Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone strike targets vehicle on Zahrani - Tyre Highway.
Israeli media: Israeli Prime Minister's Office: The security cabinet has approved Netanyahu's proposal on Gaza.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The Lebanese Council of Ministers approved the general objectives of the US paper unanimously by the ministers who remained in the session.
Hezbollah, Amal Movement ministers withdraw from the Lebanese cabinet session as it discusses the proposal of US envoy Tom Barrack.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: An Israeli drone bombed a car in the town of Kfardan in the Baalbek district.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent: An Israeli raid targeted the outskirts of the town of al-Qatrani, Jezzine District
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent: Israeli warplanes launch a raid targeting the vicinity of the Burguz area
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in southern Lebanon: An Israeli airstrike targeted the outskirts of Jbaa in the Iqlim al-Tuffah region
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in southern Lebanon: An Israeli airstrike targeted the outskirts of the town of Ansar
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on the al-Mahmoudiyah area

Epstein Case a 'mirror of American power': Counterpunch

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Counterpunch
  • Today 15:17
4 Min Read

Writer Nicky Reid says the Jeffrey Epstein scandal exposes a culture of power-driven abuse protected by political elites, urging the public release of all files to deliver justice for victims.

Listen
  • x
  • In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell enters the courtroom escorted by U.S. Marshalls at the start of her trial, on November 29, 2021, in New York
    In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell enters the courtroom escorted by US Marshals at the start of her trial, on November 29, 2021, in New York. (AP)

Writer Nicky Reid, in a commentary published by CounterPunch, has linked her history of abuse to the systemic power structures she says enable "predators like Jeffrey Epstein", arguing that both major US political parties have failed the victims and weaponized the case for partisan purposes.

Reid dedicated the piece to Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein accuser who "died speaking the truth about powerful men." She began with a stark account of her abuse as a child, explaining that the hardest part of the ordeal was knowing that the actors who raped her did it simply because they could.

According to Reid, sexual abuse is rooted in power rather than sexual desire. "People who rape are chasing the god-like feeling that comes from invading another human being… The people who rape children… can be dominated and decimated the most easily and the most completely," she wrote, adding that abuse in hierarchical societies is "shockingly common" because perpetrators are "quite simply allowed."

She cited examples describing a pattern in which "an immense amount of power in a small number of hands affords a select few the ability to destroy lives recreationally while an obedient society enables them to do so."

Reid argued that this "rape culture" is a toxic byproduct of post-colonialism and disproportionately harms marginalized groups, particularly women and children, with risks multiplying when other identities such as race or sexuality are factored in.

Related News

Democrats' slow shift on Gaza; symbolic or a step forward?: NYT

JD Vance meets David Lammy as UK visit begins amid tensions

Linking Epstein to broader abuse of power

Reid described the Epstein case as an extension of the MeToo movement, placing Epstein, Donald Trump, and Bill Clinton in "the same culture of recreational power violence" as figures like Harvey Weinstein. She accused both Republicans and Democrats of twisting the case to fit political narratives while neglecting the victims.

On the Republican side, Reid noted how some in the party portrayed Epstein as part of a "liberal conspiracy" but ignored Trump’s close association with him, "Now the GOP is in the impossible position of having to decide how to avoid pissing off QAnon and the sexual-predator-in-chief those imbeciles deified."

Democrats, Reid said, have been caught between portraying Trump as "the god***n Devil" and dismissing all right-wing commentary about Epstein as conspiracy theories, leaving them "torn" over how to respond.

Public record and Trump’s connection

She highlighted facts already in the public domain: Epstein trafficked hundreds of underage girls between 1994 and 2004; he received a lenient 2006 plea deal from Florida prosecutor Alexander Acosta; and despite acknowledgment of many wealthy clients, none have been prosecuted or officially named.

Reid also detailed Trump’s friendship with Epstein, noting that Trump appeared on flight logs for Epstein’s private jet and that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell recruited victims from Mar-a-Lago. "Epstein even introduced Trump to his current wife and at least one of his confirmed victims," she wrote.

Drawing on her trauma and therapy, Reid described patterns of predatory behavior: perpetrators working in pairs, recognizing one another, and operating within powerful institutions. "What we need now is total transparency," she urged, "Release all of the files with only the victims’ names redacted… so America can know exactly what power looks like with no clothes on."

Reid concluded that Epstein should not be viewed merely as a partisan villain but as "a mirror of American power."

  • United States
  • Jeffrey Epstein
  • Nicky Reid

Most Read

Shiekh Naim Qassem giving a speech commemorating the anniversay of martyr Mohammed Saeed Izadi, August 5, 2025, in Lebanon

Sheikh Qassem threatens 'Israel', warns against foreign intervention

  • Politics
  • 5 Aug 2025
Protesters chant anti-Israeli slogans as they carry a banner that reads:" Freedom for Palestine, Alliance stop the war," during a demonstration in support of Palestinians in Gaza, outside the Israeli embassy, in Athens, Monday, June 9, 2025 (AP)

Athens mayor slams Israeli ambassador over Gaza war, graffiti claim

  • Politics
  • 3 Aug 2025
Hezbollah says disarming Resistance is a blow to Lebanon’s sovereignty

Hezbollah to overlook cabinet decision; Amal urges corrective approach

  • Politics
  • 6 Aug 2025
Freed Lebanese freedom fighter Georges Abdallah during an interview on Al Mayadeen, which aired on Sunday, August 3, 2025 (Al Mayadeen screengrab)

Exclusive: Resistance key to building state, Georges Abdallah says

  • Politics
  • 3 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A resident walks next to a mural painting glorifying six Palestinian prisoners who tunneled out of Gilboa Prison almost two weeks ago, and were arrested by Israeli forces, in Gaza City, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (AP)
Politics

Palestinian prisoners electrocuted, abused in 'Israel's' Gilboa prison

In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell enters the courtroom escorted by U.S. Marshalls at the start of her trial, on November 29, 2021, in New York
Politics

Epstein Case a 'mirror of American power': Counterpunch

Raed Salem Aslyieh hugs his relatives after the death of his son, Ahmed Raed Aslyieh, 18, who succumbed to injuries sustained in an Israeli strike that killed eight other family members, at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Aug. 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Democrats' slow shift on Gaza; symbolic or a step forward?: NYT

China accuses Philippines of 'playing with fire' on Taiwan
Asia Pacific

China accuses Philippines of 'playing with fire' on Taiwan

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS