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The debate over the long-suppressed Jeffrey Epstein files exploded into the open this week as the House prepared a vote to force the release of unclassified documents that many on the right say have been selectively leaked for political advantage. Conservatives have watched Democrats and friendly outlets drip out excerpts meant to inflame, not inform, and Rob Schmitt rightly called out what he labeled the most “unintelligent” arguments leveled by Trump critics who treat innuendo as evidence.
What the country is seeing now is less about justice and more about political theater: cherry-picked emails and headlines designed to shape a narrative rather than produce facts. The recent releases that spotlight Epstein’s private insults or secondhand claims about public figures do not amount to proven criminal conduct, yet some on the left act as if guilt by association is a substitute for due process.
Rob Schmitt and other conservative voices have also pointed out a disturbing media double standard, mocking larger outlets for sidestepping the controversy when it might make powerful allies uncomfortable. That reluctance to fully cover the story — contrasted with the rapid, selective dissemination of damaging tidbits — reinforces the impression that major media play favorites instead of pursuing truth.
Republican lawmakers like Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Tim Burchett have pushed aggressively for transparency, arguing the files could embarrass influential people across party lines and accusing Democrats of blocking straightforward releases in the past. If the goal is genuinely to protect victims and pursue justice, Republicans say, then full, neutral disclosure through proper channels is the remedy — not selective leaks timed for maximum political pain.
Legal voices on the right are also warning about the danger of convicting people in the court of public opinion long before evidence is presented in a courtroom. Figures such as Alan Dershowitz have publicly argued that the way the materials are being rolled out will ultimately vindicate some who are being smeared, and that Americans should remember the bedrock principle of presumption of innocence.
Let’s be clear: calls for transparency are entirely legitimate, and anyone who trafficked in criminality must face the full force of the law. But the conservative critique isn’t a shield for the powerful so much as a demand that disclosures be complete, lawful, and free from partisan manipulation — something the current, piecemeal rollout conspicuously fails to demonstrate.
At the end of the day, Schmitt’s jab at the most absurd accusations lands because it targets a larger problem: a rush to moral panic instead of careful fact-finding. Americans deserve real transparency and fair process, not a media circus that substitutes rumor for evidence and weaponizes tragedy for political gain.
