Stephen A. Smith took a moment on his XM show Straight Shooter to ask a question a lot of people have tiptoed around: if the Epstein documents causing so much conversation now were accessible during Biden’s years in office, why are they being unpacked at this exact moment? He didn’t accuse anyone of foul play, but he made it clear that the timeline deserves a closer look.
But here’s the part missing from that conversation, and it’s the piece that actually explains why things unfolded the way they did.
The Epstein files weren’t collecting dust waiting for a political green light. They were sealed by federal courts because they came from civil lawsuits, most notably Giuffre v. Maxwell. Those cases involved sensitive names, allegations and private information, so judges kept them locked down until the legal requirements were satisfied. None of it was in the hands of the White House, and no president had the authority to unseal them.
Media outlets had been fighting for access for years. That process took forever, with appeals, privacy reviews, redactions and repeated challenges. Judge Loretta Preska ultimately ordered the release of this latest batch in late 2023 after years of legal back-and-forth. So even though Biden was in office, the timing was strictly tied to court decisions, not political pressure.
Still, the rollout ended up landing right next to big national storylines, including Trump’s ongoing legal issues. That kind of overlap naturally invites speculation, even when there’s no documented political influence behind the timing.
Smith also pointed out that if there was truly explosive Epstein-related evidence against Trump, it likely would have surfaced long ago. Considering the level of scrutiny surrounding him, especially with his 34 felony convictions tied to payments involving Stormy Daniels, Smith questioned why something as serious as Epstein-related material would only appear now if it genuinely existed.
For Smith, he should get the facts before screaming on his show like an ignoramous.
Video:
