Epstein files: Some Long Islanders urge for their release, but say other pressing issues loom

The thirst for information on the Jeffrey Epstein sex offender case hasn’t waned among Long Island Republican voters following a House Oversight Committee’s release of files related to the late financier's case this week. 

From Bellmore to East Islip, many voters said while the administration should release all the so-called Epstein files, there are other quality-of-life topics they view as more important. Many also agreed it’s important to remember the victims involved in the case as the public consumes more lurid details.

Jay Weinstein, of Bellmore, a co-leader of the Bellmore Patriots — a group formed in 2020 to "fight everything that is draconian on Long Island" — said the consensus opinion among Make America Great Again supporters is the files should be released. It was a promise President Donald Trump made, he said.

"Why it hasn't been released? We have no idea," he said.

While he supports everything Trump has done during this administration, he agreed to feeling let down just on the Epstein files. He said if anything incriminated Trump in the files, Democrats would have released them years ago.

"People want to see what millionaires and billionaires are in there, what celebrities were on the island," he said. "They want to know all the facts."

After Trump appeared to backtrack on campaign promises to disclose additional information — causing strife among some of his most loyal followers in his Republican base — a new bipartisan push has emerged to release details. Some of those details emerged this week after the House committee released a sexually suggestive letter to Epstein allegedly signed by Trump, who has denied it is his.

The Epstein files refer to all the information federal prosecutors collected during the sex trafficking investigation, which many believe could implicate other politicians and celebrities associated with Epstein.

Wendy Yao, of Bellmore, another co-leader of the Bellmore Patriots, said she supports the release of the files but doesn't believe the administration has mishandled anything, saying the information needs to be reviewed carefully to protect victims.

"There's going to be some serious names on there and it could impact everything from our stock market to our business world," she said.

Secrets kept

Georgette Sheahan, 58, of Nesconset, stood next to her pickup truck with her mini poodle, Daisy, who had just been groomed Tuesday, and said the Trump administration should release the Epstein files.

"We need to know what is going on," said Sheahan, a registered Republican who said her political views lean toward the middle. "I feel that a lot of things are kept secret from us."

She said she ultimately cares more about what affects her quality of life than what happens with the Epstein case. 

"I worry about $400 going to Walmart and you get five bags of groceries," she said, noting prices never declined after they spiked during the pandemic.

Tom Hansen, 67, of East Islip, a registered Republican, said he feels the names on the list should be released regardless of who may be embarrassed.

"Lets get it over, once and for all," he said, adding that he doesn’t care whether Trump or someone else facilitates it. "As long as the information gets out, let the chips fall where they are going to fall. People are going to be embarrassed? Too bad."

He said he just wants to see guilty people "brought to justice."

"Children were abused, and that's the worst thing that's possible," he said.

Public interest in the case ratcheted up in July when the Justice Department said Epstein did not have a "client list" and no further information was set to be released. Later that month, The Wall Street Journal reported on Trump’s link to the Epstein letter that was released this week, resulting in Trump filing a $10 billion lawsuit against the paper and its owner, Rupert Murdoch.

This week, Trump called the Epstein topic "a dead issue" in a phone call with NBC News.

Branding problems

Pollster Mike Dawidziak, a political consultant who works mostly with Republicans, said the "American public seems obsessed" with the Epstein case across the political spectrum. But he doesn’t see it becoming an issue that influences voters in the way economic woes, inflation and immigration did last year.

"It's not a quality-of-life issue for voters," he said in an interview. "That being said, it has caught the imagination of the American public."

He said polls on Trump’s approval rating show he scores worst on his handling of the Epstein files and added it was a topic he spoke about often as a candidate, promising to release files.

The Justice Department released files in February but most of the information had already been publicly available.

"Republicans who give him pretty much a bye on almost everything aren’t giving him a bye on this," Dawidziak said.

Long Island's two Democratic House members have joined an effort led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force all the federal investigative files to be released. The two Republican House members on Long Island have not joined.

Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, said the popularity of a party and its more prominent leaders often influences voters more than localized issues. If the Epstein saga has damaged Trump’s brand, that could ultimately affect local elections, he said.

"That partly explains why Republican members of Congress are trying to get out in front of the issue by demanding a fuller release of potential evidence," he said in an email.

He said both major political parties have branding issues, but said the Epstein case could be an "outlier" when it comes to branding problems "because, for now, it seems to be having the most impact on the opinions of his most loyal MAGA supporters."

He said it would ultimately take a "much more major revelation" for the party to suffer serious damage from the Epstein case.

Promises unkept

John Miller, 58, of Smithtown, said the files should be made public but he was unsure how much they would reveal.

Miller, who said he’s not registered with a political party but leans right, said he believes there are more important topics to focus on, from the wars overseas to health care issues.

"The problem with the United States is we don't look at the important things because it's not as exciting," he said.

Brad Cohen, 58, of Smithtown, who views himself as an independent, said he believes the files "can incriminate many powerful people."

He said Trump was elected "on a lot of promises," some of which he has kept and some he has not.

"That was one of the things that he said he would take care of and that he would release, and he didn't," he said.

Will Osorio, 52, of Bellport, said the current administration should do more to release information on Epstein "but they’re not because of the money."

"We’ve all seen pictures with Trump with Epstein," said Osorio, a registered Republican who said his political views are what’s "right." "We’ve seen pictures with a lot of people with Epstein. And they still don’t want to tell you exactly who was with Epstein."

He said beyond politicians, music moguls and other celebrities seemingly had ties to Epstein.

"There’s a lot of people that could be implicated," he said, "and nobody wants to go down on the Titanic."

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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