Don't Forget About the Victims of Epstein and Maxwell's Crimes
One of the primary arguments against releasing the Epstein files is the need to protect the victims. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has mentioned this on several occasions while also falsely claiming that the legislation introduced by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) fails to protect victims.
During a July 30 interview on CNN, Johnson said, “We have to make sure that while we're pushing all the -- the credible evidence out and information to the people so they can draw their own conclusions, we have to protect the innocent victims.” Of course, Massie-Khanna provides such protections by allowing the Attorney General to “withhold or redact” records that contain information identifying victims, CSAM, or other specific material.
Massie-Khanna is a binding piece of legislation that carries the force of law. Their effort is a rule, H.Res. 581, which brings H.R. 185 to the floor, substituting the text of the Epstein Files Transparency Act for consideration. The effort Johnson is pushing, H.Res. 589, which is nonbinding and is no more effective than a press release suggesting that the Department of Justice release the documents. All Johnson can do is tear down and mislead the public about Massie-Khanna.
The side of this story that hasn’t gotten enough attention, though, is the victims of the heinous crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. There were 36 victims identified by federal prosecutors as far back as 2008. In 2018, the Miami Herald “identified about 80 women who say they were molested or otherwise sexually abused by Epstein from 2001 to 2006.” More recently, the memo prepared by the FBI, which caused the headache the White House is experiencing, gave a much higher number of victims. “Consistent with prior disclosures,” the July memo states, “this review confirmed that Epstein harmed over one thousand victims.”
These victims have names, some of which are known while others have decided to shield themselves from the public. Each of them has experienced trauma that is unimaginable to most of us. This isn’t a “hoax” to them.
On Thursday, CNN’s Kaitlin Collins1 had one of those victims, Annie Farmer, on her show to talk about the Department of Justice’s recent interview with Maxwell, the transfer of Maxwell to a federal prison camp, and much more.
Annie Farmer testified against Maxwell during the 2021 trial for sex trafficking. She was the only victim to do so under her real name. Although the full interview is worth watching, I’m going to focus on a couple of things.
The first is, during the interview, Collins asked Farmer, “[W]here do you personally come down on the calls to release everything? Do you agree with that?” Farmer replied, “Yes, I'm definitely supportive of more transparency in this case.”
However, Farmer continued, explaining, “My sister has filed this lawsuit, in order to have more information released, as to why her 1996 FBI report, why nothing was done, right? That's something that has been so upsetting for us, to know how many people were harmed, that didn't need to be, if there had been more follow-up at that time.”
That lawsuit was filed in May by Maria Farmer. Indeed, the lawsuit alleges that Farmer “reported to the FBI that she had been sexually assaulted by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his long-time partner and leading co-conspirator.” Farmer also says that she “warned the FBI that Epstein and others had committed multiple serious sex crimes, including hands-on sexual abuse and trafficking, against girls and vulnerable young women, including against one of her minor sisters.”
Epstein was the subject of a federal criminal probe that began in 2006. He was indicted in 2007, but then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta2 reached a plea deal with Epstein’s attorney, Alan Dershowitz, which granted Epstein immunity from prosecution, without informing the victims of his crimes.3 Instead, Epstein pleaded guilty to one charge of felony solicitation of prostitution and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.4
It’s easy to get lost in the politics of the severe lack of transparency regarding the Epstein files, but we can’t forget that there are victims involved. Victims who, if they so desire, have a right to give us their thoughts on Epstein, Maxwell, and their crimes. They also have a right to weigh in on whether the files are released. That’s something Massie and Khanna plan to give the victims a platform to do on September 3. Their voices and opinions should matter, and Johnson’s preferred route, by contrast, fails to acknowledge this.
Of course, nothing is stopping the White House and the Department of Justice from simply releasing the files. They’re counting on the public to move on as it’s distracted by another news story, though. That was the design of the House leaving for the August recess days early rather than taking a vote on Massie-Khanna. Maybe the public will move on, but maybe it won’t, and that’s the gamble that the White House, Department of Justice, and congressional Republicans are making. It’s hard to push extreme theories for years about Epstein to your base, then magically make it all go away when you’re in power.
I know that most conservatives scoff at any mainstream media source, but it’s worth noting that Collins got her start in professional reporting at The Daily Caller, a conservative echo chamber co-founded by Tucker Carlson.
Acosta served as Trump’s Secretary of Labor from April 2017 until around mid-July 2019. He resigned after the plea deal he gave Epstein came under scrutiny. Acosta, who was cited for “poor judgment in a November 2020 review by the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility, claimed that he was told Epstein was an intelligence asset, but that wasn’t true.
The rights of crime victims can be found in 18 U.S.C. §3771. Among the rights described is “[t]he right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding.”
To be clear, Epstein wasn’t treated like a normal inmate. He was allowed work release after a little more than three months, despite being a sex offender, which should’ve made him ineligible. He was given other privileges that made his prison stay one of relative comfort.
I haven’t kept up much with this story, but I do believe what Massie and Khanna are doing is the right thing to do for the victims.
I do find it curious that the Epstein story was pushed hard by those on the populist right for years, and even the current administration continued to hype it up for a bit, and then, all of the sudden…..crickets…..nothing to see here.