An undated photograph of Jeffrey Epstein’s island compound, published December 3, 2025 by the House Oversight Committee. Photo courtesy the Government of the US Virgin Islands/Wikimedia Commons.

A recent survey published by Drop Site News, Zeteo, and the progressive think tank Data For Progress found that a slim majority in the United States believes Trump launched his war against Iran to divert attention from damaging revelations contained in the Epstein Files. Democrats held this view “by an 81–14 margin” but, strikingly, a quarter of Republicans agreed. Among “those under 45, it is approaching an article of faith, with a 66–26 majority agreeing with the idea.” Doubtless, there would be similar levels of support for this view in Canada.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Trump harboured some hopes that his “war of choice” in Iran could prove to be something of a distraction when it comes to his Epstein connection. However, any serious consideration of the regional objectives of Israel and the geopolitical strategies of the US will readily show that there are much bigger issues and far more longstanding aims at work in the attack on Iran than Trump’s desire to avoid a personal scandal.

At one level, such widespread cynicism about Trump and his criminal attack on Iran could be seen as a healthy development. But when it comes to Epstein and his network of high-placed abusers and enablers, we are also confronting a degree of misunderstanding and political disorientation that is both troubling and in need of challenge.

In my own activity on social media, I have been struck by the extent to which people with otherwise well-developed left-wing perspectives have adopted a seriously inflated view of the power and influence of Epstein’s operation. The term “Epstein Class” has been bandied about so frequently that it has almost entered the political lexicon.

If the intention is simply to evoke the depraved conduct and covert activities of a wealthy and privileged social layer, the use of “Epstein Class,” as a popular if imprecise term, might be forgivable. But it has now taken on dimensions that go well beyond this.

In arguing for a realistic assessment of the nature of Epstein’s network, I should first of all stress that I in no way seek to minimize its hideous character. Young women and girls were subjected to rampant abuse and sexual assault at the hands of rich men who imagined that their vast social privileges secured them immunity.

So........

© Canadian Dimension