wrongdoing.
Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Howard Lutnik, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Harvey Weinstein and Woody Allen are just a few names that appear many times in the files. Others include:
Les Wexner, the billionaire founder of Victoria’s Secret was named as a potential co-conspirator by the FBI although the DOJ ultimately declined to charge him.
Alan Dershowitz was Epstein’s lawyer; was mentioned in documents the FBI filed in a summary of allegations.
Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling scout and close Epstein associate was accused of trafficking girls for Epstein and committed suicide in a Paris prison in 2022 while awaiting trial.
William Barr, the former U.S. Attorney General who oversaw the initial 2019 investigation into Epstein’s death; he has recently faced Congressional subpoenas regarding his personal review of jail surveillance footage.
Glen Dubin, a billionaire hedge fund manager and co-founder of Highbridge Capital was a long-time friend of Epstein and his name appears in both the 2024 and 2026 DOJ document tranches.
Leon Black, another billionaire and co-founder of Apollo Global Management recently stepped down from his role at the firm after it was revealed he paid Epstein roughly $158 million for “tax and estate planning advice” between 2012 and 2017.
Jes Staley, the former CEO of Barclays and executive at JPMorgan; he was banned from the UK financial industry in 2023 for "recklessly misleading" regulators about the true nature and extent of his friendship with Epstein.
Whether you're a tech billionaire or a member of the British Royal Family, Jeffrey Epstein was evidently the man who you turned to when you wanted to find a party, a job, or a way to make the rules of normal society simply disappear.
A few months ago, U.S. Federal law inforcement deported a friend of mine, Adriano. He’s a hard-working family man with two teenage children. He owned a construction company in New Jersey, employed a large workforce, paid his taxes and supported his community. He had a beautiful home with fruit trees and chickens. A few months ago, when he pulled into his driveway, the Feds pulled him out of his truck and forced him into theirs—without allowing him to say goodbye to his family.
The Feds are quick to crack down on the average Joe, but if you’re a wealthy pedophile connected to the Washington Mob, you’re protected.
As the institutions that are supposed to protect and support our society become less credible and more corrupt—and as citizens become more polarized and divided—it becomes ever more difficult to say, “I’m proud to be an American.” But I’m very proud to support the values our country was founded on, the U.S. Constitution, limited government and the rule of law.
As a voter, I’ve realized that the Rs and Ds have had many chances to reform Washington and they’ve failed every time. We need less Washington, fewer politicians and smaller, far more limited government. The best chance we have of returning America to greatness is to elect representatives who uphold the values of our Founders.
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