Released Epstein documents reveal how a global elite network protected a sex offender while sharing privileges and power.
Unanswered Questions About Epstein’s Network
Approximately half of the six million documents in the Epstein files have not yet been released by the Department of Justice. These gaps mean we cannot currently determine who belonged to his “client” list. In other words: he raped underage victims in Epstein’s criminal network.
This is of course the most important question, because those responsible should spend the rest of their lives in prison.
We cannot definitively answer whether Epstein was an agent or collaborator with foreign intelligence services. This is also an extremely important issue, and the evidence is very convincing.
Kathy Ruemmler: A Case Study in Elite Protection
Since not everything can be written about, I would like to focus on the conclusions from the things that are very well documented in the Epstein files. On something that I think somewhat gets lost – in a completely natural way – in this hurricane of reports. That is, on Epstein’s connections that were not based on involvement in sexual crimes. On this vast network of relationships without which his impunity would not have been possible.
None of Epstein’s relationships gives us better insight into these mechanisms than the one with Kathy Ruemmler.
Ruemmler is a lawyer who was the White House’s chief counsel, that is, President Obama’s, from 2011 to 2014. Previously, she was a federal prosecutor and became famous for convicting two former Enron presidents in a criminal trial. So we are talking about a person who fought to ensure that corporate criminals face appropriate consequences for their actions.
The Epstein Class: Power at the Top
Ruemmler left the White House in early June 2014. She met Epstein 2.5 months later. That is, seven years after the federal prosecutor’s office in 2007 reached a deal with Epstein under which he was recognized as a sexual offender. Ruemmler, who was a federal prosecutor until 2007, must have been familiar with his extremely high-profile case.
It might seem that this should have disqualified Epstein in her eyes. It did not disqualify him because their acquaintance began when Epstein approached her to take over the legal representation of Edmond de Rothschild bank. Such a client was for a lawyer who had just returned to work in a law firm after many years in public administration, a powerful catch.
Ruemmler took the bait, and Epstein added to his network a person from the president’s inner circle. The point is that this is just the beginning. Ruemmler saw in Epstein someone who could bring her many more equally lucrative clients and open the door to the world of great finance, and Epstein in Ruemmler someone with developed contacts in the Department of Justice, the Treasury, and many other regulatory agencies.
Interchangeable Resources: Money, Power, Fame, Sex
Just two months after meeting, Epstein paid for Ruemmler to fly first class, while she consulted with him about her public statement declining consideration for Attorney General. Media reports she was Obama’s first choice, proving what a big fish Epstein had caught.
Two months into their relationship, Epstein felt confident enough to joke with Ruemmler about returning to “old habits” when she complained about media scrutiny. Shocked, she seemingly ended their relationship—except she didn’t.
Ruemmler appears in at least 8,000 Epstein documents. She wrote the initial threat of lawsuit that forced ABC News to withdraw an interview with Virginia Giuffre. When victims sought to annul Epstein’s 2008 deal, Ruemmler dismissed it as “victim’s rights my ass,” viewing it merely as an extortion attempt.
Historian Adam Tooze observes that for the elite, “money, power, fame and sex constitute interchangeable streams.” All these desires emanate from the same source: unlimited power. Crimes from different legal areas merge in their determination to defend collective impunity, as any violation threatens their power and privileges.
As long as the current historical power imbalance between the elite at the top and the rest of society persists or grows, the “Epstein class” will continue operating as it pleases, regardless of changing membership.