European Leaders Scramble to Address Epstein Files Scandal Amid Resignations and Investigations
A string of high-profile resignations and criminal investigations has erupted across Europe in response to the release of latest batch of Jeffrey Epstein's files. The US government, however, appears to be dragging its feet on similar inquiries.
In the UK, former US ambassador Peter Mandelson was forced to quit his position in the House of Lords and the Labour Party after newly released documents revealed his close ties to Epstein. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Mandelson, stating that he had "betrayed our country, Parliament and my party" and expressing regret at appointing him.
Mandelson himself acknowledged exercising poor judgment, admitting that the conversation was private but later calling it "a fool's move". His resignation comes as messages between Slovakian national security adviser Miroslav Lajčák and Epstein were made public, with Lajčák admitting to feeling embarrassed after the scandal broke. He resigned on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Joanna Rubinstein of the UN Refugee Agency has also stepped down from her post after documents revealed her visit to Epstein's island in 2012, several years after he was convicted of sex crimes. Rubenstein distanced herself from the abuse, stating that what emerged since her visit was "appalling".
The Lithuanian prosecutors have launched a human trafficking investigation into prominent Lithuanians named in the files. The country's prosecutor general said an objective and thorough investigation is only possible with pre-trial cooperation.
Notably, the US government has shown little interest in pursuing similar inquiries, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche dismissing further investigations or charges as unlikely. President Donald Trump lashed out at a CNN reporter when asked about justice for Epstein survivors, saying it was time to move on from the issue and that nothing had come up regarding him personally.
Lauren Hersh, director of the anti-human trafficking organization World Without Exploitation, described the Trump administration's handling of the files as "incredibly distressing" and called for more action. She urged an investigation into leads indicating numerous individuals who committed devastating harm to survivors.
As Europe struggles to come to terms with the Epstein files scandal, one thing is clear: accountability will be key to healing these wounds.
A string of high-profile resignations and criminal investigations has erupted across Europe in response to the release of latest batch of Jeffrey Epstein's files. The US government, however, appears to be dragging its feet on similar inquiries.
In the UK, former US ambassador Peter Mandelson was forced to quit his position in the House of Lords and the Labour Party after newly released documents revealed his close ties to Epstein. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Mandelson, stating that he had "betrayed our country, Parliament and my party" and expressing regret at appointing him.
Mandelson himself acknowledged exercising poor judgment, admitting that the conversation was private but later calling it "a fool's move". His resignation comes as messages between Slovakian national security adviser Miroslav Lajčák and Epstein were made public, with Lajčák admitting to feeling embarrassed after the scandal broke. He resigned on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Joanna Rubinstein of the UN Refugee Agency has also stepped down from her post after documents revealed her visit to Epstein's island in 2012, several years after he was convicted of sex crimes. Rubenstein distanced herself from the abuse, stating that what emerged since her visit was "appalling".
The Lithuanian prosecutors have launched a human trafficking investigation into prominent Lithuanians named in the files. The country's prosecutor general said an objective and thorough investigation is only possible with pre-trial cooperation.
Notably, the US government has shown little interest in pursuing similar inquiries, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche dismissing further investigations or charges as unlikely. President Donald Trump lashed out at a CNN reporter when asked about justice for Epstein survivors, saying it was time to move on from the issue and that nothing had come up regarding him personally.
Lauren Hersh, director of the anti-human trafficking organization World Without Exploitation, described the Trump administration's handling of the files as "incredibly distressing" and called for more action. She urged an investigation into leads indicating numerous individuals who committed devastating harm to survivors.
As Europe struggles to come to terms with the Epstein files scandal, one thing is clear: accountability will be key to healing these wounds.
think about how many ppl were in bed with epstein and no one did anything till now its like so messed up 
like what r u even gonna do about it trump lol 
his whole reaction is giving me life 
anyway idk wut the point of this news is but i guess europe has to deal w/ the fallout 1st and its kinda crazy how many ppl are getting called out over epstein connections 
ugh btw can we pls talk about how hard it must be for epstein survivors like lauren hersh from that org she sounds like a total rockstar 
just thinking about how many high-profile ppl are getting caught up in this Epstein scandal is wild 
it's like they're all trying to cover their own backsides 
but honestly, can't we just have some real accountability here? 
the fact that US gov't is dragging its feet on similar inquiries is giving me major vibes of "they don't wanna do anything about this" 
and let's not forget the poor Epstein survivors who are still waiting for justice 
you're speaking truth to power over here 
I'm totally with Lauren Hersh on this one 
. The US government's lack of interest in investigating further is just mind-boggling 
. I mean, come on, the guy was a master manipulator and they're just letting him off scot-free? 
.
. It's like they're saying, "Oh, we'll take care of it, don't worry about us." 
But accountability is exactly what's needed here. We need to hold everyone accountable for their actions, especially those in power who enabled or covered up Epstein's crimes.
. The survivors deserve justice, and the rest of us deserve to know that our leaders are doing everything they can to prevent this kind of thing from happening again 
.
like what's next? are we gonna see resignations from other powerful people too? 
it's all about accountability and making sure these types of scandals never happen again 
this is so disappointing 
especially when you think about all the people affected by epstein's abuse and now they're still waiting for justice 
it's like no one is taking this seriously in the us government 
we need to keep pushing for accountability and justice for these survivors