President Trump now says that he wants Republicans to vote to release the Epstein files. But at the same time, he has also appointed a U.S. attorney who played a role in shutting down the Epstein investigation during his first term. What does this mean? It means Congress can vote to release the files on Tuesday for optics but the public won’t see them because the Justice Department will open an “active investigation” that keeps key evidence out of public view. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she has asked SDNY U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the renewed Epstein investigation. Whitney Webb, one of the most prominent researchers on Epstein’s network, argues that Clayton’s long-standing proximity to Epstein’s world, including emails where Epstein discusses Clayton’s private-equity advisory work, and Clayton’s later move to Leon Black’s firm after Black paid Epstein millions, raises serious concerns about placing him in charge of determining what the public gets to see. So what does it look like will happen? Congress will vote to release the files, and the Justice Department will launch a new investigation that delays, redacts, or buries the very documents that could finally reveal the full truth. On Sunday, a group of Epstein victims released this video demanding the files be released. The post Epstein chess: the illusion of disclosure, the reality of control. appeared first on Redacted.