In a lengthy 4,300-plus-word essaypublished on Monday, renowned journalist and author Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez came to a conclusion about Jeffrey Epstein that she said may come as a surprise to her readers: that Epstein was merely a tool for other “direct handlers,” all of whom, she believed, “were women.”

“Before going further, a distinction that matters enormously and must be stated plainly. The overwhelming majority of women in Jeffrey Epstein’s world were victims,” Valdes-Rodriguez