Epstein: The Ghost That Will Not Rest
…power, secrecy, and the theatre of scandal✍️
Amb. AM. 3 Jan. 26
Jeffrey Epstein, born in 1953 and dead at 66, is a man whose shadow looms larger in death than in life. A kind of man a guy like me wants to write about.
He never attended Harvard yet obsessed over its prestige, showering donations to bask in borrowed glory.
His career began as a math teacher at Dalton, USA, where dismissal followed whispers of misconduct.
Later at Bear Stearns, he rose swiftly but was forced out amid disputes, a pattern of proximity to power followed by exile.
These exits foretold a destiny steeped in scandal, a tale worthy of Shakespeare’s stage.
Epstein’s wealth was as mysterious as his friendships. He claimed to manage billions for unnamed clients, his net worth estimated at over $500 million, though the true source remained opaque.
His ties to Israel’s Mossad sparked speculation: was he an agent or merely bait in a honeytrap designed to ensnare the mighty? Like Banquo’s ghost at Macbeth’s feast, the suspicion lingers, unbanished by official silence.
His death in 2019, ruled suicide, bore marks of foul play: broken bones, failed cameras, inattentive guards.
Hamlet’s father returns in memory here, whispering of murder disguised as despair. Epstein’s ghost haunts the corridors of justice, demanding answers that never come.
In death, he became immortal in scandal, his name echoing louder than ever, even in Zambia far from America’s shores.
“Umuziba Epstein iwe mwana ni mukali…”
The latest files, three million pages strong, splash names across headlines: Donald Trump, mentioned 1,500 times; Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Steve Bannon, Prince Andrew.
The royal scandal evokes King Lear undone by folly, stripped of dignity before the world. American media “drools” because these names guarantee clicks, ratings, and political tremors.
With POTUS Trump seeking re-election on (mid-term) November 3, the sheer volume of mentions ensures Epstein’s ghost stalks the campaign trail, a spectre of perception more potent than proof.
Epstein’s saga is a Shakespearean tragedy staged on a global platform.
Macbeth’s ambition, Hamlet’s haunting, Lear’s disgrace, all find echoes in the scandal. The files are less about new crimes than about the spectacle of secrecy, coverups, and elite protection in my view, I could be wrong.
For America, the question is not guilt but trust, whether institutions can withstand the corrosive power of proximity to scandal.
For the world, the lesson is clear: when elites are shielded, scandal becomes spectacle, and ghosts never rest.
Take the non-burial of sixth President of Zambia Edgar Chagwa Lungu for instance, …. mystery-filled, no action.
As the Greeks warned: “Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.”
–Amb. Anthony Mukwita is an Author & International Analyst.