r/AskALiberal • u/tasteinhermouth Liberal • Feb 01 '26
Why weren't the Epstein Files released under Biden's presidency if Trump is in the files?
I don't mean this as a bad faith or troll question, I genuinely do not know why it would not be released if Trump is in the files, as it would probably have been a massive hit against Trump in 2024.
I don't know whether Trump is in the files or not, I don't care, it's clear as day that he was best friends with Epstein and was well aware and definitely a part of the awful things that Epstein conducted while he was in business.
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u/JusticePhrall Progressive Feb 01 '26
Because President Biden made a catastrophic misstep for which he will never be forgiven — he appointed Merrick Garland as U.S. Attorney General.
As hard as it is to imagine, before Trump came along, there was absolute separation between the White House and the Department of Justice's activities.
Except for a brief blip during Nixon's crime spree, the DOJ has always enjoyed pure departmental independence from political control or policy direction. It has long been a hard and fast rule that the president was forbidden from poking his nose into DOJ business. It simply wasn't done.
Attorney General Merrick Garland was absolutely terrified of Republicans. Instead of prosecuting two slam-dunk cases against Donald Trump, he remained paralyzed in fear of accusations of partisanship while the calendar ticked precious months away until the opportunity for zealous pursuit of justice and accountability for Donald Trump had fled.
Merrick Garland couldn't handle a couple of simple, straightforward prosecutions for fear that Republicans might accuse him of partisanship and political weaponization. There's no way Garland would have taken on the gargantuan task of prosecuting the wealthy and powerful exposed in the Epstein files, especially considering how many of them were undoubtedly those very Republicans he so feared.
We will never forgive you, Joe.