Members of the political elite are facing near-immediate consequences as the ongoing dump of Jeffrey Epstein files reveals their association with the convicted sex offender.
At least, that’s the case in Europe. In the United States, not so much.
The Epstein documents released by the U.S. Justice Department have led to swift repercussions for public figures in Europe who were found to have ties to the American financier. Accountability has come in the form of political and criminal investigations, as well as ousters from positions of power.
Most high-profile American figures have yet to face serious consequences. There has been some movement: Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers left his position at Harvard University last year. Brad Karp stepped down as chair of the major law firm Paul Weiss, though he remains employed there. The NFL announced an investigation into New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch over his emails with Epstein.
But big names like far-right figure Steve Bannon, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump himself have so far managed to skirt any public reckoning. Trump’s name comes up thousands of times in the latest documents, though Epstein’s victims have not accused the president of any wrongdoing.
