Letter to the editor: Unraveling Trump's web of Epstein lies

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 02.19.26

Google “2007 Jeffrey Epstein indictment,” then read the chilling account of how prominent people systematically molested children with the help of the man a judge called “the most infamous pedophile in American history.”

Steve Bannon appears numerous times in the files, and never misses an opportunity to take credit for Trump’s trademark technique of “flooding the zone.” To divert attention from damaging facts, Trump swamps the news cycle. He threatens Canada and Greenland; kills suspected drug smugglers without due process; kidnaps Venezuela’s president and steals its oil; and falsely claims that ICE agents have “absolute immunity.” The sensory overload is mind-boggling, all-consuming and intentional.

Alex Acosta, who served as Trump’s first-term labor secretary, granted Epstein a “sweetheart deal” that grossly understates the disgusting nature and scope of Epstein’s crimes. Trump brazenly denies his well-documented, decades-long friendship with Epstein. That’s Trump’s MO — when things get hot, he denies documented facts and pretends he barely knows someone. Despite redactions and delays, the latest release of 3.5 million files paints a much darker picture.

Rep. Jamie Raskin told Axios that when House Democrats were finally allowed to search the latest files — which were not entirely unredacted, as promised — Trump’s name appeared “more than a million times.”

Trump has known convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell for years. Sensing an opportunity, she appealed to Trump for clemency in exchange for promising to exonerate him! What more must we see before Congress begins a serious investigation of Trump’s involvement?

The U.S. is at an inflection point. If there’s any chance to rescue our dying democracy, we must follow the lead of the U.K. and other countries that are investigating their Epstein collaborators. Accountability cannot stop with foreign elites — Epstein’s American co-conspirators must also be brought to justice.

The Trump-Epstein web of lies is tangled but must be unraveled. If we continue to sweep this decades-long horror under the rug, in Trump’s own words, “we won’t have a country anymore.”

Barbara Sfraga

Sunset Beach