The Unsettling Truths the Epstein Files Reveal About Power and Privilege

For many, the salient point of the Epstein files is the scandal. I think it is more accurately seen as a disclosure.

Documents that were included in the U.S. Department of Justice release of the Jeffrey Epstein files are photographed on Jan. 2, 2026. Jon Elswick/AP Photo

Commentary

The public fixation on the Epstein files has settled, predictably, on the most lurid elements of the story. This is understandable. Sexual exploitation, particularly of the young, is among the most corrosive of crimes, and the scale of Epstein’s abuse, as well as the apparent indifference of powerful institutions to it, demands moral outrage.