The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Jordan Wood is a Democratic candidate for Congress in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.
Jeffrey Epstein was indicted for running a sex trafficking network that exploited young women and children for decades. He was protected by wealth, power, and connections reaching into both political parties, Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and foreign governments.
When Congress confronts institutional failures this sweeping and comprehensive, it has established a bipartisan select committee: Watergate, Iran-Contra, the Church Committee’s exposure of CIA and FBI abuses, and the January 6th investigation all followed this model. I believe the Epstein case demands the same.
I’m a Democrat, and I’ll say what too few in my party will: Our side has serious questions to answer. Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell of Maine appeared over 300 times in the files; FBI records contain a woman’s allegation that Epstein trafficked her to him. A victim’s attorney alleges a 15-year-old girl was flown to Epstein’s townhouse for sex with former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. Obama’s White House counsel, Kathryn Ruemmler, was one of three people Epstein called from jail in 2019. She called him “Uncle Jeffrey.” Democrat Bill Richardson, the former cabinet secretary and governor of New Mexico, lied about his history with Epstein. He avoided any accountability before his death in 2023, but those around him who knew what was going on and did nothing must face accountability.
Republicans are equally implicated and equally protected. President Donald Trump socialized with Epstein for years. His administration tried to block the release of these files, and his Department of Justice was directed to investigate only Democrats while shielding allies like Elon Musk, whose emails show repeated attempts to visit Epstein’s properties. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick visited Epstein’s island despite claiming otherwise. Alexander Acosta, Trump’s first-term labor secretary, engineered the original sweetheart plea deal that let Epstein walk.
The current process is failing. Despite the Epstein Files Transparency Act passing 427 to 1 in the U.S. House of Representatives, the DOJ released documents with hundreds of pages blacked out, tracked which members of Congress searched the files, and dragged its feet. The House Oversight Committee investigation has devolved into partisan finger-pointing.
A bipartisan select committee is the only way the American people will actually believe the findings, regardless of political party.
The select committee I am proposing can and must deliver a complete public accounting of how the DOJ, FBI, and Bureau of Prisons failed victims, including the 2008 plea deal and Epstein’s death in custody. It needs to identify who enabled, participated in, or covered up the alleged trafficking operation, and refer criminal evidence for prosecution. The committee should explain how the wealthy elite bought impunity and expose the role of banks, law firms, and political donors in shielding Epstein’s crimes. Finally, the select committee can develop legislative reforms to strengthen trafficking laws, mandate transparency in investigations involving public officials, and end elite donor influence over law enforcement.
Here in Maine, we don’t believe in one justice system for the powerful and another for working people. A person’s wealth, position, or connections should never dictate whether or not they are held accountable when they break the law. We must demand the same standards of our leaders in Washington.
If elected to Congress, I’ll champion these reforms and fight to establish a select committee. No more excuses. No more cover-ups. No one is above the law.
