Many accusations in the Jeffrey Epstein case can be described as "pure McCarthyism," legal expert Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax on Wednesday.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Newsline" with host Bianca de la Garza, the Harvard Law School professor emeritus warned that the latest wave of Epstein-related document dumps is fueling a political feeding frenzy — one that often elevates unverified claims while damaging innocent people by association.
The Department of Justice this week released more than 11,000 additional Epstein files — nearly 30,000 pages of photos and documents — but officials have already acknowledged that some of the material circulating is unreliable.
One example, de la Garza noted, was a purported letter from Epstein to convicted sex offender Larry Nassar that attempted to drag President Donald Trump into the scandal.
Federal officials now say the letter is a fake, citing major red flags: the handwriting didn't match Epstein's, the postmark came days after his death, and it lacked required jail mailing details such as an inmate number and proper return address.
Dershowitz said the episode is a warning about what happens when mass releases occur without context, and when media outlets treat accusations as proof.
"It's just the new McCarthyism," Dershowitz said, arguing that high-profile names can be smeared simply for appearing in photos or being mentioned in claims that later collapse under scrutiny.
He cited the case of Sarah Ransome, a woman who publicly claimed she possessed tapes showing well-known figures engaging in sex acts with underage girls.
According to Dershowitz, Ransome later admitted the story was fabricated — yet, he argued, the public often remembers the accusation rather than the retraction.
That imbalance, he said, punishes the innocent while distracting from real victims and real crimes.
As more photos and names emerge in the Epstein file releases, Dershowitz urged caution, warning that merely being in Epstein's orbit did not automatically mean wrongdoing.
Celebrities and political figures may appear in images or flight-related documentation without being involved in criminal conduct, he said but the public narrative often assumes guilt by proximity.
Dershowitz also said that the media's handling of such stories can muddy the waters, noting that some individuals presented as victims may have played more complicated roles in Epstein's world.
That, he said, makes it harder for the public to separate legitimate claims from opportunism and ultimately harms those who truly suffered abuse.
In the same interview, Dershowitz addressed the legal battle surrounding Sean "Diddy" Combs, calling his appeal "winnable" and arguing that bail pending appeal should be granted when there is a serious possibility a conviction could be reversed.
But on Epstein, Dershowitz returned to one central point: Americans should demand facts, not politically convenient narratives.
With more disclosures expected, he said, the country should be wary of turning document dumps into a weapon, and remember that justice requires evidence, not hysteria.
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