There is a verse in the book of Hosea from the Bible that leapt to mind last week as I watched a drama in Washington unfold over the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and the records he kept around the sex crimes he committed.
“For they have sown the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind.”
It is an insight into human cause-and-effect that the Hebrew prophet Hosea observed 2,700 years ago.
I always have interpreted the verse to mean, those who engage in imprudent or foolish behavior will reap the consequences.
How do I connect that ancient, biblical observation to a political drama in Washington in 2025?
I’ll explain. But first let me catch you up. President Trump is trying to head off a potential mutiny from portions of his political base as supporters persist in their demands that his administration release details of a “list” Epstein purportedly kept before he died of suicide in 2019.
The calls for public disclosure should not come as a surprise. Over the years Trump and others have stoked a belief that Epstein was possibly killed — his death potentially involving former President Bill Clinton — to protect the sprawling network of sex offenders who participated in Epstein’s crimes involving underage girls.
It is a theory that has found deep purchase among some Americans. After all, wealth and power often have shielded certain Americans from consequences while other Americans have paid the price for their crimes because they couldn’t afford high-priced attorneys or weren’t friends or acquaintances with powerful people.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration appeared open to disclosing the entirety of the Epstein record file.
“This Department of Justice is following through on President Trump’s commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a February press release announcing the release of the first batch of records.
Added Trump’s FBI director Kash Patel in the February statement:
“The FBI is entering a new era—one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice. There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned — and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued.”
So earlier this month when Trump’s Department of Justice announced that it had found no evidence that Epstein was killed and no record of a “client list,” outrage exploded among Americans who had believed the conspiracies Trump and others had trafficked in.
The storyline became more complicated for Trump and his administration when the Wall Street Journal published a story describing a letter it reported Trump sent Epstein in 2003.
From the newspaper’s story:
The letter bearing Trump’s name, which was reviewed by the Journal, is bawdy—like others in the album. It contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. A pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly “Donald” below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.
The letter concludes: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
After reading the Journal’s story, my first thought was who would be shocked that Trump could send such a letter. Anyone who has followed him over the years could see him sending remarks like that to Epstein or any other guy who shared his locker room sensibilities. Before he ran for president, Trump openly talked about knowing and liking Epstein. He also has not shied away from describing his appeal to women because of his wealth and power.
My second thought was, if there is such a list, I am more than fine with exposing it to the sunlight of public scrutiny and letting all the politicians, regardless of partisan or ideological affiliations, pay for their indiscretions.
Releasing the Epstein files would be a fitting denouement to all the sordidness.
I first heard the name Jeffrey Epstein somewhere around 2008-2009 after his Florida conviction on charges of soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. Epstein owned a 7,500-acre property in Santa Fe County, where he built a gargantuan ranch at the time. Several New Mexico reporters, including me, wrote stories about his campaign contributions to New Mexico state officials, including then-Gov. Bill Richardson.
Personally, I can’t wait to see the Epstein saga end. If it costs both political parties and the current president and former presidents dearly, so be it.
Trip Jennings started his career in Georgia at his hometown newspaper, The Augusta Chronicle, before working at newspapers in California, Florida and Connecticut. Since 2005, Trip has covered politics and state government for the Albuquerque Journal, The New Mexico Independent and the Santa Fe New Mexican. He holds a Master’s of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga. In 2012, he co-founded New Mexico In Depth.