Jessica Valenti
Why Would Anyone Defend Jeffrey Epstein?
The wealthy financier may go to jail, but that won’t stop other men from quietly casting doubt on his alleged crimes
It would be nice to imagine that Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire accused of sexually assaulting and trafficking teen girls, will receive swift judgment — not just in court but in public opinion. Here’s a man whose alleged crimes were an open secret for years, a wealthy abuser whose access to power and privilege protected him from being held accountable, even when caught.
After years of writing about feminism, however, I know better. Epstein may go to jail — hopefully minus the sweetheart deal this time — but that won’t stop the quiet defense of his behavior.
Already we’re seeing rumblings about how Epstein wasn’t really a pedophile because his victims were postpubescent. (As if raping children isn’t as bad if they’ve developed breasts.) Rutgers University biologist Robert Trivers, for example — whose research was funded by Epstein — defended the alleged pedophile in 2015, saying that girls mature earlier now than in decades past. “By the time they’re 14 or 15, they’re like grown women were 60 years ago,” Trivers said, “so I don’t see these acts as so heinous.”
