A new poll finds most Americans believe the Epstein documents show the wealthy and powerful are rarely held accountable, revealing a partisan split on moving on.
WASHINGTON: A new poll reveals a widespread American belief that the powerful are rarely held accountable, a sentiment amplified by the release of documents detailing Jeffrey Epstein’s elite connections.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll found 69% of respondents felt a statement that the files “show that powerful people in the U.S. are rarely held accountable” described their views “very” or “extremely” well.
Another 17% said it described their thinking “somewhat well,” with only 11% disagreeing. This view transcended party lines, with over 80% of both Republicans and Democrats agreeing at least somewhat.
READ MORE: Hyatt executive chairman resigns over Jeffrey Epstein email ties
The poll concluded on Monday after gathering responses from 1,117 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Under congressional order, the Justice Department has released millions of records linking the late financier to prominent figures in politics, finance, academia and business.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges, including soliciting an underage girl. He died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 after his arrest on sex trafficking charges, with his death ruled a suicide.
The scandal remains a persistent political issue for President Donald Trump, who socialised extensively with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Trump has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and says he broke off ties before the financier’s 2008 plea deal.
The document releases have already triggered consequences in some corporate circles. Executives at Goldman Sachs and Hyatt Hotels have resigned.
Other figures named in the documents have retained powerful posts, though none are accused of wrongdoing.
Emails show Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick visited Epstein’s private island in 2012 and invited him to a 2015 fundraiser for Hillary Clinton.
Documents also show Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, emailed Epstein an invitation to a 2016 Valentine’s Day party.
While consensus exists on elite impunity, Americans are divided along partisan lines on whether to continue focusing on the affair.
When asked if it was “time for the country to move on,” 67% of Republican respondents agreed at least somewhat.
Only 21% of Democratic respondents felt the same way.
