It’s time to look evil in the face and call it what it is.
Maybe that conversation should have happened sooner. Maybe it should have been louder. But here we are. The Epstein files are no longer a whispered conspiracy or a fringe obsession—they’re a national demand for answers.
Three-and-a-half million pages in the latest release alone. Millions of documents detailing what appears, beyond any reasonable doubt, to be a web of powerful people in powerful circles engaged in profoundly evil behavior—some of it too graphic and disturbing to even print.
Many names remain redacted—some victims, some alleged co-conspirators. Others are already public: a former prime minister of Qatar, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Sultan Bin Sulayem, billionaire Leon Black. The allegations tied to these figures range from deeply inappropriate associations to horrifying accusations of abuse and financial entanglement.
Representative Tim Burchett has warned that what hasn’t yet been released is even worse than what we’ve seen.
It’s evil. It’s disgusting. And Americans expected it to be—which is exactly why they demanded transparency in the first place.
But transparency without accountability is meaningless.
There are people in high places counting on the public to grow numb. Counting on outrage fatigue. Counting on Americans to shrug and move on. That’s not happening.
The country is furious. And not just one party—everyone. According to a recent poll, 94% of Americans believe Jeffrey Epstein was running a sex trafficking ring for powerful men.
This isn’t an 80-20 issue. It’s not red versus blue. It’s nearly universal.
And it may become one of the defining political issues of the year—overshadowing even the economy or immigration—because this is about accountability. About whether justice exists for the powerful.
There is a large swath of younger voters—many not traditional Republicans—who are exhausted by watching elites escape consequences. They turned out in part because they believed promises that this corruption would finally be exposed and punished.
If there are no visible results—no indictments, no charges, no handcuffs, no convictions—don’t expect that enthusiasm to return in November.
They don’t necessarily believe Donald Trump is implicated. But that alone isn’t enough. They want predators punished. Severely.
The files mention both Republicans and Democrats. Many more Democrats and their donor class appear in the disclosures—but the public wants every single person involved held accountable. No exceptions. No partisan shield.
Yet it’s Democrats currently dominating the cameras, demanding justice—after sitting on these files for years.
Hillary Clinton is now loudly calling for accountability, despite her husband being mentioned repeatedly in the files—reportedly invited to the White House 17 times by Epstein, flying on his plane at least 27 times, and appearing in the documents over a thousand times.
“Charitable work” doesn’t square with images of half-naked gatherings in hot tubs. And few Americans are buying the idea that long-standing associations were accidental or incidental.
Ghislaine Maxwell attended Chelsea Clinton’s wedding. Maxwell reportedly donated $1 million to help launch the Clinton Global Initiative. Yet the public is asked to believe there was no real familiarity.
The optics speak for themselves.
Democrats’ sudden passion for accountability rings hollow when viewed against years of inaction. And the political maneuvering is already underway.
Les Wexner, founder of Victoria’s Secret, is now being deposed over his financial relationship with Epstein.
Wexner once supported Republicans but left the GOP in 2018 over opposition to Donald Trump. Since then, he has financed Democratic candidates, including high-profile progressives. Now, some Democrats appear eager to downplay his knowledge of where his money was going.
But billionaires rarely lose track of millions. If he knew what those funds supported, prison—not public relations—should follow.
The issue has now drawn international attention. A panel of independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council has concluded the files suggest the existence of a “global criminal enterprise” potentially meeting the legal threshold for crimes against humanity.
That is not a partisan phrase. That is a legal one.
And criminals who commit crimes against humanity must be held accountable—regardless of party.
Former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler has resigned from Goldman Sachs after newly released files showed a close relationship with Epstein during her time in the administration—reportedly referring to him as “Uncle Jeffrey.”
These are not trivial associations. They demand investigation.
Taxpayer-funded institutions like the FBI and the DOJ exist precisely for moments like this. Investigations require evidence. Evidence requires effort. The public expects both.
Instead, Americans have watched hearings where critical questions about Epstein’s network were met with pivots and deflections.
There is a time to talk about the stock market. There is a time to discuss economic growth. But when survivors of sexual abuse are seated behind you and you are being asked about justice for co-conspirators in a trafficking ring, that is not the moment to change the subject.
The public’s appetite for justice is not fading. It’s intensifying.
If leadership won’t meet that moment, then leadership may need to change.
Two names frequently surface as potential replacements in the Justice Department: Missouri Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt.
Hawley has spent months publicly demanding transparency and accountability from both parties.
Schmitt, a former state attorney general, brings prosecutorial experience. He established Missouri’s first cold case unit, helping solve decades-old crimes. He launched the SAFE kit program, eliminating a rape kit backlog and bringing charges against offenders who thought they’d escaped justice.
Either would signal seriousness.
Because something has to give.
Republicans cannot afford to let Democrats hijack this issue, rewrite history, and claim a moral high ground they failed to occupy for years. Not when voters across the political spectrum are demanding consequences.
It’s only February. There is time to act.
The economy may still dominate headlines. But if the GOP wants Gen-Z voters—and millions of independents—to stay engaged, it had better deliver more than document dumps.
It needs handcuffs.
Because when nearly the entire country agrees that evil was protected by power, the only acceptable response is justice.