The Epstein Files Are a Glimpse Into America’s Rot

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I tried to spend my weekend with my wife and son—just be present, just be a dad, a husband, watch the Grammys, and build some Legos. But every quiet moment got hijacked by the same rage: the latest drop of the Epstein files.

Because what’s in those files (at least the ones we have so far) isn’t just scandalous—it reveals a far more insidious, enraging, and sickening pattern in our justice system. From the credible accusations against Donald Trump to the grotesque involvement of his entire administration, the Democrats sprinkled throughout, and all the rich, well-connected monsters in between—it’s sick.

And I keep asking myself the same thing: How is it possible that, through multiple administrations, no one—no one—has gone to prison for the trafficking, abuse, and outright violence against over a thousand children?

How the hell is that even remotely possible? And of course, we know the answer. We’ve always known it.

America has a ruling class right now that sits above the law and never faces real consequences. A corrupt, powerful, untouchable class of wealthy and well connected freaks who protect each other.

It’s not about right versus left. It’s not about ideology. And it sure as hell isn’t about justice or public service.

It’s about maintaining their grip on power, padding their wallets, and doing whatever the hell they want to whoever they want—without consequence. Without shame. Without fear. This rot goes deeper than any party, because the President of the United States is accused—credibly and repeatedly—of sexually abusing children.

Let that sink in. Sworn testimony. Under penalty of perjury. An eyewitness stating Donald Trump threatened a child with violence. Threatened to kill her family. As I spent time with my son this weekend, that allegation kept swirling in my head.

And what happened? Nothing. No serious DOJ probe. No meaningful FBI investigation. Zero accountability.

Just decades of silence, cover-up, and delay—while survivors are dragged back through their trauma by a system designed to exhaust them into silence.

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Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell sits in a cushy, minimum-security prison that might as well be her country club, courtesy of a deal brokered by Todd Blanche—Trump’s former personal lawyer and now Deputy Attorney General.

Epstein died in custody under suspicious-as-hell circumstances, conveniently ensuring the most powerful people implicated would never have to answer questions under oath. We all know that if he were alive, Trump would’ve pardoned him by now. And what do we get? Nothing. No reckoning. No full transparency. Just a rigged game that protects abusers and screws over survivors.

This is not just a Trump thing. He’s a grotesque, bloated symptom of a much deeper disease. But goddamn if he isn’t the most miserable, corrupt human being to ever sit in the White House.

And somehow, in this country, the abuse of children doesn’t move the needle. Not locally. Not statewide. Not federally. How the heck is that even possible?

And then we have the audacity to talk about fixing this country—to talk about affordable housing, healthcare, dignity in retirement—as if justice is optional. As if rot at the top doesn’t poison everything below it.

And that starts with winning elections, but elections without courage are just rituals. Symbolic action. Not material. It requires building a Democratic Party with a spine. What the hell happened when Democrats actually had power?

I’m proud of folks like Robert Garcia, Ro Khanna, and a few others pushing hard to get the truth out, but what the hell happened under Joe Biden’s administration? They had access to the files. They had the power. And still—they didn’t go after the monsters inside. Why? Because some of those monsters were close to them. Because they didn’t take it seriously. And that’s unacceptable.

We’re never getting back on track until we tear this entire corrupt machine down, brick by brick. Until we rip power out of the hands of these corrupt billionaires and political ghouls who rob the American people, exploit the justice system, and turn politics into a game of self-preservation instead of public service.

The next Democratic administration needs to do more than talk policy. It needs to understand power—and how to use it. Because this country is diseased. And the people responsible need to go down. Not just for abusing kids, but for looting the economy, for wrecking lives, for grinding working Americans into dust while they buy their third yacht and brag about it on TV.

Most Americans are killing themselves just to get by while watching proof—over and over—that the system is rigged against them. But Jeff Bezos gets to bulldoze half of Venice for his third wedding, and Elon Musk gets to meltdown on X like he’s got some kind of moral high ground—despite being in the damn Epstein files himself, begging for invites to Epstein’s wildest island parties. And still, we’re supposed to pretend he’s just some eccentric genius? Fuck that.

This is why people give up. You suffer. The victims suffer. The entire country suffers.

And the MAGA influencers? Don’t even get me started. They’re out here spinning new conspiracy theories every five minutes to protect their king—Trump—and every crony around him. Trump’s Commerce Secretary? In the files. His pick for Fed Chair? In the files. And yet we’re supposed to buy this fantasy that Trump was somehow on the outside of all this? Come on.

Then I turn on cable news and there’s Todd Blanche again, spewing nonsense about transparency and how “all the files have been released.” They haven’t. Claiming the investigation is over. It isn’t. Pretending this is all wrapped up when it clearly, clearly isn’t. And worse, implying the reason they’re holding some names back is because the crimes detailed in those accusations—violence, murder, God knows what else—are even worse than what we’ve already seen. Which should terrify everyone.

If you’ve seen even a fraction of those documents, you know how bad it is. And the fact that survivors have to keep reliving that trauma in a system that doesn’t give a shit? That’s the real indictment of where we are. That’s the rot at the center of the American experience: the average person is suffering, giving up on democracy, on justice, on community, because they can see the system is rigged against them. When monsters like Trump and Musk and the rest can walk free, why would anyone feel hope? Why would anyone bother to participate? Why would you work harder, vote harder, believe harder, when everything is stacked against you?

Most Americans are killing themselves just to get by, while these billionaires flaunt their wealth, abuse kids, and get away with it. And the people who are supposed to protect us—our leaders, our law enforcement, our institutions—either can’t or won’t do shit. They lie. They cover. They protect their own. And they laugh at the rest of us like it’s all some game.

But politics shouldn’t be a game. And justice shouldn’t be selective. Government shouldn’t be about protecting predators and crooks. It should be about helping regular people get a damn job, earn a decent wage, raise their family, retire with some dignity. That’s what this whole thing is supposed to be about. But it hasn’t been for a long time. And I am so tired.

I’m tired and I’m furious. Because all I wanted this weekend was to be a husband. A dad. A guy on the couch watching the Grammys. But I couldn’t stop thinking about this horror show we’re all living in. I’m exhausted by what this country has become.

And let me leave you with this: it’s not just Trump. He’s the rotting face on the front of it, but the disease runs deeper. And every one of us has to find a way to push back. To call it out. To demand better. To be useful, however we can. Big ways. Small ways. Just find yours.

Anger is not the problem. Apathy is. Stay angry. Just aim it well.

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