Epstein Files Shockwave: The Question Trump Can’t Escape

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As 11,000 pages drop and vanish, Professor Scott Lucas warns the real scandal isn’t guilt by association—but a transparency collapse that could haunt Trump’s base.

By TRH World Desk

New Delhi, December 24, 2025 — The latest tranche of Jeffrey Epstein files was supposed to close a dark chapter. Instead, it has ripped open a deeper political wound—one defined not by proven crimes, but by missing documents, selective releases, and growing suspicion of a cover-up.

Speaking to Al Arabiya English, Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics at University College Dublin, cuts through the noise. The newly released files, he stresses, do not establish criminal wrongdoing by Donald Trump or other high-profile figures such as Bill Clinton or Bill Gates. But they do establish proximity—and that alone raises uncomfortable questions.

Factually, Trump flew on Epstein’s plane eight times in the 1990s. On one flight, the only other passenger was a 20-year-old woman, with potential witnesses in later Epstein-related prosecutions also present. Separate exchanges between Epstein and convicted abuser Larry Nassar include crude references to Trump’s alleged behaviour toward young women—echoing, but not proving, patterns seen in the Access Hollywood tape.

Yet Lucas argues the real red flag lies elsewhere. Documents released by the Justice Department were abruptly withdrawn within hours. News organisations that downloaded them in time found references to memoranda drafted after Epstein’s 2019 death—detailing potential charges against co-conspirators, corporate liability, and specific unnamed targets. Their existence suggests a far wider prosecutorial net than the public has been allowed to see.

Compounding mistrust is the DOJ’s failure to explain redactions, despite being legally required to do so. Entire grand jury documents, a 60-count felony filing, and an 85-page evidentiary record remain sealed. Meanwhile, officials allegedly misrepresented innocent celebrity photographs, feeding media distraction rather than clarity.

For Lucas, this isn’t about partisan politics. Republicans and Democrats alike demanded disclosure. The real dilemma now confronts Trump’s supporters: defend the leader who promised total transparency—or side with victims demanding accountability.

The longer files vanish, the louder the questions grow.