When Power Protects Abuse: The Architecture of Male Entitlement in Congress
When survivors of Jeffrey Epstein stood in the Capitol during the State of the Union earlier this year, we were meant to read it as a sign that this Congress takes the sexual exploitation of women and children seriously. But weeks later, that symbolism rings hollow to anyone who watched Kevin McCarthy appear on television, bluntly telling the world that “every member of Congress” knew about allegations against Eric Swalwell.
Let's sit with that for a moment. Lawmakers invited Epstein survivors into the chamber, while simultaneously elevating a colleague with his own credibly documented history of violence against young women—one who was until very recently, positioning himself as California's next governor.
If we cannot connect those two facts, we are not serious about addressing these issues.
The post When Power Protects Abuse: The Architecture of Male Entitlement in Congress appeared first on Ms. Magazine.
4/29/2026 1:02:46 PM