Rita Panahi: Release of Epstein files may be one of biggest own goals of the decade for Democrats

The Democrats’ excitement about engineering the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files doesn’t stem from any righteous sense of justice — it’s all a desperate attempt to link the disgraced financier’s criminality to President Donald Trump.

After years of ignoring the Jeffrey Epstein saga, the media and the Democrats suddenly became energised about an issue they dismissed as a “nothing-burger” during Joe Biden’s presidency.

Their excitement didn’t stem from any righteous sense of justice or desire to exact revenge for the victims. Nor was it about holding the rich and powerful to account – instead, it was all about a desperate attempt to connect Epstein’s criminality with President Donald Trump.

In what may become one of the biggest own goals of the decade, the Democrats have engineered the release of the investigation materials on the disgraced financier. On Thursday, President Trump signed legislation allowing the Justice Department to release the files on the convicted sex offender and pedophile.

Former Harvard University president Larry Summers expressed ‘shame’ for his association with Epstein.

The first scalp was Larry Summers, the former Harvard University president and former treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, who resigned from the board of OpenAI and stepped back from his teaching duties at Harvard after expressing “shame” for his association with Epstein. More scalps will undoubtedly follow, but it’s worth noting that not everyone named in the files is accused of wrongdoing.

Last week, the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee indulged in some underhanded mischief to smear the president by redacting the name of a known Epstein victim. They almost got away with it, too, thanks to the inept Trump Derangement Syndrome-afflicted media.

The most salacious material released by the Democrats was a 2011 email from Epstein to his long-term girlfriend and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Picture: AFP

The most salacious material released by the Democrats was a 2011 email from Epstein to his long-term girlfriend and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell saying: “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump, (victim redacted) spent hours at my house with him … he has never once been mentioned. Police chief etc. I’m 75 per cent there.”

That saw scandalous headlines around the world about Trump spending hours with an Epstein victim, and for many that’s all they took from that news cycle.

But for those paying closer attention, it wasn’t long before it became clear that the unnamed victim had been previously identified, with officials confirming it was Virginia Giuffre who died of suicide earlier this year.

Giuffre had said repeatedly that Trump did not act inappropriately. Picture: AFP

Before her death, Giuffre – whose brave stand saw the man previously known as Prince Andrew stripped of his royal, military and honorary titles – had said repeatedly that Trump had not acted inappropriately. She made that clear in statements, in her memoir and most importantly in sworn testimony submitted to a court. But the Democrats redacted her name in the email to make it appear that this was a new scandal.

What is clear is that Epstein was not only a staunch Democrat but he was also a prolific donor to the Democratic Party. Epstein’s hatred of Trump is also well established, after Trump banned his former friend from his exclusive Mar-a-Lago club in 2008, months before Epstein pleaded guilty to charges including sex with a 14-year-old.

Epstein’s hatred of Trump is well established. Picture: Getty Images

Epstein associate Michael Wolff gave another insight into why the pedophile hated Trump so vehemently. He said: “Epstein believed that it was Trump who first informed the police about what was going on at Epstein’s house and from that point on they were nothing but bitter enemies.”

Yet despite Epstein’s criminality and ongoing creepy antics, he was welcome in some elite circles and courted by the Democrats who continued to solicit donations from him.

Trump’s failure to release the Epstein files back in July was the first major misstep of his second term. Picture: AP

As late as 2019, Epstein was in close contact with House Democrat Stacey Plaskett, exchanging text messages during a congressional hearing to help her damage President Trump. The convicted pedophile even influenced the line of questioning adopted by Plaskett.

This week the Democrats sought to muddy the waters again by suggesting Epstein also backed Republicans, with congresswoman Jasmine Crockett claiming he’d donated funds to former Republican congressman and current Trump-appointed EPA administrator Lee Zeldin.

But it turned out that the donations had come from another Jeffrey Epstein, a physician, with no links to the disgraced financier.

Trump’s failure to release the Epstein files back in July was the first major misstep of his second term, particularly after Attorney General Pam Bondi had declared in February that the Epstein files were sitting on her desk ready to be reviewed.

Attorney General Pam Bondi declared in February the Epstein files were sitting on her desk ready to be reviewed. Picture: Getty Images

It may be an issue of little importance to the president personally but elements of his base want to see the matter tackled head on. The release of the documents may not bring closure but hopefully it will bring a measure of clarity into Epstein’s reign of terror and expose any individuals guilty of wrongdoing.

Rita Panahi is a Herald Sun columnist

Originally published as Rita Panahi: Release of Epstein files may be one of biggest own goals of the decade for Democrats