For some reason, the Trump administration, i.e. Attorney General Pam Bondi is slow walking the release of the Epstein files. If I remember correctly, it was a campaign promise to release them asap, and it’s now been 130 days, and we know very little. We here that there are so many files and videos, that it will take so much time for the FBI to sort through it all. I don’t buy that, 130 days is enough time.
Why the slow walking? Are too many people in high places implicated? I think we knew before this presidency that Prince Andrew, former president Bill Clinton and billionaire Bill Gates were allegedly involved with Epstein and his web of child trafficking. Each allegedly made trips to Lolita Island, just off the coast of St. Thomas, which was Epstein’s remote playground where all sorts of sordid activities took place.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Virginia Giuffre committed suicide. She was 41 and left behind 3 children. Legacy news made very little mention of her death. But, in my mind, it is a big story, because Virginia was the main witness against Epstein and his cohorts. Why it was barely mentioned on TV or in newspapers is beyond me.
Giuffre’s suicide was real, unlike Epstein’s who supposedly hung himself in a jail cell under bizarre circumstances. Virginia died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in her Australian home.
She sued Epstein in 2009 but settled out of court. She sued Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime partner, who is in jail for assisting Epstein in trafficking minors and won a substantial sum. She sued Prince Andrew in 2021 but again settled out of court. She won huge million-dollar settlements, particularly from Prince Andrew, who had no desire to be dragged through the U.S. court system, guilty or not.
But the money gain did not satisfy Virginia. She was abused physically and mentally throughout her teen years by Epstein and others and the scars left behind were too much to overcome. She struggled with shame and guilt. PTSD nightmares persisted as she relived the abuse daily.
She dealt with fear of not being believed, although the courts eventually validated her claims. She suffered with the loss of her teenage years and innocence. Daily, she had the pressure of being a public voice and having to be the most outspoken advocate representing the hundreds of other teens assaulted by Epstein and his friends.
Virginia Giuffre spoke up. She told her story and in the end it was too much to handle emotionally. Unfortunately, she’s not alone when it comes to be speaking out against child predators. Victims would rather forget than have to endure the public scrutiny of others, particularly defense attorneys. Virginia, however, did tell her story, and is a hero for doing so.
Bondi needs to do what is right, no matter the consequences. No matter which public figure may be implicated. The public has a right to know. We owe it to Virginia Giuffre.
