The Jeffrey Epstein affair has now reached proportions befitting a television comedy. When limited reports from government officials contradicted the assumptions of many Americans, the stage was set.
Epstein’s Island is not Gilligan’s Island. It is no laughing matter.
The miscommunication by Trump Administration officials on the subject rival any of the comedic exchanges between the Skipper and Gilligan, without the laughs.
Americans became aware of Jeffrey Epstein and his perverted predilections when he was arrested on July 6, 2019, on federal charges for sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York. He was further accused of abusing underage girls and running a scheme where victims would recruit others for exploitation.
Much of Epstein’s misbehavior, that of his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, and his degenerate friends, occurred on an island in the Caribbean. While the location of Gilligan’s Island was never revealed, Epstein’s Island is located about two miles off the coast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Jeffrey Epstein died by hanging in his jail cell on August 10, 2019, after meeting with his lawyers while awaiting trial.
For many Americans Epstein’s death, and the dearth of details about with whom he consorted and to what degree, became another example of the elite circling the wagons to prevent further embarrassment to the rich and famous.
His death seemed too convenient. Killing himself prior to naming names was an easy out and one that served the interests of the deep state that many believed would be implicated had Epstein lived.
For five years, many, especially those on the right, “knew” they were being stonewalled. They “knew” Epstein had been murdered and clung to a belief that an Epstein “Client List” existed. That list would blow the lid off the whole scandal while confirming our worst fears about certain politicians and celebrities.
The idea that the head of a criminal organization would keep a list of co-conspirators for the finding defies logic. It would be suicidal, at least from a legal standpoint, to keep such a list.
Epstein’s knowledge about who these deviants were required no list. Evidence of travel aboard his plane to his island would represent damning circumstantial proof. Flight logs and photographs could be used both as leverage against his associates and as a negotiation tool with prosecutors should he be arrested.
No matter what we assumed of what became known as the “Epstein Files” or those we assumed would be identified, these were still merely guesses.
Just because we expect something doesn’t mean that something exists, no matter how firmly we hold the belief. If that were true, we’d have both Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster in zoos.
Donald Trump’s election and subsequent promises of transparency were hailed as the means to finally expose the Epstein affair. Trump promised to declassify several long-standing events that spawned conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory. These include the Kennedy Assassination, MLK’s murder, UFO files, and Epstein Files.
This year The FBI and the Department of Justice concluded that there was no foul play involved in Epstein’s death. This determination was reported to the public by three trustworthy sources: FBI Director Kash Patel, FBI Assistant Director Dan Bongino, and US Attorney General Pam Bondi.
These three were hailed upon their nominations and confirmations because they are outside the beltway crusaders for justice. The trio represents a sea change in who is shining the light in the dark corners of Washington and because they are zealots for the truth.
That the Epstein List, according to AG Pam Bondi, doesn’t exist is no cause for alarm. That Bondi’s prior statements on the subject were imprecise and fueled “client list” fever changes nothing.
When Dan Bongino says Epstein hung himself, I believe him. I worked in law enforcement, and I investigated both murders and suicides. The evidence determines the truth. I trust Bongino.
In both cases of the list and Epstein’s suicide, the revelation that the former is non-existent and the latter confirmed may not jibe with what was previously assumed, but that doesn’t make either any less true.
Trump may wish to focus on “more important” issues than the Epstein Files, but many people won’t be satisfied without further proof. Trump has now asked Bondi to seek the release of the Epstein grand jury transcripts.
It is expected that if successful in her request, we’ll all get to see them later.
Gilligan and those marooned on that desert island learned to coexist, if not primitively, for the good of all. Gilligan made life both better, and often harder than the others expected.
Not unlike those castaways we are marooned on an island of our own expectations. A place where too often we let those beliefs inform the evidence, rather than the other way around. Expectations can make life better. They can also make it a lot more difficult when they are not met.
What we expect and what we get have been, and often are, two different things.
Stephen Piccirillo 2025
