It appears the extent of President Donald Trump's involvement with Jeffrey Epstein is about to finally fall into the open. Left unanswered is whether anything means anything anymore. But even in this cynical age, perhaps almost quaintly, the matter of the infamous late financier and child sexual abuser probably still does. The world will soon find out.

Now, everyone sentient and sensible has long suspected that Trump was grossly involved in Epstein's world. How, we don't know — though of course, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse in another case, involving E. Jean Carroll. But he had to have knowledge of what Epstein did to his girls. At one point, the two men were best friends. Epstein surely wasn't the one who called his own plane "the Lolita Express." Those around him did.

Trump knew but did nothing. Then, recently, he did something. He blessed Ghislaine Maxwell's move to more comfortable prison surroundings, her conviction in relation to the crimes of Epstein, her former partner, be damned.

Keep that thought.

Because if there is one thing we know about Trump, he sympathizes only with himself. What may occasionally look like care for others is just expression of fear for himself. When talking about Maxwell, Trump "wished her well" — a lot more than he would ever say for judges, Democrats, Barack Obama, even George W. Bush. In the fate of Ghislaine Maxwell, Trump feels invested. Duly noted.

One of the weirder characteristics of emails in a wired world is that moments still get frozen in time. The emotions and motivations behind correspondences, references to certain people, remain as alive today as when first tapped out. Messages and urgencies conveyed long ago may always bloom again.

Epstein's own words are now laid bare. More will come out. Like the girls Epstein used, in a way, Trump will be exposed, with little to no defense. Then Trump will do what he always does: attack. Who? His critics, certainly. But Trump's escapes usually require redefining reality itself. After all, we now live in a world in which he was the purported victim of Russian interference in the 2016 election, and January 6 was a day on which patriots fought for democracy.

But reality cannot be redefined in the face of hardened evidence — like emails directly referencing Trump's alleged knowledge of Epstein's activities and time at Epstein's houses, or birthday cards with messages about "secrets." All are now coming out. This will mirror the reaction to the Access Hollywood tape, back in 2016: the supposed "locker room talk" in which Trump bragged about sexual assault. But this time we're talking about victims who were kids. And we're talking about cold, hard text:

Michael Wolff: “I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you — either on air or in scrum afterwards.”

Epstein: “if we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?”

Wolff (next day): “I think you should let him hang himself. If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt.”

It appears that Epstein wasn't going to say anything that would incriminate himself. But it also strongly seems that he had the "goods" on Trump, and others knew it.

Read the above while knowing that a man in his late 40s should never be spending social time around a teen girl — especially without her having a parent there. Never. All decent people understand that. Then read the words below, from 2011, Epstein to Maxwell, in legal jeopardy, still wondering whether his circle would hold:

“i want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump.. [VICTIM] spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc. im 75 % there”

The same day, Maxwell replied: “I have been thinking about that…”

Trump was a major figure in Epstein's orbit, a dog prominent enough that one bark could be fatal. But Trump hasn't barked — except to protect himself. Nothing for the girls, either.

Most men would push back, expressing sympathy for Epstein's victims and anger at themselves: "I didn't do nearly enough, and I am aching, thinking back to what those girls endured." But we know Trump, and he won't acknowledge anyone's pain but his own.

This scandal may not be enough to drive him from office. Only an exploding economy will wake enough Trump supporters to see him clearly. “Nice ballroom, Ace”.

But it is reasonable to link Trump to Epstein's crimes. He's the "grab 'em by the p---y” guy, after all. And he remains terrified. Epstein is dead but Maxwell got moved to comfy prison quarters after talking to Trump's former attorney, the deputy AG.

There's no way out of this one. Too many parents and decent moderates now sit with an undeniable fact. Trump knew, and never took a side against him or Maxwell.

Everything has changed. Maxwell likely won't get a pardon. What good can the "goods" do her? Watch Trump squirm. He needs to pardon her, but can't. This subject is fire, and too many people know it. FBI agents, Trump's cabinet, Speaker Mike Johnson. They know.

Trump is on his own, which is fitting. So were Epstein's girls.