There’s a famous saying: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. In the Jeffrey Epstein saga, that line takes on a darker, more unsettling meaning. What the newly released tranche of Epstein emails from the House Oversight Committee shows is not a grand, hidden conspiracy directed by governments or shadowy foreign intelligence services. Instead, it shows something far more mundane — and far more indicting. An influential slice of the American elite embraced Epstein as one of their own after his guilty plea in 2008, because he was wealthy, plugged-in, generous, and socially useful.
That’s the common-sense truth that many partisans, populists, and conspiracy theorists ignore. Not because it’s too complex, but because it’s too simple.
Epstein didn’t need to be a Mossad mastermind, a deep-state operative, or a political assassin. As the conservative thinker Russell Kirk once quipped about accusations that President Eisenhower was a communist, “Ike wasn’t a communist; he was a golfer.” Likewise, Epstein wasn’t a foreign agent; he was a networker. His currency was the same as so many others who orbit around power: introductions, access, gossip, donations, and a cultivated aura of influence.
The Implausible Conspiracy… and the Real One
Many populist or fringe narratives around Epstein insist that the government — at all levels — protected him because too many powerful people had too much to lose. Others tie the scandal to Israel or intelligence services. Could new facts someday emerge supporting some of these theories? It’s not impossible. But based on what we know now, these narratives require leaps of logic far bigger than the evidence can sustain.
In contrast, a simpler, more believable — and more damning — explanation is already in plain sight:
Members of the American cultural and political elite welcomed Epstein into their world even after his conviction, because they found him useful.
Not admirable. Not innocent. Not misunderstood.
Just useful.
He could give feedback, make introductions, write checks, arrange meetings, and stroke egos. In elite circles, that often matters more than character.
Epstein, the Advice Columnist for the Rich
One of the most disturbing themes in the released emails is just how many prominent figures treated Epstein as a personal consigliere. He offered advice on everything from romantic entanglements to European politics to business conflicts. He fielded questions like:
What’s the reputation of the woman I’m seeing?
How do I handle sexual-harassment allegations?
Do you know a good gastroenterologist?
What’s your take on Trump?
How can I increase my influence abroad?
This was a man convicted of soliciting a minor in 2008 — yet elite figures interacted with him as if he were a cross between Dear Abby and Henry Kissinger.
His correspondents included:
Larry Summers
Noam Chomsky
Steve Bannon
Michael Wolff
Kathryn Ruemmler
Jonathan Farkas
Boris Nikolic
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem
Andres Serrano
And others.
Why? Not because Epstein was especially wise. In truth, much of his input was banal. But when someone knows many other important people, elites often assume he must know something. At minimum, he becomes socially advantageous to keep around. His presence at cocktail parties and intellectual salons signaled status. If Peggy Siegal, the famed social connector, still invited him, then surely he must be acceptable.
That assumption — that someone must be okay if other “important” people treat him as okay — is the real social machinery behind Epstein’s continued influence.
How Epstein Beat the System the First Time
Epstein’s social currency also explains why he received such a remarkably lenient deal in 2008. He hired the most feared, connected, politically entrenched defense attorneys money could buy. These lawyers outmaneuvered and intimidated low-level Florida prosecutors who were simply not prepared to face such firepower.
There was no grand conspiracy required. Just a wealthy man with an army of elite lawyers, social capital, and friends in high places.
Trump and the Emails: Embarrassing, Yes — Damning, No
The newly released emails immediately set off a political firestorm, especially around President Trump. Headlines and critics rushed to declare the emails “proof” of misconduct. But as of now, the contents simply don’t contain a smoking gun.
One email to Ghislaine Maxwell claims Trump spent hours at Epstein’s home with a victim whose name was redacted — but whose identity is already publicly known. Her past statements contradict Epstein’s claim; she said she had never seen Trump and Epstein together, and never saw Trump at Epstein’s home. She has also been considered an inconsistent witness over the years.
Another email to journalist Michael Wolff said Trump “knew about the girls” — a phrase seized upon in the media — but Epstein then added that Trump asked Maxwell to stop recruiting girls from Mar-a-Lago. That lines up with Trump’s longstanding account of why he and Epstein fell out.
Epstein also wrote an email to himself claiming that girls were paid for massages involving sex acts but adding that Trump never received one.
Embarrassing? Yes. Damning? No. Certainly not enough to support Senator Chris Murphy’s claim that Trump was “at the center of a child sex ring.” That is wildly disconnected from the evidence.
Trump has responded in typical Trump fashion — loudly attacking critics, especially Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has broken with him over the files. To Trump’s critics, this means he’s “acting guilty.” More realistically, he’s acting the same way he always acts when facing uncomfortable news: aggressively, defensively, and publicly.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Epstein’s Circle
The reality is that many prominent people were friendly with Epstein, and that fact alone reflects poorly on them. But normal human failings — vanity, social climbing, moral blindness, and self-interest — are enough to explain why Epstein kept his place in elite society.
You don’t need a global conspiracy when simple human weakness will do.
And while there may be more damaging revelations ahead, there’s no justification for the haphazard release of sensitive investigative documents in a partisan scramble to harm political opponents. Transparency is good; chaos is not. Judges, not politicians, should control how and when sensitive records are released.
Follow the Social Network
If there’s one lesson from the Epstein files, it’s this: Epstein thrived because powerful people treated him as valuable to know.
They valued his connections more than they valued their integrity.
They valued his money more than they valued his victim’s suffering.
They valued his access more than they valued truth.
In other words, Epstein’s real conspiracy wasn’t a secret plot.
It was a mirror — reflecting an American elite that too often rewards the wealthy, excuses the immoral, and mistakes social usefulness for character.
In the Epstein story, everyone keeps telling us to follow the money.
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