LinkedIn on Sunday, December 28, 2025

I watch entirely too much CNN and MS Now (formerly MSNBC).  They are the elevator music to the political work I do, forever on a screen in my office, ignored until my subconscious hears a story or commentary I want to follow and I perk up to pay attention for a moment or two.

If these liberal, Democratic-leaning media expect to make an impression on public opinion – and I believe they do, notwithstanding their oft-stated commitment to unbiased journalism – they need to get to the point and stop dancing around the problem.

Question…  Why is President Trump so reluctant to release reasonably unabridged copies of the Epstein documents?

The answer is simple and doesn’t require a graduate degree or years of on-air experience to explain.  If anything, the media’s failure to communicate this simple point is the result their either soft-pedaling the problem or over-complicating it whenever possible.  Likewise for Democrats in Congress.

One of two things is true.  Either President Trump is guilty of statutory rape himself and/or he’s protecting special friends of his who are guilty.

Presidential immunity per the Supreme Court applies only to crimes that are associated with Presidential business.  Statutory rape is not one of them.  So, the Supreme Court will not protect the President should it turn out that he was one of Epstein’s partners in crime.  Presidential immunity applies only to federal crimes.  Statutory rape is a state crime.

Presidential pardons apply only to forgiving federal crimes.  Once again, statutory rape is a state crime.  The President cannot pardon friends and contributors who committed statutory rape.  Nor can his successor, if President Trump is impeached or resigns, pardon the President should he be convicted of statutory rape.  This is not a Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon situation.

While it’s been a while since the Epstein rapes were committed, most states have removed statutory limitations from sex-related crimes of the sort we’re discussing.

“Long story short” as they say, if the Epstein papers offer hard evidence of statutory rape by either President Trump and/or people he feels the need to protect, they’re toast.  If all they reveal is that he knew what Epstein was doing and chose to do nothing about it, however reprehensible that may be, President Trump will likely escape unscathed.  If, on the other hand, the Epstein papers confirm that President Trump committed statutory rape and the relevant state authorities bring charges against him, he’ll be going to jail.  Probably a nice jail, but jail nonetheless.

And he knows it.  And there’s nothing he won’t do to prevent that from happening.  It’s just that simple.  The clearer this description of the President’s situation by the news media, the better.

-Les