Thank God, people are staying upset about the failure to fully release the Epstein files. Many of us would really like to know which powerful people have sexually abused and trafficked children.
Epstein’s victims have come forward. There are a lot of them. Most support their asking for transparency.
After almost 50 years of providing evidence based, effective treatment to both sexual abuse victim survivors and the people that have acted out on them, I have learned that healing CAN come from restorative justice processes with trauma-informed therapy. This healing process CAN DEEPEN when offenders are known and held accountable. (Later, IF appropriate to a survivor’s needs, TRAUMA CAN ACTUALLY BE DECREASED, through measured and screened contact between victims and offenders, processed with their specialist trauma therapists.)
The paltry 1-5% of files that have, been released is insulting and unacceptable. The impact is to keep victims’ healing stuck. This hypocritical coverup needs to end, as the victim survivors have requested.
There continue to be a shameful amount of politicians that have cynically and purposefully enabled and protected offenders, to the detriment of these courageous victim survivors. This IS NOT POLITICAL, as I assume the exposure will harm powerful people on both parties and many of their wealthy, powerful supporters on both “sides”.
Only two more signatures are currently needed for the Epstein files to be released to the public, while preserving confidentiality for the victims, which is how Republican Rep. Massey and Democrat Rep. Khanna’s bill is written. It is shameful that only a handful of Republicans have signed on. Apparently, obeying a president who has already been convicted of sexual assault, and protecting their donors, is more important than what is being asked for.
Please write and call on our Montana Representatives Ryan Zinke and Troy Downing to separate themselves from the hypocrites at the Department of Justice, our President, and a host of others who promised to release the Epstein files. They promised transparency to the people, and to the sexual abuse victims of Jeffrey Epstein, but now are blocking, through inaction and silence, the release.
It is also shameful that many governors, including ours, and other Montana politicians have not publicly supported releasing the files. Do their professed Christian family values become irrelevant when they want to hold on to power? It is time for politicians to line their professed family values with their behavior!
Special treatment and the enabling of the powerful and wealthy must stop.
Whatever elected officials have NOT supported the release of the files, it is just another reason – among the increasing number of reasons – to vote them out of office a year from this November!
Andy Hudak is a Montana Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who specializes in the treatment of victims and offenders of physical, sexual, emotional, abuse, and neglect. He co-founded the Montana Sex Offender Treatment Association (MSOTA) in the mid-80s. He recently received a lifetime achievement award from MSOTA. He was also honored with The Dan George Award in Flathead County, for innovative mental health program development in Flathead County, and around the state, through The United Way. He lives in Whitefish.