Julie Johnson: “for decades, Jeffrey Epstein's abuse was an open secret powerful people knew. Agencies knew. Some in government knew.…”

“for decades, Jeffrey Epstein's abuse was an open secret powerful people knew. Agencies knew. Some in government knew. Yet, year after year, he continued to operate in trafficking, exploiting, and destroying the lives of children and young women. This was not only sexual violence. There were financial crimes. Epstein's empire was built on money, blackmail, and connections, and those connections reached into the highest halls of power. What makes this scandal unbearable is not just Epstein's evil but the way institutions, Republican and Democratic administrations alike, looked away. No administration, past or present, has fully stepped up to bring the truth to light. The very agencies charged with protecting the vulnerable, instead, protected the powerful. Now, under Donald Trump, that coverup has gone from negligence to active obstruction. Trump promised to release the files. He promised the American people transparency. Instead, he and his handpicked lieutenants have buried the truth under a mountain of lies and contradictions. Let's review the record. In June of 2024, Trump said he would declassify the Epstein files. His campaign even celebrated that promise online. On January 30, Trump's FBI Director, Kash Patel, vowed to release everything. On February 21, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the client list was literally on her desk. As of today, none of that has materialized.”