“It’s sitting on my desk right now to review. That’s been a directive by President Trump. I’m reviewing that.” — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi
Bondi stated the above in a Fox News interview in February in reference to a list of sexual predator “clients” that Jeffrey Epstein allegedly had. Amazingly, she later reversed her remarks. It has been seven months, and no list has been released.
Epstein was a wealthy New York financier who was a convicted sex offender accused of trafficking girls as young as 14. He died in prison in 2019. The official cause was suicide. More about that below.
The Epstein revelations are having one positive effect. There is finally one thing that people on the left and right can agree on: Acts of child sex abuse are horrible. Perpetrators should and must be caught and punished.
We have conservative GOP Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., appearing before the press along with liberal Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., asking that all Epstein files be released.
Society cannot let child predators go free or go unpunished
Credit: Courtesy Photo
Credit: Courtesy Photo
People do not like to discuss child sex abuse, for obvious reason. Child abuse is unacceptable in any form, but the sexual abuse of a child is its worst form. No one would ever want to admit it happened to them. The Epstein survivors are to be commended for coming forth at the recent press conference.
What is child sex abuse? Clinically, it is a psychiatric disorder relating to intense sexual thoughts involving children (pedophilia, for example, involves feelings toward prepubescent children).
People with this disorder should seek psychiatric help, but having these thoughts is not illegal. Child sex abuse becomes a legal versus moral/medical issue when these fantasies are acted on by adult perpetrators targeting our kids. Then it becomes sexual abuse of a child and perpetrators must be identified, caught and punished — whether rich or poor.
Child sex abuse is nothing new. I have always found it to be odd that we as a society have not adequately addressed this form of child abuse. Over the last few decades, there have been a number of scandals regarding pedophiles, including physicians.
Then, there’s abuse by elected officials. Take the case of former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, a former high school coach, who served in Congress from 1987 to 2007. He was later convicted and sentenced in case involving hush money payment to a sex abuse victim.
Public has a right to know about Clinton, Trump connections to Epstein
My mother’s family are very religious Italian Catholics. It was long known in the Vatican (but never openly discussed) that numerous priests were child predators. Instead of bringing them to justice, the Catholic Church often just transferred them, a practice known as “priest shuffling.”
Jeffrey Epstein had many affluent friends — including former President Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump — both of whom took trips on Epstein’s plane and allegedly went to his private island.
Whether or not these two and other wealthy friends participated in his many instances of child sexual abuse is a question all of us should want answered.
It does not matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat. The sexual abuse of a child is wrong and cannot be ignored or excused. We are entitled to know their names, regardless of their wealth and power.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Attorney General Bondi has told Trump that his name appears multiple times in the Epstein files. Bondi stated that she had a list of those involved with Epstein. The American public needs to see that list and all of the information related to it — unredacted for political purposes.
Jack Bernard, a retired business executive and former chair of the Jasper County Commission and Republican Party, was the first director of health planning for Georgia.
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