The Epstein files that have been released involve millions of items, and the US Dept. of Justice has a searchable database:
https://www.justice.gov/epstein
Put in a name and out will come references. I typed in "Smith" and over 10,000 documents popped up. Lots of the contacts - although some very peripheral - are academics. They are often at prominent institutions. Their names aren't for the most part well known in general, but they are often significant figures in their fields. Student newspapers are having a field day searching for Epstein references to individuals at their schools. For that matter, so are professional journalists.
Remember the Steve Bannon idea of "flooding the zone," the concept that if you just keep throwing out stuff into the public arena, journalists and the general public will lose sight of what's important and what's not? So let's take a deep breath and recall what is - or was - supposed to be important.
Why was there pressure to release the files? Democrats assumed that there would be derogatory material on Trump, beyond what was already known. Republicans assumed there would be derogatory material on the Clintons. Conspiracy theorists within MAGA thought the files would expose who-knows-what: The identity of Q? The "deep state"? The fact that Epstein is an obviously Jewish name has only added to the conspiracy view in the current climate. (Nobody has made this self-evident point, so I will.)
Note that as more and more files have been dumped into public view, you don't hear much about Trump. Now, even if someone finds something more than has been in public view for some time about the Trump-Epstein connection, it will just seem to be one of thousands of such connections. The zone has been flooded. There is mud everywhere. In the confusion, what was assumed initially to be THE story has been lost in the confusion and muck.
What has emerged about Epstein is that he was very good at ingratiating himself with prominent people. And, like other con artists, he wasn't especially concerned with the truth, although he was obviously bright. He started teaching math (with falsified credentials) at a prestigious, high-end private school, got noticed by someone with connections in finance, and progressively exploited the resulting contacts in the world of finance to make himself wealthy. Part of his MO was to link up with academics and higher ed institutions, dangling the potential of research and other funding. Providing research funding gave him an aura of legitimacy in academia and beyond. Thus, his story includes prominent faculty, some of whom circled around him like bees to a flower. The New York Times has a lengthy piece on how Epstein made his money and developed his contacts if you want more detail.*
The problem is that we are moving into witch hunt territory, with individuals who were found in the file dump now apologizing, or saying they didn't know about the sex stuff, and, in any case, hoping they won't be canceled. You'll be shocked, shocked to know that there are academics who are attracted to money, who like to be flattered, and who even say off-putting things in private. Moreover, it is often difficult from the documents to know whether someone who was named in some email had any real connection.
The bottom line: It's hard to keep your eye on the ball when the juggler has so many of them.
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*https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/magazine/jeffrey-epstein-money-scams-investigation.html.
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