On November 18, with an overwhelming vote of 427-1, Congress passed a bill to release the Epstein Files. The next morning, President Donald Trump vowed to sign it into law, ending his extended opposition to the release. While the hundreds of survivors have taken time to celebrate, countless Americans have a lack of understanding of the entire Epstein case. In light of this, here is everything you need to know regarding this dark mark of American history. 

Jeffrey Epstein was an American financier and convicted sex offender who committed and orchestrated a widespread ring of sex trafficking involving numerous underage girls. He was extremely wealthy and owned two private islands where many of these acts of abuse were committed. The term “The Epstein Files” refers to the thousands of pages of data and documents collected during the criminal investigations of these abuses. These documents include emails, plane tickets to the island, and photos found in Epstein’s house. The documents, for the most part, have been concealed fairly well. Until now. 

Over the years, tens of thousands of pages of records have been released through civil lawsuits and public disclosures. Now more than ever, it is becoming increasingly clear that the full release of these documents is essential in order to calm this raging political battle between Democrats and Republicans, and to hold other perpetrators accountable for their crimes. 

According to Howard Warren, history teacher at WCA, “Both sides are essentially trying to use these files to politically embarrass the other side.” Warren states that it is imperative for these files to be released for the sake of transparency: “At this point, the most important thing is to try as much as possible to do away with the appearance of a cover up, and to try to put away as much as possible the conspiracy theories around it.”

Now that the bill has been passed for the release of these files, the Department of Justice has about a month to disclose the documents to the public. The bill states that the DOJ has 30 days to make “publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials.” 

However, the Department of Justice can choose to withhold certain material from the public if they see it necessary. For example, redacted from these documents will be identifiable information regarding the names of victims, as well as specifics of abuse, death, or injuries in order to protect the privacy of these girls. Additionally, some material recovered from Epstein’s homes in his private locations will be withheld as well, because agents have reported that this is where they found sexually suggestive photographs locked away. 

So, what exactly can we expect from these documents? As of right now, the contents of these files will most likely be a mixture of new information, as well as some already released information from previous investigations. These could include prosecution memos, emails, transcripts of witness interviews, etc. There are many things that have never been seen by the public, and now they will finally be released. 

Now, the question on America’s mind is ‘what will happen if Trump, or any other political figure, is implicated in these files?’ In this situation, there is a major difference between being mentioned and being involved. If figures are simply mentioned in these files, it will probably only lead to political embarrassment. However, if there is a strong indication that these powerful individuals were directly involved in these abuses, then they would face direct charges for the federal crimes they committed. 

Overall, the decision to release the Epstein Files will be a benefit to the situation. Throughout the release of these files, however, the true tragedy of this scandal has been lost to Americans. Warren speaks on this topic, saying “We have this shouting match between Democrats and Republicans over the politics of the whole thing. What’s gotten lost is the fact that we’re talking about teenage girls who were being sexually abused.”

While the official number has never been confirmed, it is estimated that Jeffery Epstein assaulted over 100 girls. Many of these girls have committed suicide, and plenty more have received death threats throughout the years. The true justice of this situation would not be a Democrat or Republican win. It would be for America to gather around these women, and support them through these horrible crimes. 

Not everything needs to become a vigorous political battle. When innocent people’s lives are on the line, sometimes the best thing to do is support them instead of finding a political party to blame.