Footage of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein at a party at Mar-a-Lago in the 1990s

The New York Times editorial board says that President Donald Trump's behavior related to the scandal of deceased convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is indefensible and is a case study in how he has manipulated the public and abused power.

"Even if the Epstein files that the Justice Department must release by Dec. 19 contain no significant revelations about Mr. Trump, the president is already guilty of acting with contempt for the public at nearly every turn in this saga," they write.

They also say that had any other president been involved with Epstein in the way Trump was, it "would be a major scandal on its own."

The Epstein case, they write, became a MAGA obsession after Trump promised them he'd release the files during his 2024 presidential campaign as they became consumed with conspiracy theories fueled even by Trump's now Vice President, JD Vance.

Once Trump returned to the presidency, he and his allies took a different approach.

"Once Mr. Trump returned to the presidency, he had the power to do as he had indicated he would and order a broad release of the files. He did not. Instead, his subordinates tried to make it seem as though they were champions of transparency while avoiding the release of new information," they write.

The timeline of the approach Trump and his allies have taken in terms of Epstein is, they write, "damning" as they went from promising their base everything on Epstein to the ultimate betrayal of Attorney General Pam Bondi telling them there was nothing to release.

"During the 2024 campaign, the Trump team had profited from indulging speculation; once in power, and apparently worried about Mr. Trump’s vulnerability, their opportunism was exposed," they write. "At this point, Mr. Trump undertook an aggressive effort to prevent the release of additional information."

As the bipartisan push for release of the Epstein files eventually passed with Republicans joining Democrats in the passing of the bill mandating more disclosure, "Trump reversed himself again," they note.

"Trump flipped his position on the House bill two nights before the scheduled vote, urged Republicans to vote for it and then ridiculously claimed credit for its passage," they add.

The editorial board writes that they are conflicted about the release of these files.

"Investigative materials are not normally part of the public record for a reason. They typically include a mixture of facts, speculation and false leads, and can unfairly damage reputations. The material can sometimes hurt victims," they explain.

"We also recognize that Mr. Epstein’s case is not typical. It suggested a moral rot in America’s elite circles because Mr. Epstein remained a part of some of those circles long after he had to register as a sex offender," they continue.

And while many of Epstein's victims feel "betrayed by them justice system," they "understandably want the files to be public."

"Even if the wisdom of releasing the files is a nuanced issue, Mr. Trump’s behavior has been indefensible," they write.

"His campaign took advantage of monstrous crimes for his political benefit. He misled the American public about his dealings with Mr. Epstein and his attitude toward the files’ release. He politicized the Justice Department on this matter, as on so many others," they explain.

The editorial board cautions that Trump and his allies will go to great lengths to interfere with the process.

"There is every reason to believe that the Trump administration will exploit the process to protect any of its allies named in the files (starting with the president himself) and to embarrass Democrats and other perceived Trump enemies," they say.

"Congress should be ready to defy Mr. Trump on this subject again and investigate the Justice Department’s handling of the release. Regardless of how often Mr. Trump himself appears in the files, Americans should not define deviancy down. They should expect more from their presidents, even this one," they conclude.