“From the Epstein Class to the Working Class”

Rep. Ro Khanna on what the Epstein cover-up tells us about who really runs America

Donald Trump’s Department of Justice didn’t just drag its feet on the Epstein files; it shredded evidence, hid the names of at least six powerful men, and is still fighting to keep survivors’ sworn testimony from ever seeing the light of day. That’s according to Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who has been leading on the frontlines of this issue alongside his GOP friend and colleague in Congress, Thomas Massie, for the past year. I had the opportunity to speak with Khanna this week, and hear his thoughts on how this is the clearest example we have of how a whole class of rich men has captured our institutions and convinced millions of Americans that accountability is for other people, not for them.

“There was a group of people, I call them the Epstein class, who had wealth and power and thought that their wealth and power and connections entitled them to treat young girls as totally disposable and dispensable,” Khanna told me. “Some of them participated in the rape of these girls. Some of them abused these young girls. Some of them covered up the abuse of these young girls. And it’s totally disgusting.” These are the wealthy, well-connected men who believed their money, lawyers, and political friends entitled them to do whatever they want, cover it up, and then go back to writing checks to politicians and flying on private jets.

Throughout our conversation, he also talks about the Epstein issue in a way that relates to the troubles of regular working Americans. “Maybe this is the reason that people aren’t getting relief because these rich and powerful people have co-opted government, not allowing us to deal with the health care costs rising, not allowing us to deal with rents rising,” he said.

This is what two systems of justice look like in practice. One system where an average American gets jailed for a small time offense, and another where billionaires with private islands can traffic minors and still have their names redacted by the government you pay for. I think this is one of the most striking parts of my conversation with Khanna: how clearly he connects the Epstein scandal to the broader democratic crisis I’ve written about here week after week. When ordinary Americans say the system is rigged, this is what they mean, not a vague conspiracy theory but a decades-long pattern where some of the richest people on earth commit crimes and then get protected by the very institutions we are told to trust.

For many MAGA voters, the Epstein cover-up confirms every suspicion they have about a corrupt elite that gets away with everything while their communities suffer under rising health care costs and rents. For Democrats, it is a test of whether we are willing to stop scolding those voters from a distance and instead show up with them in fights that expose how deeply the Epstein class has co-opted our government and the economy.

I started Gloves Off to find out who is actually willing to do what it takes to get our country back on track in this new authoritarian era. Khanna’s work on the Epstein files is not perfect or finished, but it is a model for the kind of courage and cross-ideological organizing we are going to need a lot more of in the years ahead.

If you found this week’s interview worth your time, forward this email with a friend or colleague, share it on social media, and listen to my full conversation with Rep. Khanna on Apple or Spotify.