Despite a weekend filled with stormy weather, members of Rural Lewis County Indivisibles came to Centralia from as far away as Packwood on Saturday, Oct. 25, to protest what they call a “coverup” of the Epstein files by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice.
“No more secrets, no more lies. Tell us who’s in Epstein’s files,” protesters chanted.
The Epstein files are a long-lingering point of contention for many voters on both sides of the political aisle, as they revolve around the underage sex trafficking operation American financier Jeffrey Epstein ran for decades.
“This is not partisan for us,” Onalaska resident Susanne Weil said. “If they’re in the files they should be investigated. If there’s evidence, they should be prosecuted. If they’re found guilty, they should be jailed. I don’t care what party they belong to. Pedophiles belong in jail.”
While they didn’t expect their efforts to actually convince those at the federal level to release the files and press charges against those listed in them, they did use Saturday’s protest as an opportunity to also raise money for Hope Alliance, a local nonprofit that provides shelter and resources to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. To donate, visit https://tinyurl.com/2p9twzmm.
Trump’s connection to Epstein goes back to the early 1990s when both of them were establishing themselves among the ranks of the rich and powerful in New York City and Florida.
Because of a sweetheart plea deal Epstein secured in 2007 thanks to the help of former U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, the details of the Palm Beach Police Department and FBI’s initial investigation into allegations that Epstein and some of his associates were actively targeting local vulnerable and underage girls for sexual encounters were permanently sealed, and none of his alleged associates or clients were ever named or charged.
Additionally, Epstein himself also saw the charges of unlawful sex with minors and sex abuse dropped in exchange for pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution. None of the victims or the Palm Beach Police investigators were ever consulted about the plea deal.
Thanks to that plea deal, conspiracies are all that swirl around who allegedly was or wasn’t involved with Epstein’s sex trafficking network.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump — along with many now working in his administration including Vice President J.D. Vance — made it a point to promise voters disclosure on the Epstein files.
They stated if elected, Epstein’s clients and associations would be named, and justice finally served for the victims, of which there are over 1,000, according to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Now, more than nine months after Trump was inaugurated, the rhetoric has changed from one of promising disclosure to one of further clouding the truth about who was involved with Epstein, with Trump saying the case was a “hoax” made up by his Democratic opponents.
While initially Bondi was a firebrand stating the Epstein files and even a client list were on her desk “ready for review,” now the official story says there is no client list, and Bondi appears content to try to let the Epstein files be forgotten.
In Congress, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, has been one of the few refusing to let Epstein’s clients be forgotten as he is still trying to get a vote held on the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Those at Saturday’s protest believed U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is purposely using the current government shutdown to both avoid appointing a newly elected representative and holding a vote which might approve the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
“All of the excuses Mike Johnson is coming up with is bull,” Toledo resident Stephanie Gleason said.
Prior to the shutdown, Johnson himself spoke out about Massie’s push for Epstein file disclosure, and claimed that Trump was actually an FBI informant on Epstein, a claim White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt affirmed “was not true.”
Rural Lewis County Indivisibles members plan on continuing their efforts and demanding disclosure.
Saturday’s protest is now the second Rural Lewis County Indivisibles has held concerning Epstein, and Weil said they plan on returning to Centralia this Friday, Oct. 31, dressed in their Halloween costumes to protest.
For more information, follow the group’s Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/mpnp2x5x.
