If Republican leaders in Washington had hoped that a month-long congressional recess would help the Jeffrey Epstein controversy die down, this week's frenzy of activity has dashed those hopes - at least for now. Last Friday, the Justice Department released more than 33,000 pages of documents related to its Epstein investigation into child sex trafficking. By Monday, a consensus had formed that most of the information was already publicly available or of little interest.
Early in the week, Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democrat Ro Khanna of California resumed their efforts to gather support for a discharge petition in the House of Representatives that would force a vote on publicly releasing the entirety of the government's Epstein case information. On Wednesday, a group of Epstein victims and their families held a press conference on the steps of the Capitol to support the discharge petition and call for full disclosure in the Epstein case.
Taken together, it's the kind of drumbeat of attention that has helped the story break into the larger public's awareness. But will it stay there? Here are possible scenarios for what happens next.
### The heat on Trump rises
The victims' press conference could mark a dramatic turn in the Epstein saga. Missing from the Washington dialogue, which had focused on client lists and the possible involvement of the rich and powerful, were the faces of those whose lives were damaged or destroyed as children by Epstein's crimes.
The gathering at the Capitol on Wednesday put those victims front and center - with an added promise that they would not be silenced. Donald Trump has for months tried to brush off the criticisms of his administration's handling of the Epstein case as a hoax perpetrated by his political enemies. That strategy, while effective in the past, is becoming harder in this case. And if Massie and Khanna succeed in forcing a House vote to publicly release all remaining Epstein files - and there is new, politically damaging information in them involving Trump or other high-profile political figures - the dam could break.
Even if there is no client list of Epstein's rich and powerful comes to light, the victims might will one into existence. They've promised to gather the names of those they said had close ties to Epstein and were connected to his misdeeds.
### It rumbles on but little damage
Maybe there's nothing new in any new Epstein-related documents that make it into the public domain. Or maybe the congressional efforts to force public disclosure fall just short. Even with the victims and their families becoming more visible, new revelations or information are what drive news cycles and substantively move public opinion.
In this scenario, the Epstein story doesn't go away completely but it never becomes the kind of crisis that causes lasting political damage to the Trump administration. It is a distraction, not a disruption.
### Fade to black, scandal subsides
If there's one undeniable power that Trump has shown over his 10 years in the national political spotlight, it's the ability to outlast every scandal and controversy that comes his way. While the Epstein story has a toxic blend of power, abuse, sex, and influence, there's no indication that this will be any different. If so, the Epstein saga will return to corners of the internet and the political fringes, joining the Kennedy assassination, US moon landing, and, yes, Obama's birth certificate as the focus of only an obsessed few.
Early in the week, Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democrat Ro Khanna of California resumed their efforts to gather support for a discharge petition in the House of Representatives that would force a vote on publicly releasing the entirety of the government's Epstein case information. On Wednesday, a group of Epstein victims and their families held a press conference on the steps of the Capitol to support the discharge petition and call for full disclosure in the Epstein case.
Taken together, it's the kind of drumbeat of attention that has helped the story break into the larger public's awareness. But will it stay there? Here are possible scenarios for what happens next.
### The heat on Trump rises
The victims' press conference could mark a dramatic turn in the Epstein saga. Missing from the Washington dialogue, which had focused on client lists and the possible involvement of the rich and powerful, were the faces of those whose lives were damaged or destroyed as children by Epstein's crimes.
The gathering at the Capitol on Wednesday put those victims front and center - with an added promise that they would not be silenced. Donald Trump has for months tried to brush off the criticisms of his administration's handling of the Epstein case as a hoax perpetrated by his political enemies. That strategy, while effective in the past, is becoming harder in this case. And if Massie and Khanna succeed in forcing a House vote to publicly release all remaining Epstein files - and there is new, politically damaging information in them involving Trump or other high-profile political figures - the dam could break.
Even if there is no client list of Epstein's rich and powerful comes to light, the victims might will one into existence. They've promised to gather the names of those they said had close ties to Epstein and were connected to his misdeeds.
### It rumbles on but little damage
Maybe there's nothing new in any new Epstein-related documents that make it into the public domain. Or maybe the congressional efforts to force public disclosure fall just short. Even with the victims and their families becoming more visible, new revelations or information are what drive news cycles and substantively move public opinion.
In this scenario, the Epstein story doesn't go away completely but it never becomes the kind of crisis that causes lasting political damage to the Trump administration. It is a distraction, not a disruption.
### Fade to black, scandal subsides
If there's one undeniable power that Trump has shown over his 10 years in the national political spotlight, it's the ability to outlast every scandal and controversy that comes his way. While the Epstein story has a toxic blend of power, abuse, sex, and influence, there's no indication that this will be any different. If so, the Epstein saga will return to corners of the internet and the political fringes, joining the Kennedy assassination, US moon landing, and, yes, Obama's birth certificate as the focus of only an obsessed few.
