Will Epstein's black box finally be opened?

The US Department of Justice has released another portion of the “Jeffrey Epstein Files.” Yet under the law, the full set was expected to be published by Friday. Many documents—100 pages or more—were completely redacted. Still, the released material offers enough insight into Jeffrey Epstein, who was said to have committed suicide in prison in 2019, and the filthy operations he ran.

The photographs also showed that Epstein had installed a fully equipped camera system in the mansion on his private island. It appears that Epstein systematically documented his very exclusive clients from the highest circles of US politics, finance, and technology, almost as if he were filming a movie.

Epstein, who was tried on charges of abusing underage girls and forcing them into prostitution, was no ordinary figure. He was a so-called billionaire involved in financial dealings. In the year he was tried, the estimated value of Epstein’s mansion in one of New York’s most desirable neighborhoods alone exceeded 70 million dollars. It is obvious that Epstein was not doing this purely for money. “Money” was merely a “cover.”

From the outset, the American mainstream media tried to foreground the prostitution aspect of the Epstein case. When Epstein was first tried in the mid-2000s, he escaped with a light sentence after striking a deal with the court. In that case as well, the purpose behind Epstein’s actions was never questioned.

Republicans and Democrats are selectively weaponizing the “Epstein Files” against each other. While Republicans highlight photographs of former US President Bill Clinton in the Epstein files, Democrats focus on the redacted records. In these two-sided debates, what Epstein may have done with these recordings is once again overlooked.

Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison. It was reported that Maxwell wanted to strike a deal in order to be retried. There were even rumors that Trump might pardon Maxwell. US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell last July, and the transcripts of that meeting were also released.

In the Blanche–Maxwell transcripts, Maxwell stated that she had not witnessed any criminal conduct by US President Trump. After this meeting, Maxwell was transferred to a prison with better conditions. Moreover, in the meeting she argued that she herself was not guilty, claiming instead that she was a good-faith victim of her special relationship with Epstein.

It has not gone unnoticed that those who helped Epstein escape with a light sentence in his first trial now appear to be trying to rescue Ghislaine Maxwell as well. Indeed, reports in the American media said that Professor Alan Dershowitz, one of Epstein’s lawyers in the first case, had lobbied for Maxwell to be granted immunity in exchange for testifying before a congressional committee.

Speaking to Politico in July 2025, Dershowitz pointed out that if immunity were granted, Maxwell could reveal “everything she knows” about Epstein. Without a doubt, this “everything” will not include the “usual suspects” behind Epstein. The real issue is keeping hidden the center that prepared Epstein as the operative of a global “honey trap” with the United States at its core. They succeeded in doing this in Epstein’s first case. Epstein is now a “dead man,” and the keeper of secrets, Maxwell, must not be allowed to tell “everything she knows.”

Claims that Jeffrey Epstein had ties to multiple intelligence agencies, with Israel foremost among them, are voiced even within the Israel-critical wing of the pro-Trump camp. Indeed, one of the leading figures of this wing, Tucker Carlson, complained during a speech at an event organized by the pro-Trump conservative youth organization Turning Point USA that discussion of Israel as the usual suspect behind Epstein was not permitted.

There is no doubt that Epstein built a blackmail network targeting figures who wield enormous influence over decision-making mechanisms in politics, finance, and technology. To whom Epstein may have handed copies of his recordings and images can be more or less guessed.

Who was pressured into making which decisions through Epstein’s recordings can only be uncovered through a comprehensive excavation of the past. The political earthquake that would be triggered by the truths revealed if the right brick were pulled out would be extremely powerful. Efforts to reduce the “Epstein Files” merely to the perverse acts of high-level individuals point to an attempt at a cover-up. They will not allow the right brick to be pulled.