This shock Epstein move means huge trouble for Trump. How he'll lash out is chilling

Everyone except me seems terrified that their name is going to turn up in the Epstein Files. And to be honest, even I’m a little nervous, given that Epstein was my mother’s maiden name.

But I’m honestly not all that preoccupied by the notion that all sorts of men and even women from all walks of life were on the periphery of Jeffrey Epstein’s life, either as part of his business ventures or as attendees at one of his parties or visitors to his island.

The truth is that knowing Epstein didn’t mean taking part in his crimes. But did it indicate that you knew he was trafficking and assaulting underage girls? Almost without question. Anyone who claims otherwise is probably lying to save their ass.

The arrest on Thursday of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – on his 66th birthday, no less – reminds us that justice delayed isn’t always justice denied. Potential crimes committed by those close to Epstein are being taken seriously on the other side of the pond, which is something that should serve notice to Republicans engaged in the current systemic coverup here, that their time dodging accountability is running out.

So many are now caught up in the Epstein web and facing fallout. Clearly, anyone even marginally associated with the man is suffering career or personal crises, or both. Such is the toxicity of having ever interacted with the Typhoid Mary of the 21st century.

Andrew denies wrongdoing. But since it’s inarguably true that the disgraced brother of the King of England is suspected of “misconduct in public office,” and that suspicion could well lead to a prosecution and conviction, we now have our Exhibit A that not even being a royal excludes you from criminal investigation.

No one named in those scandalous files is above reproach. If esteem and power don’t protect a former prince, they can’t shield a billionaire either.

Or a president.

Donald Trump has made a lot of claims about Epstein and how he ultimately found him to be a “creep” — a term no one under the age of 75 uses anymore.

But forget about the purported falling out, or why it actually occurred. Look to the years when Trump and Epstein were joined at the hip.

In a 2017 audio interview with the journalist Michael Wolff, Epstein claimed Trump was his “closest friend for ten years.” Epstein had no reason to lie. And you don’t hide your true nature from your best pal.

Remember that Trump toldNew York magazine in 2002, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

Also, recall the birthday message artistically presented in the shape of a naked woman that Trump allegedly wrote for Epstein’s 2003 birthday album, closing with, “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.” It featured Trump’s signature in the spot where a woman’s pubic hair would be.

Trump sued the Wall Street Journal for $10 billion for reporting the letter. But this is a man, let’s not forget, who openly boasted of grabbing women by the genitalia, if using a far coarser term.

All of which is to point out that the odds of Trump having been a mere innocent, looking the other way while his closest friend criminally trafficked and violated girls, seem very close to zero.

I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. But to be real, everything this administration is doing to distract and deflect on the files just makes Trump look guiltier than anyone. He didn’t suddenly discover Epstein was a “creep.” He wasn’t appalled by the behavior of Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.

“I was Donald’s closest friend for ten years.”

Look at that line again. If it’s true, that would mean Trump doesn’t belong in the White House but the Big House. Again, not a novel observation. But as time moves along, his being shielded from scrutiny grows clearer by the day.

The latest collection of Epstein files showed records from 2019 of the FBI interviewing a woman who alleged Trump forced himself on her after Epstein introduced them in 1984. The girl was in her early teens at the time. That document was purged from the Department of “Justice” database. Poof. Gone. It reappeared later.

Everything Trump has done of late and will do going forward must be viewed as a wag-the-dog distraction, including the threat to attack Iran. Would he really launch a war to buy time and take everyone’s eyes off of the files? Bank on it.

As we saw this week, if Trump were Prime Minister of the U.K. instead of President of the U.S., more than likely all this evidence would have triggered an arrest. The more Trump boasts that he’s been fully exonerated, as he claimed again on Thursday, the more culpable he looks.

Here is another thing the files show Epstein said about his onetime best buddy: “I have met some very bad people, none as bad as Trump. Not one decent cell in his body.”

Sounds just like the kind of guy you’d want as your closest friend.

• Ray Richmond is a longtime journalist/author and an adjunct professor at Chapman University in Orange, CA.