Epstein Case a 'mirror of American power': Counterpunch
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.
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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.
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."
