Opinion piece penned by Case Dixon and published by 1819 News
Everywhere we turn, someone’s telling us what to believe – politicians, the press, the so-called experts. But when yesterday’s “fact” becomes today’s “hoax,” Americans are left asking what’s real, and what’s a cover-up.
No story embodies that tension more than Jeffrey Epstein’s. A convicted sex offender who exploited the vulnerable, his crimes are nearly undisputed. But who enabled him? Who visited his island? Who looked the other way while he built a trafficking empire in plain sight? For years, those answers have been hidden in what’s come to be known as the Epstein files.
Regardless of who’s implicated, Republicans should be leading the charge to release those files. For years, we’ve stood for draining the swamp, defending families, and exposing corruption. Suddenly turning our backs on transparency not only betrays the victims, but it betrays the very principles that set us apart from the left.
That’s why the questions about Epstein matter. If we really believe in transparency, we can’t ignore what’s still being hidden.
Some say Epstein acted alone. Others say he trafficked women to celebrities and politicians. Still others believe governments used him as a tool for blackmailing adversaries. To many, that sounds far-fetched. To others, it’s the greatest scandal of our time.
But here’s what’s undeniable: shrugging it off as rumor means erasing dozens of victims. It means pretending foreign royals stripped of duties were just unlucky. And it means accepting the absurd idea that a billionaire sex trafficker ran a private island of exploitation with no help from powerful friends. Even if you doubt the scale of the story, the claim that there’s nothing to see defies reality. And even if there’s only a chance the darkest suspicions are true, shouldn’t a responsible society err on the side of exposing it?
For years, speculation has filled the gap where truth should be. Victims wait for closure. Americans are told to “move along.” Meanwhile, trust in institutions collapses, and accountability collapses alongside it.
That’s why the Epstein files matter. They’re not gossip. They’re not a distraction. They’re evidence. And whether they prove the story was overblown or confirm a scandal, Americans deserve to have transparency. This is about justice for the victims and about whether our leaders serve the people or the powerful.
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has now forced the issue using one of the rarest tools in Congress: a discharge petition. Normally, House leadership controls what comes to the floor. Even worthy bills can be buried in committee, never to see a vote. A discharge petition is the one way to go around leadership, but it only works if 218 members – a full majority of the House –sign on. That almost never happens because members fear crossing their leadership.
But now it has. Massie says he nearly has the 218 signatures, which means the Epstein files cannot be quietly bottled up anymore. They’re likely coming to the floor. And now every member of Congress, Republican and Democrat alike, will have to go on record: Do you stand with transparency, or do you stand with the cover-up?
There will be fallout either way. If the files prove thin, then the rumors collapse and critics lose their favorite weapon. If the files are explosive, then yes, some of the most powerful people on earth will be exposed. But pretending we can ignore the question is no longer an option.
And here’s where Republicans need to think hard. We didn’t campaign on shielding predators. We didn’t campaign on protecting elites. We campaigned on draining the swamp, restoring trust, and defending the innocent. Opposing the release of these files runs against everything we’ve said we stand for. If Republicans choose secrecy now, we’re no better than the politicians we once vowed to hold accountable.
After years of secrecy, the Epstein files are ready to see the light of day. The victims deserve justice, and the American people deserve honesty. If Republicans refuse to stand for truth now, we won’t just be guilty of silence, we’ll be guilty of betraying the very moral foundation we claim to defend.
Release the files.
Case Dixon is a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant and Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Alabama’s 6th District.
