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New Delhi: As the world continues to peel back the layers of the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking scandal, a series of explosive but unverified audio recordings have sent shockwaves across social media. The surfacing of these tapes coincides with a mounting political firestorm in Washington over the perceived lack of transparency in recent government document releases.
Shadowy claims and childhood trauma
The latest controversy centres on a man identified as Sasha (or Sascha) Riley. In a series of recordings circulating widely on platforms like Substack, Riley engages in a question-and-answer session with an unnamed interviewer.
In the tapes, Riley claims to be an Iraq War veteran who survived a harrowing childhood. He recounts alleged experiences of being trafficked, exploited, and subjected to extreme violence between the ages of nine and thirteen. Most notably, Riley names several prominent political and judicial figures, alleging they were active participants in Epstein’s web of abuse.
It is important to note that these recordings remain entirely unverified. No court of law or law enforcement agency has authenticated Riley’s claims, and the high-profile individuals he names do not appear in any existing indictments or verified investigative records.
A mountain of documents: The paper trail so far
The Riley tapes have emerged against a backdrop of massive, legitimate data dumps regarding Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell:
January 2024: A trove of 1,400 pages of court records was unsealed, including depositions from both Epstein and Maxwell that named several high-profile associates.
The "First Phase" Declassification: Shortly after Donald Trump’s inauguration this year, the FBI and DOJ released flight logs from Epstein’s private jet and a redacted version of his infamous "black book" of contacts.
The November 12 Release: A congressional committee recently made public over 20,000 pages of Epstein’s emails and messages. These documents, subpoenaed from his estate, revealed that the late sex offender frequently insulted Donald Trump, reigniting public scrutiny over their past relationship.
"The most important files are missing"
Despite the volume of information released, a bipartisan group of lawmakers argues that the public is still being kept in the dark.
The Department of Justice recently published its most recent batch of Epstein-related files on its website, but the move was met with immediate backlash. Critics point to heavy redactions—blacked-out sections that obscure key names and details—and claims of missing content.
Representative Ro Khanna (D), who co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act alongside Thomas Massie (R), has been a vocal critic of the DOJ’s handling of the files. Khanna recently alleged that the government is still withholding the "most important documents," suggesting that the full truth of the network’s operations remains hidden behind bureaucratic walls.
