I find it disturbing that congressional Democrats and most of the media are focused on finding a “smoking gun” proving that President Trump personally participated in the sexual abuse of underage girls — as if his long association with Jeffrey Epstein weren’t damning enough on its own. Their focus on direct involvement risks missing a bigger, more damning reality.

Is it really plausible that Trump didn’t, at the very least, know what was happening? Public memory seems remarkably short when it comes to his birthday letter to Epstein, which alluded to their “shared secrets,” and a crude sketch of a nude woman. It’s hard to believe that this referred to anything other than the ongoing abuse, even if Trump didn’t personally take part.

Trump’s own record makes his willful ignorance quite believable. He has boasted on tape to a reporter about his unwanted grabbing of young women’s genitals, was found civilly liable for sexual assault and has been accused by over two dozen women of sexual misconduct, including assault and harassment. Given that background, it’s not hard to imagine him staying silent to protect his access and status within Epstein’s social circle.

Beyond the original abuse and the administration’s continuing efforts to hide the facts, the most unsettling part of this entire situation is the broader moral fact that the country has a president who many people see as entirely capable of participating in — or at least tolerating — such horrific behavior.

Gary Massanek
Topsham