Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith just dropped a serious take, criticizing President Trump for dragging his feet on releasing the files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as per The Hill. Smith believes the president is trying to protect “very influential people.”
Smith stated that the president’s procrastination and stalling effort definitely seems “a bit suspicious.” He clarified that he doesn’t think the delay is specifically about Trump himself. Instead, he believes the issue is about people the president knows that he’s trying to protect. This whole situation is particularly frustrating because releasing the files was something the president campaigned on, Smith noted. He pointed out that we really should have seen these files by now.
The core of Smith’s accusation is that the people being protected were complicit through inaction. He emphasized that this isn’t just a one-party issue. Smith strongly thinks that people of heightened stature on both sides of the aisle, both Republicans and Democrats, were aware of Epstein’s crimes, which included allegations of sex trafficking underage girls.
He condemned President Trump and others not necessarily for engaging in illegal actions with Epstein, but for “clearly doing nothing” to stop the crimes that were being committed
Smith laid out his belief in detail, saying, “I think that exists on both sides of the aisle, where there are some notable people that may have been aware of the transgressions of Epstein and did and were complicit by doing nothing, and let’s hope they wouldn’t participate either.” He added that by doing nothing, by not calling Epstein to the carpet and not holding him accountable, these influential figures are the very people folks are trying to protect.
You have to remember the legal context here. The Department of Justice is facing a Friday deadline to release a massive amount of information. This deadline requires the release of “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys’ Offices, that relate to Epstein.”
This immense pressure for disclosure comes directly from the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Trump signed into law on November 19. That signing started a mandatory 30-day clock on the document release. This legislation had passed in both chambers of Congress last month with massive veto-proof majorities, showing just how widespread the public and political demand is for this information.
Smith isn’t willing to predict that a whole bunch of names are going to be redacted or anything like that, but he is clearly frustrated by the lack of speed and transparency coming from the administration. This major criticism comes as new details continue to surface regarding the case.
Earlier, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Democrats released 68 new photos taken from Epstein’s estate. Despite the intense criticism directed at the administration’s handling of the case and the ensuing delay, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that Democrats still expect the Department of Justice to fully comply with the order and release the documents by the deadline.
It’s a situation we’re all watching closely, and the pressure is mounting for the president to deliver on the transparency he promised.
Published: Dec 19, 2025 01:30 pm