On this side of the Atlantic, heads are rolling due to revelations about Jeffrey Epstein.
In Norway, a prominent diplomat has been suspended and a police investigation has been opened into a former prime minister. In the United Kingdom, the former ambassador to the US has been removed from his post; on Tuesday he also resigned from the House of Lords. Police are investigating reports that he shared sensitive information with Epstein.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, has been stripped of his royal titles and his residence. A charity founded by his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, will be closed indefinitely after the publication of emails in which she called Epstein “a legend” and “the brother I always wanted to have.”
But as the European political class tries to clean up the mess and deal with the shame of its ties to the convicted sex offender, it is inadvertently highlighting something else: the comparative lack of accountability in the US. No prominent American politician has fallen. The fallout has been limited. The circle has closed to protect the most prominent political figures whose names appear in the published legal documents.
In the United Kingdom, former ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson, who admitted he made a mistake by trusting Epstein after his conviction and continuing to befriend him, has become a problem for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Although Starmer has never met Epstein, some are calling for his resignation over Mandelson's appointment. The prime minister publicly apologized to Epstein's victims on Thursday.
“I’m sorry,” Starmer said. “I’m sorry for what was done to you, I’m sorry that so many people in power let you down, I’m sorry that I believed Mandelson’s lies and named him, and I’m sorry that you now have to see this story again in public.”
In the US, the situation is different. Donald Trump's Republican Party has largely shrugged off criticism or sided with the president, despite his documented ties to Epstein and other vague allegations that emerged last week. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the Epstein allegations, and there is no evidence that he participated in Epstein's trafficking. The president has also said that he and Epstein broke up years ago.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick remains in his post. Lutnick said on a podcast last year that he was so disgusted by his neighbor Epstein in 2005 that he vowed never to be in the same room with him again. But when the Justice Department released more than three million pages of material related to Epstein last Friday, emails emerged showing that Lutnick had met Epstein several years later on his Caribbean island. A spokesman said the Commerce secretary “had limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and was never accused of wrongdoing.” So far, there is no sign that this has affected his position in Trump’s cabinet.
Goldman Sachs and its CEO David Solomon are also standing by general counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, who has faced criticism for months for her ties to Epstein, including gifts like a $9,400 Hermes bag and spa treatments at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington. Solomon told the Wall Street Journal that Ruemmler, a former White House adviser to Barack Obama, is “widely respected and admired at the company.”
Ruemmler said he regrets "ever knowing him and has great empathy for the victims of Epstein's crimes."
Dr. Peter Attia, a renowned author and longevity researcher, also remains in office despite appearing in numerous emails with Epstein, where they discussed female anatomy and Epstein’s “debauched” life. In a public email to X, Attia apologized and said he had no connection to the criminal activities, abuse or sexual exploitation and was never on his plane or island, or at any sex parties.
Some see the relatively limited response in a public arena where adultery or marijuana use would once have ruined a career as a reflection of the weaker standards in the Trump era, where the president’s controversial behavior and deep polarization have increased tolerance for scandal. They point to the appointments of former Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who would once have been unthinkable because of allegations of sexual crimes, both denied.
“Part of this has to do with the general chaos across the Atlantic, where there’s a constant stream of scandals coming out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and Trump has set a defiant tone of denial and shame,” said Norm Eisen, a former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic and a prominent Trump critic. “Those who should be ashamed are being shut in.”
It is true that some American figures associated with Epstein have withdrawn from public life. Among them are former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who said he was “deeply ashamed of my actions and understand the pain I caused,” and Brad Karp, the chairman of the law firm Paul Weiss, who resigned, saying it was in the best interest of the firm. David Ross, the former director of the Whitney Museum, resigned this week from an art school in Manhattan and said he was ashamed of falling for Epstein’s lies. But for many of the most prominent elite who had contact with the convicted felon, including former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and billionaire Elon Musk, the consequences have been only reputational damage.
“What matters is not the release of the Epstein files, but the prosecution of those who committed the terrible crimes with Epstein,” Musk wrote on X. “When there is at least one arrest, there will be some justice. Otherwise, this is all performative. Nothing but a distraction.”
Bannon has spoken little publicly about his connection to Epstein, but has previously called for an independent investigation into the files. Bannon, a frequent visitor to Epstein’s New York home, was planning a documentary to improve his image and even exchanged messages with Epstein about his plans for the day of his arrest in 2019. However, there are few signs that the scandal has affected him: Bannon continues to host his “War Room” show on Rumble, and his comments are widely covered by the media.
This approach fits Trump’s no-holds-barred style. “We as Americans need to look at ourselves in the mirror. Why don’t we have the same reaction [as Europe]?” said Rufus Gifford, a former Obama-appointed ambassador to Denmark. “There’s no doubt that the way Trump has acted has filtered down to the broader society. But the question is whether this was there before Trump, and he’s just a symptom of a bigger problem.”
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