I'll be honest — the Jeffrey Epstein story never really hooked me. I knew enough of the details to get the general idea: rich guy, private island, underage girls, and a Rolodex full of powerful friends. It had all the ingredients of a made-for-TV scandal, but for a while, it felt more tabloid than news. If there really was a so-called “list” — you know, of rich and powerful men who did more than just sip champagne on Epstein’s jet — where was it? Douthat starts with a seemingly obvious, factual observation: Donald Trump keeps waving off the Epstein case as “fake news,” says it’s overblown, that there’s nothing to see here, folks.