The Epstein Files Transparency Act Will Be Another Massive Disappointment
Despite the name, the bill signed into law by President Trump to release the Epstein files will do anything but that.
Over six years after the questionable suicide of Jeffrey Epstein, federal government finally passed a bill promising to release the Epstein files. Conservatives and liberals alike are celebrating after the bill received President Trump’s stamp of approval—and they shouldn’t be.
H.R.4405, or the Epstein Files Transparency Act, provides every possible workaround to releasing the information Americans want to see.
Public Pressure
61% of Americans with high bipartisan consensus want the Epstein Files released, according to a recent NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll.
Even without all of the files being public, victims of Jeffrey Epstein have named participants in Epstein’s trafficking.
Most notably was Virginia Giuffre’s accusations against Prince Andrew and Alan Dershowitz. Guiffre dropped her allegations against Dershowitz in 22, claiming she “may have made a mistake” in accusing him.
Guiffree died by suicide earlier this year at the age of 41. This sparked even more theories of a wider conspiracy and increased demand for the files to be released.
In September, the victims of Jeffrey Epstein stated that they “know the names” of the people who participated in their sexual abuse.
While Maxwell’s case may be over, the U.S. Justice Department announced an investigation into Epstein’s links to former President Bill Clinton and a series of major banks.
Lisa Phillips, one of Epstein’s accusers, said she and other victims are discussing creating their own list of those who “were regularly in the Epstein world.”
This list has yet to be released.
The Democrat-Introduced Bill
While the full text of the bill has not been made publicly available, the summary provided by Congress tells the public what it needs to know.
“This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to publish (in a searchable and downloadable format) all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in DOJ’s possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein,” says the bill introduced by far-left Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA).
While Democrats and Republicans in Congress—along with the President himself—will make this seem like a grand gesture of government transparency, it is nothing of the sort.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a public opponent of President Trump, co-authored the legislation.
The bill promises to release only three types of information from the files.
1. Ghislaine Maxwell
The first of these is information regarding Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s girlfriend. Maxwell was convicted of sex charges for recruiting underage girls for Epstein’s personal abuse. She was also documented to have participated in the abuse.
Maxwell’s case came to an end this October when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Maxwell’s appeal. Without an ongoing case, files related to Maxwell became available for release.
2. Flight Logs
The second is the flight logs and travel records. While the summary is non-specific as to scope, it can be assumed this includes information related to Epstein’s private plane, also known as the Lolita Express.
The illegal activities that occurred on this plane were discussed at length during the original investigation.
Larry Visoski, Epstein’s former private pilot, testified that President Bill Clinton, President Donald Trump both had flown on the plane.
Visoski also named Prince Andrew, Sen. John Glenn (D-OH), Sen. George Mitchell (D-ME), and actor Kevin Spacey, among others, as passengers on Epstein’s plane.
3. The List
Finally, H.R.4405 promises what the American public and conspiracy theorists have been waiting for: “individuals named or referenced (including government officials) in connection with the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.”
Since 2019, conspiracy theories about a large, elite ring of pedophiles paying Jeffrey Epstein for access to underaged girls have spread rapidly online.
Maxwell was only charged for trafficking girls to Epstein’s personal use.
The Exceptions
The bill summary states an exception to what will be released.
“DOJ is permitted to withhold certain information such as the personal information of victims and materials that would jeopardize an active federal investigation,” says the summary.
While Maxwell’s case may be over, the U.S. Justice Department announced an investigation into Epstein’s links to former President Bill Clinton and a series of major banks.
The announcement came with a promise from Attorney General Pam Bondi to move “with urgency and integrity.” This claim is hard to believe given her botched release of the files earlier this year.
And the American public agrees. Bondi’s approval ratings crashed after her first declassification blunder, and she never recovered.
Another Letdown
While Democrats and Republicans in Congress—along with the President himself—will make this seem like a grand gesture of government transparency, it is nothing of the sort.
This conveniently-timed investigation into President Bill Clinton and the banks limits what will be released dramatically.
Considering the bill also only requires “unclassified” materials be released, it is highly likely that any information released will be revelatory or without heavy redactions.
Conclusion
Regardless of what is released, there remains a problem: the people do not trust the administration handling this case.
Even if all the materials regarding Epstein were made available, the public would not trust what they are seeing.
Additionally, they would not trust that the image they are getting is complete.
The administration will be unable to fulfill this campaign promise until they win back public trust. How they will do that remains unclear.