Really great coverage. I have watched about half of the Australia 60 Minutes interview of Virginia Giuffre - I will go back and finish it but its so hard to hear her tell her story. She never had a chance! From the time she was SEVEN! I find it so hard to understand how her parents seemingly either didnt see or ignored what happened to her.
I have to assume that many of these young women/girls had similar backgrounds - making them so vulnerable to this kind of abuse.
This only reinforces my relief that I cancelled my WaPo subscription. However, I mourn a free and fair press. The country is much less safe because of a corrupted media.
"To WaPo’s credit, its editorial board did allude that Epstein “got off far too easily in 2008” due to limited evidence then, implicitly validating victim accounts that more happened. "
"Limited evidence"? The way I read the story of Epstein's plea deal, Epstein got a wink and nod from the prosecution. The victims were largely ignored and their chance to testify buried. The evidence was limited, but to all appearances, that was by design.
I think that there are several stories with this story, and the seemingly unjustified "irregular" favors to Maxwell smells fishy to say the least. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/16/ghislaine-maxwell-low-security-prison-treatment speaks of her treatment as typically a reward for a favor to the state. That's no small thing since she was apparently in a position to have revealed more than she is saying. If she was shut up by taking a payoff, that raises all kinds of questions. The second story is, yet inextricably part of the whole sordid thing, the improper access, influence, and impunity of those with a lot of money. That's corrupt in itself. a third story is why Trump so bothers to kill the release of evidence that says nothing against him, but might damage rivals. Fourth is honest journalism and how necessary that is to social justice. A fifth, and yes, most crucial of all, is what victims, including one that did not survive, have to say about it all. That there were victims of Epstein's sociopathic self-indulgences is not in dispute. The whole thing stinks to high heaven.
Excellent coverage of the whole story. As a long-time reader of major newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post, I am deeply disappointed that the Washington Post has sunk to this level. I recall the courageous reporting they did during Watergate and other notable stories. These girls, now women, deserve the truth to be boldly written, no matter who is taken down by the truth.
How Catherine Graham and Ben Bradlee must be rolling in their graves. This is why my hubby and I have stopped reading the BBC, the Washington Post, and even the New York Times, which Ellie Leonard has pointed out is led by a CEO who appears in the Epstein Diaries. So we must ask ourselves, how and why the WaPo caved. Perhaps there is an associated high-up name in the Epstein files?? Thanks, Xplisset, for mentioning the victims first and foremost. Kudos my friend.
Thank you so much. This is the most open, fair and clear accounting of the Epstein files , cover-up , news coverage , facts , and most importantly the victims voices that I have read. Appreciate your work more than I can say.
During Trump's First administration Bezos appeared to be. He lost government contracts because of his not supporting Trump through limiting what WaPo reporters could say, could reveal.
This time, once Trump received the nomination, Bezos began kissing his rump. His space business, Blue Origin, recently launched a couple of NASA satellites.
This means more than you know Leslie. I grew up trusting those same mastheads, and part of what I’m trying to do here is grieve that loss in public without losing my mind or my empathy. You naming Annie Farmer and those FBI dates is exactly the “whole story” I was trying to move toward which is the spin aimed at all of us, and the women who paid for it with their sleep and their lives. I’m glad you’re still watching with that Watergate trained eye cause I’m writing for folks like you.
THIS is really FANTASTIC!!! Thank you VERY VERY much!!! You put in A LOT of work for that, and I appreciate it.
Really great coverage. I have watched about half of the Australia 60 Minutes interview of Virginia Giuffre - I will go back and finish it but its so hard to hear her tell her story. She never had a chance! From the time she was SEVEN! I find it so hard to understand how her parents seemingly either didnt see or ignored what happened to her.
I have to assume that many of these young women/girls had similar backgrounds - making them so vulnerable to this kind of abuse.
This only reinforces my relief that I cancelled my WaPo subscription. However, I mourn a free and fair press. The country is much less safe because of a corrupted media.
"To WaPo’s credit, its editorial board did allude that Epstein “got off far too easily in 2008” due to limited evidence then, implicitly validating victim accounts that more happened. "
"Limited evidence"? The way I read the story of Epstein's plea deal, Epstein got a wink and nod from the prosecution. The victims were largely ignored and their chance to testify buried. The evidence was limited, but to all appearances, that was by design.
I think that there are several stories with this story, and the seemingly unjustified "irregular" favors to Maxwell smells fishy to say the least. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/16/ghislaine-maxwell-low-security-prison-treatment speaks of her treatment as typically a reward for a favor to the state. That's no small thing since she was apparently in a position to have revealed more than she is saying. If she was shut up by taking a payoff, that raises all kinds of questions. The second story is, yet inextricably part of the whole sordid thing, the improper access, influence, and impunity of those with a lot of money. That's corrupt in itself. a third story is why Trump so bothers to kill the release of evidence that says nothing against him, but might damage rivals. Fourth is honest journalism and how necessary that is to social justice. A fifth, and yes, most crucial of all, is what victims, including one that did not survive, have to say about it all. That there were victims of Epstein's sociopathic self-indulgences is not in dispute. The whole thing stinks to high heaven.
Excellent coverage of the whole story. As a long-time reader of major newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post, I am deeply disappointed that the Washington Post has sunk to this level. I recall the courageous reporting they did during Watergate and other notable stories. These girls, now women, deserve the truth to be boldly written, no matter who is taken down by the truth.
How Catherine Graham and Ben Bradlee must be rolling in their graves. This is why my hubby and I have stopped reading the BBC, the Washington Post, and even the New York Times, which Ellie Leonard has pointed out is led by a CEO who appears in the Epstein Diaries. So we must ask ourselves, how and why the WaPo caved. Perhaps there is an associated high-up name in the Epstein files?? Thanks, Xplisset, for mentioning the victims first and foremost. Kudos my friend.
Thanks for the excellent analysis of this sordid tale. Coincidentally, I wrote a substack today discussing Virginia Giuffre's book and how hard it is to readl. https://donnamaurillo.substack.com/p/nobodys-girl-is-a-harrowing-tale
Thank you so much. This is the most open, fair and clear accounting of the Epstein files , cover-up , news coverage , facts , and most importantly the victims voices that I have read. Appreciate your work more than I can say.
Damn. I didn’t think of that. You are so right. You made that so clear X. Thanks.
WaPo has gone way downhill since Bezos bought it.
I was naive I suppose. Thought Bezos was one of the good ones if there is such a thing.
During Trump's First administration Bezos appeared to be. He lost government contracts because of his not supporting Trump through limiting what WaPo reporters could say, could reveal.
This time, once Trump received the nomination, Bezos began kissing his rump. His space business, Blue Origin, recently launched a couple of NASA satellites.
This means more than you know Leslie. I grew up trusting those same mastheads, and part of what I’m trying to do here is grieve that loss in public without losing my mind or my empathy. You naming Annie Farmer and those FBI dates is exactly the “whole story” I was trying to move toward which is the spin aimed at all of us, and the women who paid for it with their sleep and their lives. I’m glad you’re still watching with that Watergate trained eye cause I’m writing for folks like you.