Stacey Abrams on Why the Epstein Files Release Has the Trump Regime Panicking

Okay, so last week we saw Congress have a meltdown. Well, first we saw them in the shutdown, and then we saw the beginnings of the meltdown. When Congresswoman Rojava was sworn in, she added her name as number 218 on the discharge petition for the Epstein files. And as the Epstein saga expanded, the Republican regime went into panic mode. Why? Because as with all authoritarians, their power, their posture, their presence relies on the absence of accountability. And there's nothing more accountable in our political conversation right now than Jeffrey Epstein's files. Like most Americans, though, I want to live in a society where those who betray their oath to protect us are held accountable. And when they repeatedly fail, we believe they should lose their power and join others who have abandoned our shared values. That's at the core of what the Epstein files represent. And yet, we find ourselves in the middle of a pitched battle to decide what those shared values are. I'm clear. I want to see the wealthy prosecuted and the depraved denounced by those of good conscience. And yet, when wealth and depravity are combined with political immunity, the consequences are unconscionable. But they're also playing out in front of us right now. You see, left unpunished, we know that those who would do wrong will continue to abuse their power. And worse, in the hands of this administration, in the hands of this regime, they will expand the scope of their corruption. Worse, we will begin to lose our moral core and we will start to justify evil to satisfy political convenience. We're watching it happen right now as the Republican regime is willing to overlook immorality because they believe somehow it guarantees them safety. But when it comes to the issue of the Epstein files and what they represent, Americans, Democrat, Republican, independent, young or old, we do not have the luxury of choosing one versus the other, safety versus justice. And yet, we watched Megyn Kelly's tortured explanation for why Epstein and his cohorts, named or unnamed, were not pedophiles. That description, that discussion, that analysis stretches credulity, but it also reveals the tensions and rifts emerging in this authoritarian regime. Kelly, who's already struggling in the Republican rapids of white nationalism versus anti-Semitism, is trying to parse language instead of demanding truth. And while her feckless analysis was gross, she isn't alone in her attempts to avoid confronting what lies at the core of what we are witnessing. Autocracies center a central figure as their godhead, their reason for existing, their lodestar, or the king of their MAGA movement. Trump is the one they've chosen for this moment, despite all of the blaring signs and the multiple convictions regarding sexual misconduct. Still, his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has been a klaxon that Republicans have blithely ignored, hoping it would go away. When Congressman Tom Massey and Congressman Ro Khanna forced the issue with their discharge petition, Trump lackeys, like Speaker Mike Johnson, decided that they would go to bat for depravity. You see, Speaker Johnson dismissed the House of Representatives for six weeks to avoid the obligation to take action. And now, with his hand forced, Trump and Johnson are pretending that they planned to do this all along. While they send out their screeds and false promises of compliance, both are relying on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to use the torpor of the Senate to block action. Yes, it'll pass the House. Yes, Trump said he's okay with it. But they're both crossing their fingers, hoping that the Senate will use its 60-member filibuster to stop the truth from coming out. And then nobody's at fault. Look, pundits on both sides of the political divide are going to point out that Trump could simply instruct Pam Bondi to release the records. No congressional authority is actually needed for that. And given his behavior over the past 10 months, Trump clearly does not acknowledge that Congress is any type of check on his ability to commit acts of war, to starve families, or to slash the social safety net. But what's motivating today's announcement is the paroxysm of authoritarian power facing a moment of what? Accountability. That's what they're afraid of. That's what they're running from. Because accountability is the kryptonite for authoritarians. They cannot be held to explain their actions, lest the people notice the rampant corruption that has built up their dominion. For the Epstein files to be released in their full and unvarnished truth, Trump and his Republican regime would be compelled to say that the laws actually do apply to them, and that they are not impervious to responsibility. And then they'd have to answer for their kidnappings of American citizens and their denial of health care to millions. Epstein's crimes are heinous, as is anyone who participated in them. And Epstein's admissions beyond the grave are a wedge, leveraging open an opportunity for Americans to see that Republican loyalty is not to draining the swamp, but hiding the truth. That this rise of authoritarianism is not about helping serve the people. It's about aggregating more power, more wealth. It's about using corruption as a means of assent. Because if they will lie about the truth of what thousands of files tell us, what else are they lying about? Those of us who believe in being true Americans, those who believe in protecting the young, those who will not excuse depravity, those who will not hide the truth in order to hold power, know what is coming. We know that the Epstein files are a proof point. What kind of country do we intend to be? Who will we let lead us? And what will we know? Those of us who believe in America know that we have to be held accountable, especially those with the power to do the most harm. Patriotism demands it. America must demand it. Democracy survives only when we believe it. And so we must not only demand the Epstein files, we must demand accountability, transparency, and the truth. America deserves it. And so do we.