How deep does the corruption go?

While the government entered the second day of its shutdown, and while many of us are still reeling from the horrific details released in the latest Epstein documents, the President of the United States sat in the Oval Office, slouched forward in his tall leather chair, mouth sagging at the corners, with boredom you could see and feel.

But something was different this time. He was more alert than usual, more reactive. He wasn’t drifting off mid-sentence like he often does. He was holding on, locked in on the words spoken by the men in dark suits and bright ties, and the one woman standing behind him. When they spoke, they all repeated the same hollow lines we’ve heard for the past year. Things like: only you, dear president, can and have solved all our problems. America had been taken for granted until Trump saved us. Trump has done more than any other president in the history of our country. It was a display of obedience thick with cult language.

And he nodded along, sometimes late, sometimes not at all. But he liked it. Like the words were proof he was still in control, and that his throne was safe in that room. Then the reporter questions came. He was asked about the Grammys, and his Truth Social rant the night before, where he’d threatened to sue Trevor Noah. His anger was over a joke Noah told about the song of the year award: “A Grammy that every artist wants, almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.” That was all it took to set him off on his latest tirade.

And because he was more alert at this Oval Office meeting, Trump went into great detail about his feelings, saying: “Yeah, well, he said that I spent time on Jeffrey, Jeffrey Epstein’s island. I didn’t. I mean, he’s a lightweight, this guy. He’s a terrible, I think he’s terrible. I thought he did a terrible job at the Grammys. I thought the whole Grammys was terrible. I watched part of it. It’s not watchable. But he was a lousy host. I’d say, not as bad as Jimmy Kimmel, but pretty close. And no, he made a statement about me and Jeffrey Epstein. I have nothing to do with that. I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. And in fact, if you look at the DOJ, they announced, you know, they released 3 million pages. It’s like this is all they’re supposed to be doing. And frankly, the DOJ, I think should just say, we have other things to do because that whole thing has turned out. I mean, other than Bill Clinton and, you know, Bill Gates and lots of people that have, there are a lot of questions about it, but nothing on me. But it was even sort of better than that because they found that Jeffrey Epstein and his sleazebag writer named Michael Wolfwood conspiring against Donald Trump to lose the election. So Epstein was conspiring with a writer for me to lose the election. So right there, you know that I had nothing to do with this guy, but yeah, it’s a terrible thing. The amount of time that’s being wasted. You know, when Epstein was alive, like 10 years ago, nobody cared about him. But they’re only doing it. But now it’s really hitting back on them because Bill Clinton is such a big part of it. The Democrats are pushing it. And the problem is that it’s turning out to be the Democrats that were with and conspired with Epstein. So I think you’re probably going to see a little pullback from them. But think of it. They were working together to try and help me lose the election. But this is the Oval Office. So I guess that didn’t work out too well.”

And listening to him speak, it was telling that he initially called Epstein “Jeffrey” before correcting himself to say “Jeffrey Epstein.” It was quick, but noticeable. Like he forgot, just for a second, that he’s spent years telling the world they weren’t close, and then caught himself.

But more troubling continues to be that this is what the President of the United States is locked in on. In the middle of a shutdown, he was ranting about the Grammys, and not one person in that room blinked. Because this is the reality they’ve accepted. And it’s the one they expect us to accept, too.

They know he’s falling apart and has acceptable days and then days where he is experiencing significant issues. And the more these Epstein files come out, the more frantic and unstable he gets. With his near-constant lawsuits and threats, we can see the control slipping. He tries to stall for time by filing them, to keep the truth locked away and people scared enough to keep quiet. But one of these times, he’s going to push too hard, and it’s going to blow up in his face. That’s what happens with men like him, men who lie so much they forget what they’ve said and who they’ve said it to. All it’s going to take is one case moving forward, one judge who doesn’t delay, one deposition he can’t skip. And suddenly he’s the one trapped. The same tricks he’s used to protect himself will stop working. The truth is, he’s not mentally sharp enough to handle a real legal fight anymore. And still, he keeps pushing. Even if the Justice Department or certain courts keep covering for him, there’s only so much they can block. At some point, he’ll have to face discovery and depositions. He’s spinning because he’s running out of ways to stop the truth from surfacing.

And now we know just how much truth there is. The New York Times found more than 38,000 references to Trump, his wife, Mar-a-Lago, and related terms in just the latest batch of emails, government files, videos, and other records released by the DOJ. And yet somehow, it’s still not enough to break through the denial so many people are clinging to.

And maybe the part that so many of us are struggling with is watching him continue to be celebrated by people we share this country with, while, at least for now, he’s faced no real consequences for the hell he’s made us live through. Not daily. Hourly. We’re the ones who have to carry it. We’re the ones living in the wreckage. The attacks on the press. The disrespect to our neighbors up in Canada. The disgrace he brings down on our allies. The violence he has unleashed inside our own country and against our fellow citizens. It doesn’t stop. And yet somehow, he’s still treated like a leader. Still praised like he’s saving something, instead of tearing it all apart. That’s what we’re up against: people who see all of this and still choose him, and even celebrate all that we are losing.

And then there is the realization that for people like so many of us, people who didn’t grow up in the same circles as his elite enablers, these files are more than just shocking. They’re destabilizing. They crack something open. They break the illusion and reveal just how different the rules really are for the people who are ultra-wealthy and who hold power, and who are never held accountable. And when you’ve lived your whole life believing that at the very least, there must be some kind of floor, that there is a line no one crosses, a point where the system kicks in and stops the worst of it, it takes the air out of your lungs to realize that line doesn’t exist for people like him. That there is no floor and that the entire system was built around protecting them. Built to confuse, delay, and exhaust anyone who gets too close to the truth. And now that the truth is finally starting to come out, we’re seeing it all clearly: they designed this world to make us feel powerless, overwhelmed, and small the moment we got even a glimpse inside.

I’ve been spending hours upon hours going through the files, and I can’t even put into words how sick I’ve felt as I’ve learned more about the allegations, the crimes, and the names that keep surfacing. It’s mind-boggling how deep this goes inside our own government. How many layers of connection are tangled up in this. And now there are real, documented entries in the files that this wasn’t just a trafficking ring, which would already be horrific beyond words, but that it may also involve blackmail, coercion, and deaths that many of us now fear were actually murders. And somehow, we’re expected to just carry on with our everyday lives. As if any of this is normal. As if this isn’t one of the darkest scandals in modern history playing out in real time, right in front of our eyes. But the details aren’t what matter in this moment. We already know it’s bad. The survivors already told us. We’ve seen enough to know what’s real. What we need is accountability. What we need is a plan to make sure those involved are held accountable, and that this level of unchecked power, corruption, and cruelty never infiltrates our government again.

We must refuse to let them rewrite what happened to the victims and survivors and we must demand the full truth at any cost. Because this can’t just be another story that fades from the headlines. This has to be the one that breaks the pattern.

We need a country that actually responds when this kind of evil is exposed. And we need trials. Hearings. Criminal charges and real accountability for every person involved in the crimes, and every person who helped cover them up. Because these crimes aren’t just the problem. They’re the proof of something far more sinister: a system built on silence, secrecy, and the belief that if you’re rich enough, powerful enough, or well-connected enough, the rules do not apply to you. Democracy cannot live in permanent revelation without consequence. And we are running out of time to prove that we still deserve the chance to fix it. Because truth without action breaks people. But truth paired with process, that’s where we start to heal.

And even with all of this. Even now. I still have hope. Because while we are all reeling from the horrors in those files, our country is still under attack by ICE and DHS. In Minneapolis, federal immigration enforcement continues to be a daily reality for those who live there.  But amidst the terror in the streets, two teenagers from Chicago, Sam and Ben, are sacrificing their normal teenage lives to be full‑time ICE watchers in Minneapolis. They wear gas masks. They film detentions and federal operations. They track agents and write down license plates and upload the footage so nobody disappears in the dark without a witness. And those agents know them now. ICE and Border Patrol have even started calling them “The Brothers.” Just two kids doing this kind of work because the adults let it get this far.

And when I think of those two teens, I can’t help but also think back to 80 years ago, when another group of teenagers found courage beyond their years and chose to resist one of the most dangerous regimes in history. The White Rose, the student resistance group in Nazi Germany. They knew what was happening was wrong, and even at great risk to themselves, they passed out pamphlets to support the resistance. They understood it could get them killed. But they did it anyway. And when they were caught, they each tried to take the blame to protect the others. They held their heads high, even as they were executed. That’s what I see in Sam and Ben, not the same fate, but the same bravery. That’s the kind of courage we need. And that’s what gives me hope tonight for America. And I hope it does for you, too.

I’ll see you tomorrow,
Heather

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This commentary represents my personal opinions and analysis of matters of public concern, informed by publicly available information. Any references to individuals constitute opinion and commentary protected under the First Amendment.