Why Getting the Trump-Epstein Files Matters for Democracy
The government’s credibility is hanging by a thread.
President Donald Trump and his administration have apparently conducted a thorough investigation and collection of records related to Jeffrey Epstein. This information is the subject of immense public interest—interest that has been repeatedly inflamed by Trump himself, particularly during his 2024 campaign. Since then, Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and others have repeatedly promised to release this information.
So what’s the holdup? Among other things, the files likely mention Trump, who was a long-term associate of Epstein. The administration does not exactly seem eager to release that information. Nor do they seem keen to disclose what, if any, role top Justice Department official and Third Circuit Court nominee Emil Bove has played in the decision to withhold these files. That’s why our organization, Democracy Defenders Fund, has filed three Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to get all Epstein files that name Trump from the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.
The extent to which Epstein had potentially compromising material on some of the world's most powerful people remains frustratingly unclear. He was certainly very close to very powerful people—including Trump, who famously said that Epstein “likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side” and who allegedly wrote Epstein a crude letter with a crude doodle for Epstein’s birthday.
The public needs to know what these files say about the most powerful man in the world—and what Trump’s appointees in government, such as Bove, Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, knew and when they knew it. Even sometime allies of Trump, including Joe Rogan, have attacked officials for withholding the files and noted how “cynical” people have become as a result of the department's failure to release them.
Trump's failure to release the Epstein files is undermining public confidence in his presidency, in the Department of Justice, and the entire government. Trump made repeated promises to his supporters during the campaign that he would declassify the Epstein files and release the “Epstein client list.” The DOJ itself made this even worse by releasing preposterously contradictory statements about the existence of an Epstein “client list.” Consider: In February, Bondi said in an interview with FOX that the Epstein client list was, “sitting on my desk right now to review.” Then in July, her Department issued a memo saying “this systematic review revealed no incriminating “client list.”
Which is it?
Trump, of course, wants us to talk about anything but this. He has desperately tried to deflect attention by recycling tired falsehoods about Joe Biden, Barack Obama, the Democrats, and even former FBI Director James Comey. His repeated exhortations to move on ring hollow—and to many observers, it does seem like he doth protest too much.
Our FOIAs are not simply about Trump or exclusively about the material in the Epstein files that might mention Trump. They are also meant to reveal the extent of a potential cover up, if any, by Bondi, Bove, and the rest.
The fight to get these files is similar to our over 100 legal matters fighting to stop the administration from destroying democratic norms and practices, while preventing them from using their authority to protect and appease Trump. This is about the integrity of our government. The Trump-Epstein documents are essential to determine the possibility of any wrongdoing by Trump or others who might be covering up for him and to boost the public’s trust in government institutions that they are increasingly abandoning.
The government’s credibility is hanging by a thread. This is why people are becoming “cynical,” as Joe Rogan put it. And it’s why immediate compliance with our FOIA request is necessary not only to uphold obligations under the law but also to address the growing demand for transparency on this issue of signal national importance.
Norman Eisen is the publisher of The Contrarian. Gabriel Lezra is senior strategist for Democracy Defenders Action.
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If it weren't at the highest levels of our government, it would be fun to watch Blondi, Bove, Blanche, and Trump bobbing and weaving so dramatically. But, even as we speak, I'd bet that Blanche is cutting a deal with Ghislaine Maxwell to seal her lips. Period. Congress will never hear from her. She can't recall anything. We'll never know what she knows. And Chuck Grassley, Gym Jordan, James Comer, Mike Johnson, and JD Vance will all be just fine whistling past the Constitution's graveyard.
“The government’s credibility is hanging by a thread.”
Nope. That thread was severed a loooooong time ago!