By Paul Craig Roberts
PaulCraigRoberts.org
February 9, 2026
It seems that we finally have the Epstein files or at least some millions of pages of them. There are complaints that they have been redacted and that Trump and Bondi are responsible in order to protect Trump. However, I would be surprised if there are not laws requiring redaction. For example, security agencies such as the CIA and FBI would require protection for agents in covert or undercover operations to shield their lives from retribution, and one would not want to accuse a person of a crime prior to charges against the person being filed. No doubt there are other reasons for redaction. Certainly, some of it is due to bureaucratic behavior.
My concern is not with the redaction. My concern is that red herrings are being pulled across the trail to deflect an inquiry into whether the Epstein saga comprises an Israeli blackmail operation. The latest red herring is that Epstein was a Russian spy, and the claim that Epstein was peddling sex with underaged youth appeals to the concerns of many and serves to cover up a Mossad blackmail operation if indeed that was Epstein's real business.
False narratives are always used to deflect attention from uncovering the true story. James Jesus Angleton explained to me how it works. Where did Einstein's fortune come from ? Who gave it to him ? If he was marketing underage sex, why did he concentrate on influential Americans in a position to affect US policy toward Israel ? These obvious questions have received scant attention.
Bill Clinton's history makes it clear that he did not need Epstein to find him sexual partners. Neither one think would a British prince need Epstein's help. Bill Gates is known to have a mistress. Celebrities need no help in accumulating women. Consider the underaged groupies that pursue rock bands.
It is not redaction that will keep us from ever knowing the real Epstein story. It is Israel's power to control the narrative that will give us the "truth."