Last Batch of Epstein Documents Released

Last Batch of Epstein Documents Released
Image copyright: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • On Tuesday, the fifth and final tranche of documents relating to deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — totaling approximately 1.4K pages — were released.

  • The documents, which have been released as part of a lawsuit brought by sex-trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre in 2015 and settled in 2017, show Epstein exercised his Fifth Amendment rights hundreds of times in depositions.


The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

While it's understandable that Americans' distrust of the elites has thrown them into a frenzy over this document dump, the only accusations being made are unsubstantiated claims online, not legal prosecutions. There were undoubtedly sexual predators involved other than Epstein and Maxwell, but that doesn't mean everyone listed in these documents was a sex offender. What we know for sure is that wealthy and powerful people were in Epstein's circle over the years, but more evidence is going to be needed if there are to be criminal prosecutions.

Establishment-critical narrative

Brushing aside accusations against the US elite because no prosecutions have occurred is absurd. This is a man who, after avoiding charges of sex with a minor through a plea deal with US attorneys in 2007, was scheduled to meet with then-US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns seven years later. Between the documents being released publicly now, as well as accusations from victims that Epstein monitored his house guests on video, it's safe to assume he may have been blackmailing some of the world's most powerful people to keep himself out of trouble.


Articles on this story

Sign up to our daily newsletter