Why has nothing been done about the Epstein Files?

What binds a Saudi prince, a former Israeli prime minister, a leftist academic, and two US presidents? Until December 2025, when the Epstein Files were released, the answer seemed to be nothing. Now, it’s clear that one New York powerbroker was at the centre of a scandal that extends to every political, economic, and social institution of the 21st century. What remains one of the more anguishing aspects of the Epstein scandal is the degree to which those involved, on opposing political and moral sides, chatted, dined, and committed various sexual crimes alongside each other.

In one instance, Epstein maintained a close relationship with Noam Chomsky, a leftist philosopher, with whom he discussed linguistics, family life, and how best to do PR. The email chains lasted upwards of 12 years after Epstein first went to prison in 2006. In another instance, Epstein was infatuated by racial eugenics regarding Black Americans, including referencing his ties to James Watson, a disgraced geneticist turned white supremacist. In other emails, Epstein expressed concern about the impact of rising global antisemitism, mentioning the influential anti-discrimination campaigner Rabbi Sacks, whose best-known work is called ‘Dignity and Difference’.

Arrogance, power, and sexual assault often go hand in hand

It is difficult to comprehend how, in a world divided along political, religious, ethnic and moral lines, one man managed to interact with so many opposing groups. Arrogance, power, and sexual assault often go hand in hand. Savile told one of his victims, “Nobody will believe you. I’m Jimmy Savile. I can get you.” The victim told her mother about Savile. Her mother dismissed it as a lie. The victim never mentioned Savile again.

Arrogance is not just limited to the accused of the past. In a June 2024 Fox & Friends interview, Trump was asked if he would declassify various federal files if re-elected. He promptly answered “yes” to files regarding 9/11 and the JFK assassination. When it came to Epstein, he stated, “I don’t know about Epstein so much as I do the others.” In Epstein’s 50^th birthday card, an imagined conversation between Trump and Epstein ended with: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Former President Bill Clinton has chosen a similar bluff. In a series of tweets, he wrote that his questioning by the Oversight Committee was “pure politics” and akin to a “kangaroo court”. He squarely accused his accusers of working on behalf of Trump as a kind of smear campaign to both turn attention away from Trump’s own involvement and to damage the Democrats in the build-up to the 2028 election. One 17-year-old victim wrote in her diary regarding Clinton, “It doesn’t matter how far away you are. No matter how good you think you are. Even the old president! They will get you. He should have been thinking of Chelsea! [Bill Clinton’s Daughter]” Ghislaine Maxwell was present at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in 2010, four years after Epstein’s first conviction. The question remains: what next?

Many have pointed to the United Kingdom as a success story in its prosecution of the Epstein scandal

Many have pointed to the United Kingdom as a success story in its prosecution of the Epstein scandal. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson were both brought in on civil offence charges. The United States, in comparison, has yet to arrest anyone beyond Ghislaine and Epstein himself in association with the Epstein Files. So, is the UK doing a better job of prosecuting those involved than Trump’s White House?

Whilst any prosecution is a success, basing cases on charges of misconduct in public office, charges which are completely unrelated to the obvious centre of the Epstein scandal, the sexual assault of the victims is disheartening. Especially given the clarity regarding Andrew’s involvement. The question then follows: Why has the response from various criminal justice systems been so lacklustre?

A global sex trafficking and secret sharing ring cannot operate in a vacuum

The answer remains in the complicity of the institutions in question. Epstein, Trump, Mountbatten-Windsor, and all those involved are rich, powerful, and certainly arrogant. Still, their actions or crimes do not spread across cities, countries, or continents without the complicity of the institutions involved. A global sex trafficking and secret sharing ring cannot operate in a vacuum.

Many argue that the more complicated the conspiracy, the more likely it is that someone will leak the truth. The reality, however, is far more depressing than any conspiracy theory. Victims and survivors desperately clawed at the justice system for help and were promptly sidelined. Even when the pressure of evidence and testimony became too big to ignore, the state quickly cushioned Epstein’s fall from grace. Epstein’s first plea in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor placed him in a work-release programme, allowing him to leave freely during the day and maintain access to an electronic device, a deal that defies any belief in the protection of the public.

The best the state can muster is civil charges or a prison cell that [they] can walk out of

If you were in Epstein’s, Andrew’s, Clinton’s, Trump’s, or Mandelson’s position, it would be hard to see their arrogance as unjustified. Your alleged or proven crimes or victims can be ignored; your actions can be considered an “open secret” known across all aspects of elite life. Even in the slim chance that you are brought to court, the best the state can muster is civil charges or a prison cell that you can walk out of.

As survivor Virginia Giuffre wrote, “[I want a world where] predators are punished, not protected; victims are treated with compassion, not shamed; and powerful people face the same consequences as anyone else (…) I mean, seriously: Where are those videotapes the FBI confiscated from Epstein’s houses? And why haven’t they led to the prosecution of any more abusers?”