# What am I missing about the Epstein files? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [December 18, 2025, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811 "2025-12-18T04:57:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/21 "2025-12-18T20:59:21Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Or they’re fine with it. They are perfectly fine with it, and want to be just like him. Fall back asswards into a pile of money, rape women and little girls. Bully people and get away with obvious crimes. Don’t pay your debts. This is what they LIKE about him and what they aspire to. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/22 "2025-12-18T21:09:03Z")
Gift link to an article in the times about Trump and Epstein’s relationship. For Mar-a-Lago gatherings, groups of models were sometimes bused in from Miami, often with help from Mr. Trump’s friend Jason Binn, a co-founder of the society magazine Ocean Drive. Mr. Binn did not return calls and emails seeking comment. Tina Davis, who worked with Ford Models in the mid-1990s, said in an interview that her Ford booker instructed her to get dressed up and attend a Mar-a-Lago party in late 1994. Just 14 and new to Miami, she was told to “dress sexy,” according to her mother, Sandra Coleman, who had accompanied her to Florida. Eight or nine other models came along on the bus. “All the girls were really young,” Ms. Coleman recalled in an interview. “Some of them could have been in training bras.” When they arrived at Mar-a-Lago, Ms. Coleman said, her daughter was promptly handed a glass of champagne. She took it away, but waiters kept offering more. Each time one of the middle-aged men at the party approached her daughter, Ms. Coleman would walk over and introduce herself as Ms. Davis’s mother. During a trip to the bathroom, they ran into Mr. Trump’s new wife, whom they had met earlier. Ms. Maples clasped her hands, Ms. Coleman recalled, and looked her in the eye. “Whatever you do, do not let her around any of these men, and especially my husband,” she told Ms. Coleman. “Protect her.” [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/us/jeffrey-epstein-donald-trump.html?unlocked\_article\_code=1.9k8.sVOI.UVdRCGtQ4rzL&smid=url-share](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/us/jeffrey-epstein-donald-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9k8.sVOI.UVdRCGtQ4rzL&smid=url-share) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/23 "2025-12-18T21:14:47Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I ask, ‘If your Messiah isn’t in the Epstein files, why doesn’t He release them? Why is He protecting Clinton?’ trump can not unilaterally release them- legally anyway. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > What I am missing, is, why haven’t the files been released already? What in fuck’s name are they waiting for? The Courts have to give approval to release Grand Jury files. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/24 "2025-12-19T18:50:06Z")
> [@ThisOneGuy](#): > > Publishing the files was an important campaign promise. I thought it was more of a “er, yeah, well, I guess so” promise. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/25 "2025-12-19T19:14:19Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > During a trip to the bathroom, they ran into Mr. Trump’s new wife, whom they had met earlier. Ms. Maples clasped her hands, Ms. Coleman recalled, and looked her in the eye. “Whatever you do, do not let her around any of these men, and especially my husband,” she told Ms. Coleman. “Protect her.” _…Here’s your one chance Fancy. Don’t let me down…_ ---
**Author:** ![ThisOneGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@ThisOneGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisOneGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/26 "2025-12-19T19:14:51Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I thought it was more of a “er, yeah, well, I guess so” promise. To Trump not even that much. It was important to his conspiracy theory loving supporters. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/27 "2025-12-19T19:46:26Z")
No, it was a core element of his campaign for his base. Attorney General Bondi said she had the client list sitting on her desk and was about to release it and Dan Bongino was made deputy director of the FBI largely because he was a big proponent of the Epstein conspiracy on his talk show. They constantly talked up the cabal of elite pedophiles that they were going to expose. > **[Dan Bongino](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Bongino)** > > Daniel John Bongino (/bɒndʒiːnoʊ/ bon-JEE-noh; born December 4, 1974) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, and law enforcement officer who has served as the 20th deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) since 2025. He hosted The Dan Bongino Show on Rumble and previously hosted Unfiltered with Dan Bongino on Fox News until April 2023. > Bongino began his career as a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer from 1995 to 1999 before serving as a ... > **[Bondi says Epstein client list 'sitting on my desk right now,' and is...](https://www.fox7austin.com/news/pam-bondi-epstein-client-list-jfk-mlk-files)** > > U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told 'America Reports' host John Roberts that she is reviewing the Jeffrey Epstein list, which is "sitting on my desk right now," along with the JFK and MLK files. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/28 "2025-12-19T20:10:39Z")
The True Believers will claim the files were fake from the beginning. Trump won’t be prosecuted. Those who were waffling about whether or not to believe him will forget all about it in the 3 years between now and the election. Once upon a time, I wasn’t this cynical. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/29 "2025-12-19T20:25:02Z")
Not only have we known for years that Trump is a creep, but we’ve also known for years that he specifically preys on underage girls. When he was a sponsor of the Miss Teen USA pageant, he would barge in unannounced into the contestants’ dressing rooms. He brags about that. It’s probably why he was involved in the pageant to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/30 "2025-12-20T01:40:30Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Trump won’t be prosecuted. There was never anything in there criminal to start with. But as we have seen, lots of embarrassing stuff has been redacted, just like I predicted. ---
**Author:** ![nate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nate/32/13085_2.png) [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/31 "2025-12-20T01:54:40Z")
We hold out hope for the dam to break and Trump goes down by popular demand. His voters finally realize their grave mistake and vow to never vote again. It first it was the pee tape with Russian hookers. Then a tape of him using the ‘N’ word on the set of the apprentice. A lot of us still had hope for the Mueller report to turn the tide. Now we have the Epstein files. If you haven’t given up hope yet, more power to you. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/32 "2025-12-20T02:25:51Z")
Just speculation, but the first link in the chain of the trafficking was that tacky shit-hole in Florida. Girls would be hired for what seemed to be legitimate employment, then passed along (sold) to the private island. I would assume there is ample evidence of this. But that’s just my opinion. Nothing to see here… ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/33 "2025-12-20T15:02:14Z")
I would bet you’re right. And of course your right that it’s a tacky shit-hole. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/34 "2025-12-20T15:42:30Z")
I fear what you are missing is the files themselves, at least the ones showing trump, his donors or his party buddies, because they have been redacted and now only show the darkest shade of black throughout. Page after page after page. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/35 "2025-12-21T00:33:03Z")
How much was known about Epstein’s … activities … and how long ago was it known? The first I ever heard of the guy was when he killed (or didn’t kill) himself. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/36 "2025-12-21T00:45:53Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > How much was known about Epstein’s … activities … and how long ago was it known? In 2008 he was convicted of a couple of sex crimes, but few paid attention until 2019 when he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges. That is when the BIG can of worms was opened. He was a regular figure at fund raising dinners and such since the 1980s. So, there are 4-6 decades before people really knew what was up. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/37 "2025-12-21T01:22:52Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > How much was known about Epstein’s … activities … and how long ago was it known? The first I ever heard of the guy was when he killed (or didn’t kill) himself Epstein’s relationship with Prince Andrew had been known and criticized since before COVID and of course the clip of Trump joking about Epstein liking underage girls was played extensively during the 2016 election. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/38 "2025-12-21T02:42:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > There was never anything in there criminal to start with. But as we have seen, lots of embarrassing stuff has been redacted, just like I predicted. This is a good example of the kind of benefit-of-the-doubt thinking that is confusing the OP. Knowing what we know about Donald Trump, knowing that “consent” is not a word in his dictionary, you think he spent all these _years_ around the world’s most notorious pedophile and he never did anything with any of those 1,000 victims? He never groped one? Never had sex with one? Never even tried? You think this clown show cover-up is just to protect a man with no shame from _embarrassment_? Trump is a criminal through and through. This release of the Epstein files has turned a figurative cover-up into a literal one. And you still give him the benefit of the doubt here? Sure, innocent until proven guilty and all but at the same time _you are watching him burn the proof_. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/39 "2025-12-21T02:49:18Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > _you are watching him burn the proof_. Which makes me wonder: Are the massively redacted files copies, or have all those feverish redactors been blacking out the originals? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811/40 "2025-12-21T04:32:59Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > This is a good example of the kind of benefit-of-the-doubt thinking that is confusing the OP. Knowing what we know about Donald Trump, knowing that “consent” is not a word in his dictionary, you think he spent all these _years_ around the world’s most notorious pedophile and he never did anything with any of those 1,000 victims Well, two things- on Epstein’s famous island- and that whole territory of course- the age of consent is 16, not 18. And I am not saying you-know-who never did anything illegal with women- obviously he did. But the magic Epstein files- there was no _criminal level evidence_ of trump or any celebrity’s illegal activity. Remember the Grand Jury looked at them to make an indictment. Sure, you can find pics of some guy with a young girl sitting on his lap, etc. But there aint no photos of that same guy having actual sex with an identifiable underage girl. So, sure go ahead and be _sure_ he did some nasty stuff, I am not doubting that. But there never was any _useable criminal proof_ of any sex laws being broken by any celebrities- not trump, not Clinton, not Andrew, none. We can- in our heart of hearts KNOW something occurred- but the law needs solid criminal evidence. See the difference? There is and will be pictures that allude to such activity, but that is about it. Stuff that will embarrass trump. Stuff that his MAGA people will explain away. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-missing-about-the-epstein-files/1025811.md?page=3)