It’s a good thing we have so many super-intelligent people on our side of the fence. They pick up on things most of us (including me) miss. This one is a doozy. It seems someone in the legal world has noticed something very telling that’s missing from the released files (and I won’t get started on all the delays and dribs and drabs, but I wish Congressional Democrats would). It’s a *facepalm* moment when it’s shown to us. Once again with feeling, thanks to Raw Story:
Speculation has been building about whether President Donald Trump’s administration has broken the law when it comes to releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files, and one legal analyst on Sunday flagged key files that have continued to be withheld from the public. Last week, the Trump administration released a new tranche of documents related to the FBI’s investigation into Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex criminal. The latest batch contains several emails between Trump and Epstein, as well as multiple photographs of Epstein with celebrities and politicians. However, the administration failed to release the FBI’s 302 reports, which are filed whenever an agent interviews someone in a case.
Yes, indeed. The *victims* deserve to be heard. A group of them came forward to get everything started on releasing the files. But their stories haven’t come out to us. That’s just as important as how many times Trump’s name shows up in them. Hell YES, the administration is breaking the law. Those should have been among the first pieces released, we would think. Only a lawyer could answer that accurately, so we shall think as we may.
Kristy Greenberg, MS NOW legal analyst, discussed the administration’s decision to withhold these files on Sunday’s broadcast of “Alex Witt Reports.” “The act is very clear that among the materials that should be produced are the accounts of the survivors,” she said. “That is the thing we have not seen yet in any of the materials that have been released.” Greenberg argued that withholding the files is either “incompetence at best” or an “intentional choice” by the administration. “We have not seen any 302 reports for these accusers,” she said. “And that is exactly the kind of material that the act contemplates the American people should see with redactions to protect the victim’s identity.”
Ding-ding-ding! It’s good to be told something by a pro who knows about these things. This is how I learned when I was starting this column. We can talk til we’re blue in the face and the cows come home, but there isn’t much we can do about forcing them to be given to us. That’s bloody damn frustrating. They are dragging their feet or conveniently forgetting (please read Denis’s column about that here) that there is a LAW in place requiring these to be sent out. When will there come a point when it has to be forced?
Trump has routinely tried to obfuscate the release of the Epstein files since Congress overwhelmingly passed the discharge petition to force the administration’s hand. Many of the files were heavily redacted, and almost none mentioned any perpetrators other than Epstein. That has led some to speculate whether Trump is trying to protect people in the files at the expense of victims. “Their stories need to be told, and they are not supposed to be silenced anymore,” Greenberg said. “And unfortunately, with this drip, drip, drip, and continuing to hold back that really important material. I can imagine that victims are really frustrated right now, and they have every right to be.”
Haven’t they paid enough already? Haven’t they laid their hearts and souls out there enough already? When do we get to hear from them? Pretty much everything is secondary compared to all the other crap we’ve been spoon-fed thus far. Their stories need to be brought into the light. Yes, their stories need to be told, and told NOW.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money, especially around the holidays. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
