Let’s Don’t Release the Epstein Files

Let the press do its job.

Photo by Wouter R on Unsplash

You all remember Jim Comey, right? He caught hell in 2016 for talking about an investigation that did not result in an arrest or indictment. Back then, we understood that the FBI and DOJ wisely followed a simple rule about investigations: put up or shut up. No arrest, no FBI statement. No indictment, no DOJ statement. These agencies don’t say “We almost have enough evidence to convict John Doe, but not quite, so we’re letting him go.” But that’s pretty close to what Comey said about Hillary, and it was the wrong thing to do. Yes, there was intense public interest in the matter, but that only reinforced the wisdom of the rule. People wanting to know something about you does not deprive you of your right not to have the government tell it to them.

So now comes the Jeffrey Epstein case. Everyone wants to know who had sex with the underage girls Epstein and Maxwell trafficked. Of course we want to know. But why aren’t the survivors telling us? I’m not questioning their veracity. More likely, they want the imprimatur of a “Government Evidence” on the information. If they speak, it’ll just be she-said, he-said. But that will also be the case if the government releases the investigative files, because the information in the files won’t be subject to cross-examination. The accused will deny any wrong-doing, and people will believe the…