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"The fact that people need a dead man's files to believe..." (Original Post) CousinIT Dec 21 OP
Dammit. Too true Easterncedar Dec 21 #1
Kick. littlemissmartypants Dec 21 #2
We have a very long way to go on the road to women's equality dlk Dec 21 #3
Women aren't considered actual humans. MontanaMama Dec 21 #4
They are in my book KS Toronado Dec 21 #5
Pam Bondi does, though. tblue37 Dec 21 #15
Elise Stefanik mgardener Dec 21 #27
Thanks for saying this. MontanaMama Dec 23 #30
That's true. The Republican Taliban CousinIT Dec 21 #7
This is not about the women or the sex Bluetus Dec 21 #6
I will agree that power and kompromat are motivating, but it was also about humiliation and torture. erronis Dec 21 #8
interesting Skittles Dec 21 #9
THIS... the girls were just currency NotHardly Dec 21 #13
Oh, Trump played a role in recruiting the girls, but his main job Bluetus Dec 21 #18
just curious Skittles Dec 21 #19
None of them have testified about ANYTHING Bluetus Dec 21 #22
jeez, no need to go off Skittles Dec 21 #25
Seriously? Cirsium Dec 21 #10
THANK YOU. MLWR Dec 21 #12
Most of them were not underage. Bluetus Dec 21 #21
"girls who made the decisions", you must be kidding NotHardly Dec 21 #14
The girls didn't make the decisions that resulted in their trafficking... CousinIT Dec 22 #29
Seriously? Bluetus Dec 21 #20
Not about sex Cirsium Dec 21 #24
I did not mean it that way. Bluetus Dec 21 #26
I think this is true and on point. meadowlander Dec 21 #11
K&R UTUSN Dec 21 #16
It's all about who has the power. Martin68 Dec 21 #17
And, we are done here. OldBaldy1701E Dec 21 #23
I know. tavernier Dec 21 #28

dlk

(13,113 posts)
3. We have a very long way to go on the road to women's equality
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 02:29 PM
Dec 21

Last edited Mon Dec 22, 2025, 01:49 PM - Edit history (1)

Too often, men have unlimited creditability, no matter how many times they lie. Where women, no matter how many times they tell the truth, are not believed or are dismissed.

KS Toronado

(23,060 posts)
5. They are in my book
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 02:58 PM
Dec 21

Our Government would be better and run smoother if it was run by all women. We should promote that
fact headed to the next election......WOMEN WOULD NEVER PROTECT PEDOPHILES, there I said it.

mgardener

(2,298 posts)
27. Elise Stefanik
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 08:43 PM
Dec 21

Has not said a word.
She voted against releasing the files
Very few Republican women have demanded full disclosure.

MANY women protect pedophiles.

CousinIT

(12,236 posts)
7. That's true. The Republican Taliban
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 03:03 PM
Dec 21

consider them state-owned breeding livestock and male service units. They die of sepsis? Meh. Just go buy another cow. If you think about this, it really explains a lot of what they do.

This is how Republicans view women:

Bluetus

(2,296 posts)
6. This is not about the women or the sex
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 03:00 PM
Dec 21

Last edited Sun Dec 21, 2025, 04:57 PM - Edit history (1)

OK, that is PART of the story. But the real story is 100X bigger. Trump is perfectly happy for people to talk about it being a sex scandal because he's had 100 of those already and nobody cares.

The real story is the fact that Epstein was systematically collecting kompromat on very important people, and Trump was recruiting those very important people ("I know all the best people" ) . And they were converting that into cash and power. THAT is the story. Sex was simply the bait that was used.

I am, of course, sympathetic to the girls who made the decisions that put themselves in a very bad situation. I am sorry their families and the justice system didn't do more to keep them out of trouble. But that really is not the main story here. The main story is how Epstein got nearly a billion dollars. That wasn't payment for sex. You can buy all the sex you want to a lot less money than that. The real story is who all the people were that Trump was extorting and what Trump got in return.

erronis

(22,659 posts)
8. I will agree that power and kompromat are motivating, but it was also about humiliation and torture.
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 03:06 PM
Dec 21

Oddly, I just watched (for the first time!) "The Godfather" and "Part II". So many equivalences of male dominance and intentional infliction of pain.

Skittles

(169,557 posts)
9. interesting
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 03:21 PM
Dec 21

maybe it wasn't the girls Trump recruited, it was his rich asshole friends

Bluetus

(2,296 posts)
18. Oh, Trump played a role in recruiting the girls, but his main job
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 05:09 PM
Dec 21

was recruiting "all the pest people". Sure, he bought beauty pageants to recruit the girls. And Mar-a-lago was used to groom some of them. But Trump's big part of this operation was to get powerful people to the island. Epstein took it from there. Maxwell was the main person in charge of grooming, but she was also very likely deeply involved in selling that kompromat. Her father, after all, had very deep connections with the major spy agencies all over the world. Some of them would pay big backs to have leverage on people like Clinton, Gates, British royalty, and Trump himself, of course.

I know it is distasteful to describe the horrors that happened to these girls as just moving pawns around on a chessboard, but that's how it was.

Skittles

(169,557 posts)
19. just curious
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 05:11 PM
Dec 21

have any of those pageant girls testified that Trump recruited them for Epstein?

Bluetus

(2,296 posts)
22. None of them have testified about ANYTHING
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 05:31 PM
Dec 21

What is the point?

DId the FBI develop any of that information? I say it is very likely the FBI did exactly that. Why can't we see the full files.

Are you going to blame me for the Trump DoJ (and Biden's DoJ for that matter) keeping these files secret?

The names we know something about include Bill Gates, Les Wexner, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, all very powerful people in their own right. It is likely that the FBI filles have information about dozens of people at that strata. THAT is what Trump is trying to keep secret. He is not trying to keep the sex part secret. You didn't hear him complaining about the picture of Trump condoms, did you?

Cirsium

(3,363 posts)
10. Seriously?
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 03:34 PM
Dec 21

You are "sympathetic to the girls who made the decisions that put themselves in a very bad situation?" You are blaming the victims.

Rape is not about sex.

Trafficking of vulnerable underage people is the "real story."

MLWR

(776 posts)
12. THANK YOU.
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 03:41 PM
Dec 21

I couldn't believe what I was reading. Those girls didn't make any "decisions." Girls under the age of consent aren't in a position to be making "decisions." THAT is what statutory RAPE is all about.

Bluetus

(2,296 posts)
21. Most of them were not underage.
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 05:24 PM
Dec 21

Trump is not going to be held accountable for exploiting women -- or young girls. He never has been held accountable and never will. And he does not fear that part of the story being exposed. He is proud of it. Yes, that's deplorable, but don't shoot the messenger.

The part of the story he fears being exposed is much bigger than the sex and the girls.

NotHardly

(2,621 posts)
14. "girls who made the decisions", you must be kidding
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 03:57 PM
Dec 21
I think you freaking lost/dropped the thread.

CousinIT

(12,236 posts)
29. The girls didn't make the decisions that resulted in their trafficking...
Mon Dec 22, 2025, 09:37 AM
Dec 22

...they were groomed and tricked into that situation.

They were told they'd get modeling jobs, become massage therapists, get college paid for, etc.

Epstein, Maxwell, and Trump got to know them well enough to know what their dreams were, what they wanted or needed, and then offered them that - but only in exchange for being raped and trafficked to a bunch of wealthy, powerful men.

They didn't know they were in that situation until it happened. And by then, they were obligated and threatened. One of them was even told that her house would be burnt down if she told anyone. Another was told her little brother would be killed, or rather, "we know where your little brother goes to school" - it was a threat.

The girls did not make these decisions. They wanted to pursue their futures. When young men rush to pursue their futures, they get legitimate help. When too many young women act to pursue their futures, they are tricked and trafficked.

They didn't "decide" to end up in Epstein's vicious, abusive web. OTHERS decided that FOR them.

Bluetus

(2,296 posts)
20. Seriously?
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 05:18 PM
Dec 21

No. I think I was clear about that. But this story isn't mainly about the sex operation. It is horrible what happened to the girls, but they were truly viewed as disposable, just collateral damage. That is not my view. That is how Trump, Epstein, Maxwell and any others in this racket saw them. Don't let your emotions keep you from seeing the bigger picture.

I said nothing in support of the sex exploitation, and I said nothing to blame the victims. However, they were groomed, not kidnapped, and that is a significant distinction, I think. Indeed, the grooming was a more intentional, longer-term activity than if they had been kidnapped and kept in a basement. Trump unquestionably had to be aware of this grooming operation. He supplied some of the girls and some of the grooming happened at his house.

Nonetheless, that is only a small part of the story, the sex part (even the grooming part) will never have any consequences for Trump. He is fighting the release of information because of the other 95% of the story, which is all about extortion on a global level at the highest levels of government and business.

Cirsium

(3,363 posts)
24. Not about sex
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 06:00 PM
Dec 21

Last edited Mon Dec 22, 2025, 01:19 AM - Edit history (1)

This is not about sex. It is about power and abuse. More like slavery. People do not need to be "kidnapped and kept in a basement" to be trafficked. It is not OK to traffic people no matter their age.

Saying that the victims "made the decisions that put themselves in a very bad situation" is blaming the victims.

Bluetus

(2,296 posts)
26. I did not mean it that way.
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 08:06 PM
Dec 21

And I agree that sex exploitation is rarely mostly about the sex. Yes, it is about power and control.

In this case, it is about power, control, money, and issues of global consequence that are way beyond sex.

It is horrible what Trump and Epatein did to these women and girls. But it is extremely important to expose WHY they did it. The story is much, much bigger than sex.

I believe the committee realizes this. Because the cover-up has been so complete, they feel that their best chance of getting the full story is to approach it as a sex crime, because the media will pay attention to that. It is much bigger.

meadowlander

(5,097 posts)
11. I think this is true and on point.
Sun Dec 21, 2025, 03:37 PM
Dec 21

The one reason I think it is still worth chasing the files is that I think a lot of the women were paid off or forced to sign NDAs. I think there's probably a number of them that are happy for the information to be forced out via the files but who aren't comfortable just coming out and talking in public about it because of the risk to them and their families.

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