7/9/19: President Trump is by no means
the only big name involved; but when the Jeffery Epstein scandal explodes, he’s
right where you might expect in a story about sexual abuse of young women.
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Fox News wants you to know: Bill Clinton knew Epstein. |
Epstein and Trump? And Epstein and Bill Clinton?
The fuse is lit on July 6, when F.B.I agents arrest registered “sex offender” and multi-millionaire Jeffrey Epstein at the Teterboro, N.J. airport on arrival from France. At that moment, other agents are using a crowbar to enter the front door of his 21,000 square foot Manhattan townhouse. In a locked safe they discover “a vast trove of lewd photos” of young looking women and girls.
Epstein, of course, had been busted before, for the same kind of crimes with which he’s charged once more: sex-trafficking scores of girls, some as young as 13 or 14.
First, let’s admit this sordid tale might have enough juice
to interest decent human beings of every stripe, from flaming liberal to
Neolithic conservative. It turns out Trump was once a friend of Epstein’s. So
was Bill Clinton. As soon as Fox News hears that last detail, you know they’re going
to gear up a hundred “fair and balanced” reports about the Epstein-Clinton
connection.
Sean Hannity is quick to air a show on the topic the same day and it makes him so mad you almost expect to see spit flying from his lips.
Clinton! That pervert!
But wait…
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Fox News won't stress this connection: Donald, Melania, Epstein, Maxwell. |
Epstein was first arrested in Florida on similar charges in 2008, where he may have molested as many as a hundred victims. Nevertheless, he got off with a sweetheart legal deal. He would plead to one count of soliciting prostitution and serve thirteen months in jail – but with work-release privileges six days a week – meaning he spent only one day per week and nights behind bars.
The prosecuting attorney who cut the deal?
That would be Alexander Acosta, Secretary of Labor in the
“drain the swamp” Trump administration.
Can we find a more direct connection between Epstein and Trump? As President Obama might have said, “Yes, we can.”
“I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine in October 2002. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it – Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
Yes, “younger,” as in girls as young as 13. (See also:
2/23/-24/19.)
*
THERE’S SOME GOOD NEWS, however. Namely, Epstein is denied bail and will remain behind bars till trial.
Alicia Arden comes forward to add testimony to the case against the alleged child molester. “His weapons were his hands,” she says, describing her rape when she was a teen.
If you watch Fox News, you already know about the connections between Epstein and Bill Clinton. But if Clinton is guilty of questionable behavior, it would not shield Trump if he were guilty himself. We know that in 1992, George Houraney, a Florida businessman, agreed to fly in 28 young women for a “calendar girl” party at Mar-a-Lago. As he recently explained to reporters for The New York Times, there were only two men present at the party.
Epstein and Trump.
At the very least – and there is a chance Trump is only tangentially
involved – and Clinton, too – demands for Acosta to be booted from the cabinet
are heard.
Could it be worse? And much worse, by far? It could be bad for Bill Clinton, or Trump, or anyone else, who might have partied in years past with the pedophile. And here we should note that at least one 13-year-old has alleged that both Trump and Epstein raped her in 1994 and threatened her if she talked.
Don’t expect Sean Hannity to mention this.
A little black book, stolen by a house manager.
Her case was withdrawn from the courts in 2016; but if new accusers surface her claims may gain validity.
We can’t yet know. But the “rogue’s gallery” of men, as one Miami Herald reporter describes them, who may be tainted or tarnished or in legal jeopardy could prove stunning in the end. According to Gawker, a defunct website, the names of many powerful men and women appeared in a “little black book” belonging to Epstein. That book was stolen by his house manager. A copy was provided to Gawker in 2015. President Clinton’s name does not appear; but Doug Band’s name does, above the line, “Office of William Clinton.” A long list of contacts follows. Not everyone whose name is listed is an accomplice or victim. Dr. Eli Wiesel, the noted writer and Holocaust survivor, and his wife are listed. So is Ivana Trump.
So is Ivanka.
Epstein was rich and handsome and ran in rarified circles. Naomi Campbell, the super model, has an entry. So does Mick Jagger. The Duke and Duchess of York are listed separately, following their divorce. Ethel Kennedy, Sen. Ted Kennedy and Ted Kennedy Jr., David Koch, “Miss Manners” and Charlie Rose appear, most likely harmlessly, in these pages.
(Okay, Charlie Rose might be a bad sign.)
Alfredo Rodriguez, the house manager who swiped the book, hoping to sell it for $50,000, added marginal notes. There were arrows pointing to specific contacts he believed would be important in any investigation. He circled dozens of entries, in a book that runs to 92 pages, people he believed were accomplices, addresses and organizations where crimes were committed, people he thought were “material witnesses,” and names of victims. Again, Clinton is not named; but Clinton often flew with Epstein on one of his private jets, which reporters later labeled “The Lolita Express.” Donald Trump’s name is circled for reasons unknown. Rock star Courtney Love’s name is circled, as is the name of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Rodriguez served eighteen months in jail for obstruction of justice, after taking the book rather than provide it to investigators. That was longer than the time Epstein, himself, spent behind bars.
So, what do we know for sure? Epstein was super wealthy. His Manhattan townhouse is estimated to be worth $77 million. He owned six homes, an apartment in Paris, and a private island in the Caribbean where he went to relax – and allegedly molest girls.
Authorities now suspect he preyed upon underage victims not just in Florida and New York, but in Ohio, California, New Mexico, Paris, and the United Kingdom. The name of Les Wexner, the billionaire owner of Victoria’s Secret and other well-known clothing brands, is marked in Epstein’s stolen book. Former New Mexico Governor Bruce King and former New Mexico governor and presidential hopeful Bill Richardson’s names are circled. The entry for Peter Soros, nephew of billionaire George Soros, is marked. So, the rich and powerful may have had reason to hope the story of Epstein’s crimes would receive a prompt burial in 2008.
Again, the address book hints at how the alleged sex-trafficking ring worked. One address for New York City is marked “apt. for models.” The name of Flavio Briatore, an Italian businessman who served two prison terms for fraud in the 80s, is circled. So is the name of Alan Dershowitz, the prominent lawyer. Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the victims in the Florida case, said in court filings that Epstein ordered her to have sex with Dershowitz on multiple occasions.
Mr. Dershowitz denies the charge.
According to the Daily Beast,
she was 15 and working a summer job at Mar-a-Lago [emphasis added] in 1998 when British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly recruited her as a masseuse for Epstein. Giuffre said Epstein kept her as a “sex slave” until 2002 and that she was forced to have sex with his friends, including Prince Andrew and Dershowitz. (Both men have adamantly denied the allegations.)
In September 2015, Giuffre filed
a defamation suit against Maxwell after she called Giuffre’s claims, “obvious
lies” and, according to the complaint, “undertook a concerted and malicious
campaign to discredit Giuffre and to so damage her reputation that Giuffre’s
factual reporting of what had happened to her would not be credited.” The case
was settled in May 2017, records show.
No one associated with Epstein is entirely safe and no one has so far been proven guilty. The address book has a separate entry for “65TH STREET,” in New York City, with the names Joseph and Florina Rueda and Sarah Kellen (Epstein’s appointments secretary) circled. Under “FINANCE” Colonial Bank and PB National are circled. Under “FRANCE,” we have, “Paris – Massage.” Under “ISLAND, Massage –” the entry for Michelle Campos is marked with the notation, “fired S’cty.” Dershowitz’s name is circled. So is the name of Cindy Buklarewicz Lopez, who ran a modeling agency, an arrow pointing to her parents’ contact info. Les Wexner’s home in London, his home in Aspen and his home in New Albany, Ohio are all circled. “Massage – UK” is circled. Under “MEDICAL,” the name of Dr. Bruce Moskowitz is circled. An entry under “CLEANERS” and another under “RUGS” are circled. “New Mexico – Massage” is circled. Finally, on page 92, the last entry for “Mr Chow, New York” is not circled.
Mr. Chow should be in the clear.
*
IN RECENT YEARS, the Miami Herald has done brilliant investigative work on this story. Remember that next time you hear the president or anyone else attacking the free press. The lawyer for the 16-year-old girl who state prosecutors say was “the victim attached to the mysterious plea deal given to multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein says neither he nor his client were informed that it was her case that ended Epstein’s prosecution.” As the Herald notes, the victim, now 31, “wasn’t among Epstein’s youngest victims, but she was among those who were more brutally sexually assaulted, repeatedly, by both Epstein and others, according to records.”
At Epstein’s sentencing, the
judge asked Assistant State Attorney Lanna Belohlavek whether there was more
than one victim. “There’s several,” Belohlavek replied.
“Are all the victims in both
these cases in agreement with the terms of this deal?” Pucillo asked. “Yes,”
Belohlavek said.
But emails and letters show that
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Villafaña wanted state prosecutors to tell the
judge as little as possible, telling Epstein’s lawyers “I would prefer not to
highlight for the judge” how many victims were involved — which at the time was
almost three dozen girls, ages 13 to 17.
How did the sex-trafficking ring operate? Again, the Herald uncovered the story:
[Robert] Josefsberg’s client,
labeled Jane Doe 1 for this story, told police what happened to her in a sworn
statement in 2005, obtained by the Herald. In it, she said that sometime
in 2004, when she was 16, she was approached by another girl, Jane Doe 2, who
attended Royal Palm Beach High School in West Palm Beach.
Jane Doe 2 asked the girl
whether she wanted to make some money by giving massages to a man named Jeffrey
Epstein, who lived in a mansion on Palm Beach island. Jane Doe 1 had heard that
a lot of girls at the high school were making money doing these massages, and
she agreed to go, the report said.
She was taken there by Jane Doe
2 and introduced to Epstein and his scheduling secretary, Sarah Kellen. (Kellen
also was given immunity.) Jane Doe No. 1’s description of what happened matched
those of dozens of other girls: She was led up a back stairway to a master
bedroom and bath where Epstein appeared in the room, clad only in a towel. She
was instructed to strip down to her underwear and begin massaging his back.
Shortly thereafter, he flipped
over, dropped his towel and began masturbating while fondling her with a
vibrator. She and Jane Doe 2 were each paid $200.
Jane Doe 1 said she went to
Epstein’s house about 15 times, and each time, the encounters became more
sexual, and eventually led to full intercourse with Epstein and [Nadia]
Marcinkova [an older, alleged “sex slave”], according to the statement that
Jane Doe 1 told Palm Beach Detective Joe Recarey, who died last year. She also
told Recarey that she brought two other girls to Epstein’s house, and was paid
$200 for each girl.
She was among three dozen
underage girls listed by the U.S. Attorney as victims of Epstein. Sixteen of
those victims were represented by Josefsberg, who was designated to assist
them in receiving civil restitution [emphasis added] from Epstein as part
of the plea agreement.
After Jane Doe 1 was interviewed
by police, other witnesses, including two of Epstein’s butlers, confirmed that
they had seen several of the girls, among them Jane Doe 2, coming and going
from Epstein’s house at all hours of the day and night.
Police had corroborating
evidence, including phone records and messages with the girls’ names, phone
numbers and appointment times.
Who else might have assisted Epstein is his schemes? According to Washington Monthly, Ghislaine Maxwell, a 57-year-old British socialite and publishing heir, has been accused of working as Epstein’s madam. Jean-Luc Brunel, who was partners with Epstein in an international modeling company might also face legal jeopardy.
For her part, Maxwell, whose
social circle included such friends as Bill and Hillary Clinton and members of
the British Royal family, has been described as using recruiters positioned
throughout the world to lure women by promising modeling assignments,
educational opportunities and fashion careers. The pitch was a ruse to groom
them into sex trafficking, it is alleged.
More accusers soon came forward with tales of massages and molestation in exchange for $200 or even $1,000 per visit. Some claimed that Epstein would force them to have intercourse with him or a young woman described as his Eastern European “sex slave.” Epstein’s assistant, Sarah Kellen, allegedly kept a Rolodex of underage girls to recruit for her employer.
Yet, for reasons mystifying to say the least, the Florida plea deal granted immunity to any alleged co-conspirators, “including but not limited to” recruiters Kellen, Adriana Ross, and Lesley Groff, and the alleged sex slave, Nadia Marcinkova.
A woman named Maria Farmer claimed this past April in a new
affidavit that Epstein sexually assaulted her at Les Wexner’s mansion in Ohio
in 1996, and that he molested her 15-year-old sister in New Mexico. She said
that Dershowitz used to frequent Epstein’s Upper East Side mansion as girls in
school uniforms paraded in for “modeling” calls. Dershowitz denies the claims.
As Washington Monthly carefully notes, Wexner and
Epstein did not respond to requests for comment.
BLOGGER’S NOTE (5/11/22): Now that the U.S.
Supreme Court appears poised to strike down Roe v. Wade, wouldn’t
it be “fantastic” if your 13-year-old daughter had been abused by someone like
Epstein, or any one of his other pervert pals, and impregnated, and now she
would have to have the baby!
Jesus. Who thinks that would be a good idea?
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