All posts tagged: Epsteins

Melania Trump Makes Rare Address to Nation, Denying She Is “Epstein’s Victim”

Melania Trump Makes Rare Address to Nation, Denying She Is “Epstein’s Victim”

In a rare public address from the White House this afternoon, first lady Melania Trump denied having any connection to Jeffrey Epstein or knowledge of his crimes, saying, “I am not Epstein’s victim” and “Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump.” “I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity—I was not a participant, was never on Epstein’s plane, and never visited his private island,” she told reporters. The first lady rebuked the “fake images and statements” regarding her and the convicted sex offender that, she said, “have been circulating on social media for years now.” The first time she “crossed paths with Epstein,” she said, was in 2000 at an event she attended with the now president. “At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings,” the first lady said. It was not clear what prompted Thursday’s remarks to the press or what specific images and statements she was referring to. Last August she threatened Hunter …

A Detailed Timeline of Jeffrey Epstein’s Death

A Detailed Timeline of Jeffrey Epstein’s Death

But now members of the House of Representatives’ main investigative body, the Oversight Committee, hope Noel can provide clarity around what exactly happened during those fateful hours. Ahead of her interview, here’s everything we currently know about the night Epstein died, piecing together news reports, documents released by the DOJ, court records, and video footage from the few working cameras in the SHU. July 6, 2019 — Jeffrey Epstein is arrested on federal sex trafficking charges at Teterboro Airport and brought to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. July 7 — Epstein is assigned to the prison’s Special Housing Unit (SHU) due to the intense media interest in the case and his notoriety within the prison. July 8 —Epstein pleads not guilty to sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. July 18 — A federal judge denies Epstein bail. On July 6, 2019, Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges and brought to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. Spencer Platt/Getty Images. July 23 — …

Justice in fragments: Epstein’s shredded records resurface

Justice in fragments: Epstein’s shredded records resurface

In a new chapter of the Jeffrey Epstein saga, law enforcement sources tell The Miami Herald that bags of shredded documents tied to the disgraced financier were found at a New York jail shortly after his death, raising fresh legal and transparency questions about one of the most controversial criminal cases of the past decade. According to reporting from the Herald, these materials were discovered during a cleanup or document review process in the days after Epstein’s August 2019 death in federal custody, and they have drawn scrutiny from advocates and investigators who say they may relate to evidence that has never been fully disclosed. Epstein, the wealthy financier convicted of procuring minors for prostitution and charged in a broader sex trafficking conspiracy, died by suicide in a federal detention center while awaiting trial on new charges. In the years since, the Herald has led investigative efforts to unseal tens of thousands of court documents related to his crimes, prompting the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandates broad public release of files …

As New Mexico Investigates, Questions Are Raised About Epstein’s Links to the Powerful

As New Mexico Investigates, Questions Are Raised About Epstein’s Links to the Powerful

STANLEY, New Mexico, March 21 (Reuters) – As police for the first time search Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico ranch for evidence of any abuse he ⁠may ⁠have committed at the Old West-themed hideaway, attention has focused on the powerful former ⁠politicians in the state who continued to meet and receive campaign donations from Epstein long after he became a registered sex offender.    Epstein’s relationships with state Democratic Party leaders, including two former governors and a ​state attorney general, and the institutional failings that may have allowed the convicted sex offender to perpetrate abuse at the ranch are under investigation by a New Mexico state “truth commission” – the first of its kind in the country.  Zorro Ranch, where Epstein spent about two months a year, was alleged to be ‌a hub in his sex trafficking of children that stretched between the ‌U.S. Virgin Islands, New York and Florida, according to a 2020 letter from the New Mexico Attorney General’s office and numerous documents among the millions recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice.  Epstein spent relatively little to establish …

Epstein’s former lawyer denies knowledge of sex offender’s crimes : NPR

Epstein’s former lawyer denies knowledge of sex offender’s crimes : NPR

Darren Indyke, Jeffrey Epstein’s former lawyer, arrives for his deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill on Thursday in Washington, D.C. Jose Luis Magana/AP hide caption toggle caption Jose Luis Magana/AP Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime personal attorney testified Thursday before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door deposition that he had “no knowledge whatsoever” of Epstein’s crimes against women and girls. Darren Indyke, one of several witnesses called before the committee including former President Bill Clinton and Ghislaine Maxwell, worked for Epstein for more than two decades until the sex offender’s death in 2019. He is widely considered part of Epstein’s inner circle, along with the disgraced financier’s former accountant Richard Kahn. Kahn also testified before the committee last week that he was “not aware” of the sex offender’s crimes. “My complete lack of involvement in that misconduct is a matter of record: not a single woman has ever accused me of committing sexual abuse or witnessing sexual abuse, nor claimed at any time that she or anyone else reported to me any allegation …

Jeffrey Epstein’s Lasting Grip on the Gates Foundation

Jeffrey Epstein’s Lasting Grip on the Gates Foundation

“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Bill Gates told his staff at a Gates Foundation town hall late last month—an attempt at sunshine, or at least damage control, as the long shadow of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has stretched out over the most powerful private philanthropy in the world. According to The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed a recording of Gates’s remarks, he confirmed for the first time publicly that he had affairs with two Russian women, seeming to address what Epstein described in one of the 3.5 million files as Gates’s “illicit trysts.” Gates generally apologized for his relationship with Epstein, acknowledging that he continued to meet with the disgraced financier through 2014 and flew on his jet, while insisting that he “never stayed overnight” or visited Epstein’s island. But Epstein’s relationship with the Gates Foundation is another question. Other than a statement on the foundation’s website saying, in part, that “we will continue to review materials released in connection with [Epstein’s communication with Gates Foundation staff],” the convicted sex offender’s …

Influencers flock to Epstein’s former island to film viral videos

Influencers flock to Epstein’s former island to film viral videos

A thousand miles off the coast of Florida, influencers have found the secret to instant virality. One after another, content creators are finding their way to Little Saint James, better known as the private island once owned by the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Armed with cameras, they are capitalizing on and propelling increased interest in revelations from the latest release of the Epstein files — a series of disclosures made by the Justice Department revealing partially redacted documents that were aggregated and produced during its investigation into Epstein. The disgraced financier died by suicide in his jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Out of over 15 YouTube videos NBC News reviewed of people filming their expeditions to Little Saint James, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, at least nine were posted this year, some within days of each other. The videos have become increasingly popular and have accumulated more than 52 million views in total. Most of the videos run a similar course. Content creators fly to …

Bank Of America Settles Lawsuit Over Ties To Jeffrey Epstein’s Sex Crimes

Bank Of America Settles Lawsuit Over Ties To Jeffrey Epstein’s Sex Crimes

Authored by José Niño via Headline USA, Bank of America has reached a settlement with an anonymous woman who accused the financial giant of enabling Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation and profiting from his criminal enterprise. A Bank of America flies backward, emblematic of the financial institution’s backward mindset in prioritizing woke political objectives over shareholder profits and financial health. / IMAGE: Wcnc Newsroom via YouTube Lawyers for both parties informed a judge they had agreed to a “settlement in principle” according to court filings made public on Monday that The Financial Times reported. The proposed agreement contains undisclosed terms and awaits judicial approval at a hearing scheduled for early April. Bank of America declined to comment on the matter. The woman filed her lawsuit in October of last year in Manhattan federal court under the pseudonym Jane Doe. She sought class action status and financial damages while accusing BofA of “participating in and financially benefiting from Jeffrey Epstein’s widespread and well-publicised sex-trafficking operation, as well as the direct financial benefits it received therefrom.” According to her complaint, the plaintiff first encountered Epstein while living …

Who is Peter Mandelson? The controversial Labour grandee who was Epstein’s best pal

Who is Peter Mandelson? The controversial Labour grandee who was Epstein’s best pal

Government documents have revealed new details about Lord Mandelson’s appointment as the UK’s ambassador to the US and the aftermath of his sacking last year. Lord Mandelson was sacked as ambassador last year following revelations detailing his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The first batch of documents show that senior officials had raised concerns about Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador and that he’d asked for over £500,000 in severance pay. But as someone who is staunchly anti-Brexit and who supports more cooperation with China, he is seen by some as the riskier choice to take on the role in Donald Trump’s Washington. Mandelson was dubbed the “Prince of Darkness” during his years as Tony Blair’s spin doctor PA Archive Born in Hendon in 1953 Lord Mandelson grew up in the leafy Hampstead Garden Suburb in Barnet, where he attended the Hendon County Grammar School and acted with local amateur theatre group, the Hampstead Garden Suburb Dramatic Society. On his mother Mary’s side, he is the grandson of Herbert Morrison, a …

Are Jeffrey Epstein’s friends just guilty of bad judgment?

Are Jeffrey Epstein’s friends just guilty of bad judgment?

(RNS) — Props to the folks who created a “Walk of Shame” for Jeffrey Epstein’s high-profile friends in Washington’s Farragut Square the other day. I’m afraid, however, that this isn’t the walk these Epstein friends have actually been taking. Rather, theirs has been a Walk of Misjudgment:  Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said meeting with Epstein was “a serious error in judgment.” Hyatt Hotels Chairman Thomas Pritzker said he “exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact” with Epstein. Nobel Prize-winning Columbia University professor Richard Axel’s association with Jeffrey Epstein was also “a serious error in judgment.” International Peace Institute President Terje Rød-Larsen said engaging in a personal financial relationship with Epstein was “a grave error of judgment.” Messages from Miroslav Lajčák, former United Nations General Assembly president, discussing women with Epstein showed “poor judgment.” New Age guru Deepak Chopra said messages to Epstein (including “God is a construct. Cute girls are real.”) “reflect poor judgment in tone.” And former Prince Andrew, Duke of York, referred to his “ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein.” To his credit, I suppose, after calling …