If Democrats Want to Rebuild Trust, Start with the Epstein Files

If we don't at least try to hold rich and powerful criminals accountable, why should anyone trust us to fight for them?

There’s been this wave of advice—from some Democratic strategists and online commentators—that we should move past Donald Trump’s Epstein cover-up and stick to the so-called “kitchen table” issues like the economy. And I’ve gotta say: I’m incredibly frustrated with the shallowness of that thinking.

Yesterday, I watched survivors speak—some of them for the first time—about the horrific abuse they endured at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and the army of enablers who protected them. And yes, that includes Donald Trump, Alex Acosta, and even Robert Kennedy Jr. I got angry. Not just at the perpetrators, but at the people who want us to look away. To move on. To stay quiet.

So let me be clear about why we can’t afford to let this go—not morally, not politically, not strategically.

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The Moral Case

There are reportedly over a thousand victims. Young women and men, sexually and psychologically abused and trafficked—while the U.S. government looked the other way. The list of rich, powerful people who either participated in this or protected it is long, and too few have faced any consequences.

Those survivors who spoke up yesterday showed more courage than most elected officials ever have. They deserve justice—not just “being heard,” not just vague sympathy. Real accountability. It might be unrealistic to expect every perpetrator or enabler to be prosecuted, but are we really saying that the only two people who’ll ever face charges are Epstein—who died under suspicious circumstances—and Maxwell, who Trump will likely pardon when his term is over? Seriously, bank on that.

This is what people mean when they say we live in a two-tiered justice system. If you’re rich, famous, or well-connected, you can ruin lives and walk away untouched. It happened after the 2008 financial collapse—millions lost their homes, and no one went to jail. That betrayal still haunts us, and Democrats paid the price for failing to hold anyone accountable.

And now it’s happening again. Whether it’s Epstein or Diddy or whoever’s next, the pattern is the same: rich men get protected, their victims get forgotten. A thousand survivors, and we’re supposed to believe there are only two criminals? Are you fucking kidding me?

Why would anyone trust a justice system that lets that happen just because the perpetrators are wealthy and tight with the President?

If we want Americans to believe in democracy again—if we want to show that the Democratic Party actually stands for something—we can’t flinch from this. This is the fight. The fight for justice. The fight to prove that no one is above the law. The fight to show we don’t just talk about fairness—we mean it.

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The Politics.

This scandal is an existential threat to Trump and the Republican Party. It fractures his base, energizes ours, and disgusts the independents who hate both parties. The polling shows it. Democrats are fired up. Every single Democratic member of Congress voted to release the Epstein files—only a few Republicans joined them.

And now, conservative influencers are panicking. InfoWars doesn’t know which side to take. Andrew Schultz, Joe Rogan, Theo Von—they’re all shitting on Trump over Epstein now. Trump’s coalition is fraying, and it’s happening earlier than he can afford.

So why the hell would we pull back now?

Ro Khanna, Robert Garcia, Thomas Massie—and more—are right to keep pushing. It’s the right thing to do. It’s what Congress should be doing when a corrupt president and his Attorney General bury the crimes of the ultra-wealthy.

Are some Democrats nervous because a few of our own people might be in those files? Fine. Let the truth come out. I’ll accept that. Because this isn’t just about hurting Trump—it’s about showing who we are. A party that is not blind to party allegiance in the face justice. That we’ll fight for the victims, not cover for our friends. That we’re willing to go wherever the truth leads. And follow through on it.

We don’t know everything Trump’s done—but we know what he doesn’t want us to see. We know he’s lied. About his relationship with Epstein. About calling it a hoax. About releasing the files. About what his allies were involved in.

On both ethics and politics, this is the right fight.

And if Democrats can’t find the courage on their own, they should borrow it from the survivors who spoke yesterday—who risked their privacy, their healing, and their safety to demand justice. We owe them the same level of resolve.

When we take back the Senate and House next year—and the White House in 2028—we’ll have a real opportunity to show what the Democratic Party is made of. Who we fight for. What we do with power.

Let the Epstein cover-up be the entry point. Let it be the proof that we’re serious about fixing what’s broken in this country. That we mean what we say. That justice and fairness and opportunity isn’t just for the privileged few.

It’s for everybody.