The Files They Don’t Want You to See

Power, protection, and hypocrisy in America’s most untouchable scandal

When Congress’s newest member, Adelita Grijalva, arrived in Washington to take her oath, Speaker Mike Johnson refused to swear her in. No notice. No ceremony. No reason.

Grijalva’s signature would have been the 218th needed to force a House vote releasing the Epstein files. These are the documents that could expose who helped or protected Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking network. Johnson blamed the shutdown. Yet earlier this year, he swore in two Republicans during the same type of session. The only difference this time is that Grijalva’s vote threatens those files.

At the same time, Donald Trump refused to rule out pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s convicted partner. His base erupted in anger. The same followers who believed he would “drain the swamp” now see him defending one of its darkest figures.

Then came Pam Bondi, the attorney general. During a Senate hearing, she was asked who ordered Trump’s name to be flagged and redacted from the Epstein records. Bondi smiled and refused to…