At this point, the Jeffrey Epstein story isn't just about a disgraced financier or a sealed set of files -- it's about trust. And right now, most Americans don't have it.
A new CNN poll makes that painfully clear. Only 6 percent of Americans say they're satisfied with how the Trump administration has handled the release of Epstein-related documents. Six. And nearly half of Americans, 49 percent, say they're dissatisfied with how the administration has handled the release.
Perhaps the most telling part is this: 67 percent of Americans believe the government is intentionally holding back information that should be public.
That's not partisan noise. That's a credibility problem.
Because despite the Justice Department releasing thousands of documents under pressure from Congress, officials admit those files represent less than 1 percent of what they actually have. Less than 1 percent. Meanwhile, the DOJ has acknowledged potentially more than a million additional Epstein-related documents still under review, with no clear timeline for when -- or if -- the public will see them at all.
Congress didn't politely request transparency; it mandated it. A bill passed overwhelmingly in the House and unanimously in the Senate required the full release of Epstein documents by mid-December. Not only has that deadline come and gone, but the administration has also failed to explain why so many files remain redacted, another requirement written directly into the law.
And that's where frustration turns into suspicion.
President Trump has grown increasingly irritated by the focus on Epstein, particularly as midterm elections loom. But political annoyance doesn't override public accountability. Especially when the documents that have been released include photos of Trump alongside Epstein -- images the president says reflect a social relationship he ended years ago, which he maintains involved no wrongdoing.
Former President Bill Clinton also appears in multiple photos, and his team has accused the administration of selectively highlighting those images. Again, there are no allegations of wrongdoing, but the selective transparency only fuels the perception that this process isn't neutral.
And perception matters. Because while the administration insists more attorneys are reviewing files -- FYI, there are roughly 500 people now involved -- Americans are still being asked to wait.
Meanwhile, outside Washington's marble halls, the public conversation isn't slowing down. A group calling itself The Secret Handshake put up a massive installation on the National Mall -- a 10-foot-tall replica of a birthday card allegedly sent to Epstein bearing Trump's name, featuring a crude sketch and the line, "Happy Birthday -- and may every day be another wonderful secret." Trump denies writing it and has sued The Wall Street Journal over the report. But the symbolism is hard to miss.
This isn't about art or spectacle. It's about a government that promised transparency and delivered delays. When Americans across party lines believe information is being withheld -- not protected, not responsibly reviewed, but intentionally held back -- that erodes confidence in institutions already hanging by a thread.
Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill's commentary show "Rising." This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.