Epstein and the Elite: Why Power Comes First, Morals Dead Last, By Paul Walker
Recent releases from the so-called Epstein files have once again blown open old questions: why did so many rich and powerful people continue to associate with Jeffrey Epstein even after his known conviction — and, in many cases, despite it? The documents, which include correspondence, flight logs, bank accounts and newly unredacted court records, show just how deep Epstein's connections went — from Wall Street lawyers and hedge-fund titans to diplomats, bankers and even heads of state.
It's tempting to attribute this to depravity alone, but that's too simplistic, too moralistic. The truth is darker not because it's weird, but because it's mundane: powerful elites don't behave according to public morality, they behave according to advantage. When a person can provide something useful, you don't dump them just because society's norms say you should.
Useful People Don't Get Abandoned, Until They Become Liability
Epstein wasn't a mogul because he managed funds ingeniously or because he created any transformative enterprise. He became influential by connecting the powerful and giving them access to things they valued: introductions, networking, status, shared experiences with other elites, and, crucially, discretion. In elite circles, reputation is a currency much like money: valuable but fungible, as long as you can keep it under wraps.
Even after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor, he remained part of elite social circuits, hosting dinners, advising billionaires, and trading ideas with financiers and former politicians. This wasn't because people forgot what he was convicted of. It was because they weighed utility and risk and concluded his social utility still outweighed the reputational cost, so long as that cost was contained.
This is a pattern you see elsewhere in elite culture: people with resources and influence treat moral red flags as negotiable, not terminal. If Epstein could connect you with a billionaire, open doors to foreign officials, or get a seat at a table where real power is brokered, his personal immorality was a manageable externality — at least until the scandal became uncontainable.
Power Cultures Have Their Own Moral Codes
What many outside these circles treat as immorality — underage sex, exploitation, trafficking — is something inside these circles often treated as a private indulgence that can be separated from public business. The salient factor isn't "is this right?" but "does this harm my interests if it becomes public?"
This isn't to normalise abuse. But it is to explain the mechanics of elite behaviour:
Utility first: Did Epstein have something elite people wanted? Yes — introductions, influence, networking, and perhaps — as some insiders speculate — leverage over others.
Risk underestimated: As long as scrutiny was minimal, the reputational risk of socialising with Epstein was small compared to the potential benefits.
Social proof within elite networks: When others in your class continue to associate with someone — especially powerful peers — the perceived risk declines even if the objective risk doesn't.
Normalisation of bad behaviour: Within concentrated wealth and power, deviant behaviour can become normalised or compartmentalised — especially when legal or social consequences are weak.
This isn't just conspiracy theorising — it's incentives. People behave the way they perceive will best preserve or enlarge their power.
When the Situation Changed, the Masks Fell Off
Then came the shift. Once the Epstein files started leaking and major media outlets began reporting names and connections — and once political pressure mounted enough that associations couldn't be managed quietly — the cost-benefit shifted:
reputational liability increased,
political exposure grew,
and associations that once signalled status now signalled vulnerability.
That's when elites began ducking for cover — not because they were ashamed of abuse, but because maintaining public legitimacy became more costly than preserving quiet connections. It's not a moral retreat; it's a strategic repositioning.
Conclusion: The Elite's True Moral Code
In elite power structures, the guiding principle isn't right vs wrong — it's profitable vs ruinous.
Epstein remained useful until he became too risky.
And that's why, even after conviction, powerful people continued to court him, not because they valued morality, but because they valued what he provided — connection, access, and a ticket into the inner circles of global power, until the glare of public scrutiny made association a threat rather than a convenience.
