President Donald Trump may be trying to distract from the ongoing uproar over “Epsteingate,” but the issue isn’t going away. Nor should it. The late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was associated with many prominent figures, including Trump. While a so-called “client list” remains speculative, public records dating back to 2015 have named Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, and Trump – though without confirming criminal conduct.
Still, the controversy deserves public scrutiny. The Herald’s editorial board supports keeping allegations of sexual misconduct in the public eye – especially when they involve people in power. We’re disturbed by the ties many of Trump’s associates – including Elon Musk, Pete Hegseth, Rudy Giuliani, Matt Gaetz, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – have to this issue.
As a newspaper, one of our essential roles is to hold power to account. This includes those who seem to believe they operate above the law. But no one is. Crimes against vulnerable people – minors, employees, inmates – must be exposed, and justice pursued, no matter the perpetrator’s status.
That 74.3 million Americans were willing to look past Trump’s long trail of misconduct – including the infamous Access Hollywood tape and multiple allegations of sexual assault – says as much about the voters as it does about the man. That members of Congress supported nominees like Hegseth and Kennedy despite similar concerns is even more telling.
In 2016, many Republicans initially expressed outrage at Trump’s remarks, only to fall back in line. While those choices are on their consciences, we’re encouraged to see justice moving forward locally.
On Thursday, former La Plata County Sheriff’s Commander Ed Aber was charged with 117 counts of unlawful sexual conduct and privacy invasion (Herald, July 24). Allegations include viewing more than 100 strip-search videos of female inmates over five years and inappropriate conduct with inmates and employees. He resigned last summer after the investigation began.
We wrote about this in January (“In darkness and light, choose the light,” Herald, Jan. 26), praising the 14 women who stepped forward to report abuse ranging from lewd comments to physical misconduct. One witness said Aber was once found with a female inmate under his desk; he claimed she was “fixing cords.”
Unlike Trump, whom the U.S. Supreme Court recently shielded from criminal liability for official presidential acts, Aber faces real consequences. And now, justice may finally be served for the women harmed by his abuse of power.
This case is a reminder that misconduct – even when it seems hidden or tolerated – eventually surfaces. It’s a sad moment for Aber’s family, but a meaningful step forward for the women who spoke up. Accountability matters. And no one is above the law.
