General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Do people actually believe the Epstein files matter? [View all]AZJonnie
(2,261 posts)In no small part because we'll never get the whole thing, un-doctored by Bondi and Patel.
But also because I think that even the full files would drop with a nothing-burger level thud in the first place. In the sense there will be nothing new and earth-shattering in them.
That's because I believe if they actually contained the things that people frantically speculate about, like all-powerful Pedo Cabals with the power to whack Epstein in jail, and/or Epstein running a massive child-prostitution ring to the rich and famous, this would have part of the Biden DoJ's case against Maxwell. Instead they prosecuted her for trafficking a couple of girls to Epstein himself, and got a conviction for only 1.
Also I believe Epstein's pilots, who were PROSECUTION witnesses for the DOJ in the Maxwell case, who said Giuffre is the only minor they know of who travelled without a guardian on the plane, ever. And they presumed Guiffre was over 18 because of how she dressed, carried herself, and was treated by Epstein and Maxwell, i.e. like an adult, and she travelled with them a LOT of times. And that they never found evidence of sex while cleaning up after flights, and that they were never told any area of the plane was "off-limits", ever, and that they spent time in the cabin fairly often, used the restroom in the cabin area, etc. They testified this under oath, in a massive, high-profile case against Maxwell, where any of presumably dozens of women could call them out and say "bullshit" if they were lying? And none of them did.
I think the reality of the Epstein case is considerably more mundane than people speculate. A couple of rich perverts recruiting and paying vulnerable minors for sex, with themselves. Though I do believe they shared their concubine, Virginia Giuffre, with Prince Andrew, and probably some others, since she says that happened.
Basically, I think we already pretty much know what happened even without the release of the files. What probably IS in the files though is some evidence of people KNOWING, but not saying jack about it. People like TSF, for example.