特朗普在接受《纽约杂志》2002年访问时曾说：“我认识杰夫爱泼斯坦已有15年。他是个非常棒的人，和他在一起很有趣。甚至有人说，他和我一样喜欢美女，而且很多都相当年轻。毫无疑问——爱泼斯坦很享受社交生活。”
随着爱泼斯坦（Jeffrey Epstein）案件的新进展，预料将有更多文件与电邮曝光，使外界对多名涉嫌与爱泼斯坦及其恋童癖与人口贩运活动相关的高层人士的审视进一步升级。
迄今为止，在这宗长期但依然馀波荡漾、令美国社会震惊也令全球围观的丑闻中，最显著被拖下水的，是英国王室成员安德鲁王子。其兄查尔斯国王最终在巨大的民意压力下采取行动，尤其是在维珍妮亚朱弗雷（Virginia Giuffre）死后出版的回忆录再次指控安德鲁性虐待后，加上相关电邮的浮现，显示安德鲁在声称已与爱泼斯坦断绝联系后仍与这位已判罪的性犯罪者保持往来。
英国民调显示，约90%的民意支持查尔斯采取果断行动。甚至出现要求议会介入的呼声，还有抗议者在公开场合向国王喝倒彩，要求交代安德鲁与爱泼斯坦之间的关系。反君主制组织“共和国”（Republic）也探讨私人检控的法律途径，显示社会强烈追究责任的意愿。在压力下，查尔斯于2025年10月启动正式程序，撤除其弟所有仅存的头衔、荣誉与特权。部分王室支持者认为，这样的举措是避免王室制度遭到更深重批评的必要之举。
安德鲁的名字首次在爱泼斯坦案中公开出现，是在2015年美国一宗民事诉讼的文件中。其中一名受害者维珍妮亚朱弗雷（当时名为 Virginia Roberts）指称，她在未成年时被迫与王子发生三次性行为。此后，安德鲁遭遇了一场长期、不间断的舆论“公审”：从他过去到现在的一举一动，都被置于聚光灯下，他宣称的清白与否认备受质疑。
十年后的今日，安德鲁的“堕落”更像是经历了一场“凌迟”。毁掉他公众形象的并非单一事件，而是一次次细小却累积性的伤害，每一道“刀痕”逐步侵蚀了他的名誉、地位，以及他与王室和公众之间的关系；最终，尽管他极力宣称清白、反复否认，仍被推向一个无可挽回的地步。
小题：特朗普：也将面临“凌迟”？
下一位可能被拖下水的重量级人物，会是美国总统特朗普吗？
最新曝光的爱泼斯坦文件中，包括爱泼斯坦的部分“据称引述”，其中一段暗示特朗普“知道那些女孩的存在”；另一段则称特朗普曾在爱泼斯坦住所与一名受害者“待了数小时”。这些片段为特朗普的批评者注入新能量，尤其是民主党。值得注意的是，爱泼斯坦曾在2006年被裁定其罪的法官形容为“美国史上最臭名昭著的恋童癖”。
特朗普的批评者横跨整个美国政治光谱，自他第一任总统任期前就一直——但迄今未能拉倒他。过去多宗与特朗普有闗的性相关案件，也未真正动摇他的政治地位，包括两宗仍在进行的诉讼，以及24名女子公开指控特朗普自1970年代以来的不当性行为。特朗普一律否认。
在两宗已判特朗普败诉的案件中——卡罗尔（E Jean Carroll）性侵与诽谤案，以及丹尼尔斯（Stormy Daniels）“封口费”刑事案——特朗普已提出上诉，尚待最终裁决。
然而，尚未完全公开的爱泼斯坦案之新文件，可能会在以下几方面，为特朗普带来前所未有的危机：
1.这将证实或强化外界的推测：特朗普知情，或与爱泼斯坦涉及未成年人的性行为有所牵连。这将直接削弱他一再的否认，并可能严重损害他的公众形象与可信度。即便没有犯罪证据，与像爱泼斯坦这样的已定罪人口贩运者存在确切的关系纪录，本身就构成长期的政治与道德负担。共和党至今尚能承受这项包袱，但面对即将公开的更多细节，若持续支持特朗普，可能会压垮共和党。
2. 政府试图反对或延迟司法部（DOJ）全面公开爱泼斯坦文件的行动，被反对者描述为“掩盖行动”或“保护恋童者计划”。这进一步助长外界对多重掩盖行为的怀疑，包括爱泼斯坦“自杀”之死的各种质疑，也引发更多负面政治关注，甚至蔓延至共和党内的核心支持者。
3. 两党成功合作、迫使众议院就文件公开进行表决，显示总统在此议题上存在明显的脆弱点，并可能导致共和党内出现裂痕。表决的通过，将加剧外界对白宫行政部门的压力。
最大的中长期风险在于：完整曝光的档案可能包含实质证据，证明与未成年人相关的不当行为，或揭露其他尚未知的内容。虽司法部早前表示其审查“未发现新增涉及非法行为的第三方”，但政治压力要求完全透明，民主党势必在中期选举前最大化这一议题。
总结而言，眼前最直接的危机是政治层面的——特朗普的道德形象与人格信誉可能因电邮内容与政府阻挡公开的争议而受重创。而深层、更难预测的危险则潜藏在司法部完整文件中。美国乃至全球的受众都在屏息以待，看这批档案是否可能引爆特朗普政治生涯的最致命一击。
林德宜《特朗普会成爱泼斯坦案最大政治祭品？》原文：Will Trump Become The Epstein Case Biggest Casualty?
"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. No doubt about it - Jeffrey enjoys the social life. "
Donald Trump quoted in New York Magazine 2002
https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/n_7912/
The latest development in the Jeffrey Epstein case is likely to see the release of new documents and emails further intensifying the scrutiny of high profile individuals alleged to be connected with Epstein and his paedophilic and sex trafficking activities.
The most prominent figure brought down to date by this long running but still very much alive salacious scandal which has shocked and titillated Americans especially and also observers around the world is former Prince Andrew of British royalty whose brother King Charles finally acted in response to mounting public pressure following the posthumous publication of Virginia Giuffre's memoir in which she repeated sexual abuse allegations against Andrew, as well as the re-emergence of emails showing continued contact between Andrew and convicted sex offender Epstein after Andrew claimed to have cut ties.
Opinion polls in Britain indicated overwhelming public support (around 90%) for Charles to take decisive action. There were also calls for parliamentary action and protesters even heckled the King at a public event demanding answers about Andrew's connections to Epstein. Anti-monarchy campaign group Republic explored legal avenues for a private prosecution, highlighting a public desire for accountability. In response to the pressure, Charles initiated a formal process in late October 2025 which removed all of his brother's remaining titles, honors, and privileges. It was a move which some supporters of the British royalty saw as necessary to head off further criticism that could doom the institution.
Andrew's name first publicly appeared in the Epstein case in 2015 when he was identified in US court papers as part of a civil lawsuit against Epstein. In the lawsuit, one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre (then known as Virginia Roberts), claimed that she was forced to have sex with the prince on three occasions when she was a minor. Since then, his detractors and some of the media have spared no effort in putting Andrew's past and current activities in the spotlight and to question his claim to innocence and any involvement in the Epstein scandal.
Andrew's fall from grace - 10 years later - may be likened to his having to undergo death by a thousand cuts. It was not a single, sudden scandal that destroyed his public life, but rather a series of damaging, cumulative actions and consequences over an extended period. Each "cut" represented a distinct event or consequence that progressively eroded his reputation, status, and relationship with the royal family and the public; and ultimately brought him to a point of no return despite his vigorous claims of innocence and denial.
Trump: Death By A Thousand Cuts?
Will the next prominent figure to fall be the US President, Donald Trump? The most recently released emails and correspondence from Epstein's files include alleged statements made by Epstein, such as one suggesting that President Trump "knew about the girls" involved in his sex-trafficking ring. Another exchange alleged that Trump "spent hours" with one victim at Epstein's residence. These snippets have given new energy to Trump's detractors, especially from the Democrats. It is noteworthy that Epstein has been described by the judge who found him guilty in 2006 as being "the most infamous pedophile in American history".
Critics of Trump - they are exceptionally wide ranging and span the entire American political spectrum going back to even before his first presidency - so far have not been able to bring him down. Earlier sex related cases involving Trump have also seen him emerge relatively unscathed in his political standing. They include two ongoing court cases as well as public accusations by two dozen women accusing him of various acts of sexual misconduct since the 1970s. Trump has consistently denied all these allegations. In the two cases in which he was been found guilty - the E.Jean Caroll sexual abuse and defamation civil case; and the Stormy Daniels Hush-Money case involving criminal conviction - he has mounted legal challenges that are awaiting final resolution.
The latest forthcoming release may well provide the greatest danger to Trump's public image and credibility in several ways.
1. It confirms or reinforces suggestions that Trump had knowledge of or was associated with Epstein's conduct involving minors. This would directly undermine his repeated denials and could severely damage his public image and credibility. Even without proof of criminal wrongdoing, the confirmed history of a relationship and association with a convicted sex trafficker like Epstein has created a persistent political and moral liability. The Republicans have been able to live with this but may find the coming disclosures too much of a burden to the party's own political standing by continuing to support Trump.
2. The administration's efforts to oppose or delay the full release of the DOJ's Epstein files are being framed by opponents as a "cover-up" or "pedophile protection program." This has fueled even more suspicion of multiple cover-ups including of Epstein's suicide death and has drawn negative political attention, including among the ranks of the Republican faithful.
3. The successful bipartisan effort to force a House vote on the file release demonstrates a significant point of vulnerability and potential fracture within the President's own party on this issue. A successful vote would intensify scrutiny on the executive branch.
The biggest medium and long-term danger lies in the possibility that the fully released "Epstein files" could contain concrete information that substantiates the alleged claims or reveals other inappropriate conduct. While the Department of Justice (DOJ) previously stated their systematic review "did not expose any additional third-parties to allegations of illegal wrongdoing," the political pressure for full transparency remains which the Democrat Party will exploit fully in the period leading to the coming mid-term election.
In short, the immediate danger is political fallout and damaged moral and character standing driven by the alleged contents of the emails and the controversy over transparency. The deeper, unknown danger to the Trump presidency is what may be contained in the full set of DOJ files, which Congress is now poised to vote on releasing and which avid audiences, not only in the US but around the world, are agog over.
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