Epstein documents short on actionable revelations

by Will Tubbs

Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News

 

The long-awaited release of previously sealed documents related to the actions of deceased child predator Jeffrey Epstein concurrently piqued the world’s interest and left observers as unsatisfied as ever. 

Per a court order, more than 900 pages of documents were released between Wednesday and Thursday. Another set of names will be made public by Jan. 22.

But, even as more and more major names leaped from the pages of the court files, it quickly became evident that this information dump did little to further a story that so many believe has far deeper and more sinister roots. 

Most of the names that have been revealed belong to people who have not only not been accused of any wrongdoing, but who might not have even known Epstein. 

The documents consist of depositions and other evidence collected during a defamation suit filed by Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein victim, against Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell f in 2015. 

But, for all of its girth, the document collection is hardly a treasure trove of revelations. However, it does reveal some truths that are worthy of exploration. 

THE CLINTON ISSUE

Conservatives have been particularly interested in knowing what the documents said about former President Bill Clinton, who was known to have been at one point chummy with Epstein and flew on the late pedophile’s jet, abhorrently nicknamed the “Lolita Express.” 

Clinton has long attested that he and Epstein were not close, he did not know of the heinous crimes Epstein committed, and that he’d not seen Epstein for about two decades. 

As of this writing, nothing has yet been revealed that would tie Clinton to any wrongdoing. However, the second wave of document releases contains an accusation from Giuffre that Clinton sought to prevent the magazine Vanity Fair from investigating sex trafficking. 

In an email to a journalist at Vanity Fair, Giuffre wrote, “B.Clinton walked into VF and threatened them not to write [sex-trafficing] articles about his good friend J.E.” 

Herein is a real problem, and a potential stumbling block for Christians who seek to ethically and fully understand the situation at hand. 

Giuffre is, by any reasonable measure, a sympathetic figure who suffered trauma of an unspeakable nature. Bill Clinton is among the most powerful people on the planet and is loathed among conservative Christian circles. 

However, it’s possible to be both a sympathetic figure and mistaken or unable to prove an accusation. 

Documents released on Thursday revealed that Clinton might not have interacted with Epstein, but Maxwell attended the former president’s wedding in 2010, a fact confirmed by a photo within the document that shows Maxwell in a line of well-wishers as the father of the bride escorts his daughter down the aisle. 

Again, though, this evidence ranks as circumstantial. Maxwell was a well-connected socialite even absent Epstein, so it’s possible that she could swing an invitation on her own and attend without Epstein. 

A final piece of hearsay evidence, and it is weakest of all, was found in a deposition from Johanna Sjoberg, another Epstein victim who also accused Prince Andrew of groping her. 

Sjoberg said that Epstein told her that “Clinton likes them young, referring to girls.” 

It’s a virtual certainty that Epstein said this to Sjoberg, but there is no evidence that Epstein was telling the truth. 

Given his heinous proclivities and penchant for overstating his connection to numerous power players, it would not be difficult for an attorney to paint Epstein as having lied to impress, or perhaps assuage, one of his young victims. 

NAMES MENTIONED IN PASSING

To call the Epstein file rife with household names might be an understatement. But to paint everyone mentioned as having done something wrong would be a wild overreaction. 

As aforementioned, many of the names in the documents are people who women being deposed said Epstein mentioned as having been his friends. 

The biggest name on that list is former President Donald Trump, who does not seem to have been close with Epstein and would not classify as his friend. However, a witness mentioned Epstein intimated he called Trump regarding an Epstein travel party visiting a Trump-owned casino in Atlantic City in 2001. 

That same witness was asked if she’d had any physical contact with Trump, specifically if she’d given him a massage, and she said no. 

In all likelihood, Epstein’s connection to Trump – the former president described the relationship, such that it was, as more of a passing acquaintanceship that ended rather abruptly over a falling out – was not as strong as Epstein wanted his orbiters and victims to believe. 

Similarly, Epstein indicated to victims that he was close with the Hollywood A-listers the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kevin Spacey, Bruce Willis, Cameron Diaz, and Naomi Campbell.

All of these names appear in the documents, but only in the sense that Sjoberg was asked if she had met any of these people at Epstein’s home. In each case, she said no. 

Sjoberg did mention meeting late pop star Michael Jackson at a party in the Epstein home, but she did not accuse him of any wrongdoing. She also stated that she once spoke to magician David Copperfield, who Sjoberg said asked “if I was aware that girls were getting paid to find other girls.”  There was no other context to this statement. 

STEPHEN HAWKING ISSUE

One of the stranger revelations from the document release was that Epstein appears to have been adamant about disproving Giuffre’s accusations against famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. The odd thing is that, at least as of this writing, Giuffre has never publicly accused the late scientist of doing anything. 

It is known that Hawking, along with numerous other scientists, visited Epstein’s private island, but there have never been any accusations that Hawking, who was paralyzed by ALS, engaged in any wrongdoing. 

However, Epstein once emailed Maxwell with instructions to get friends and family of Giuffre to “come forward and help prove her allegations are false.” Epstein indicated – more accurately seemed to indicate as the email in question is a barely decipherable collection of typos – that Epstein believed Giuffre had accused Hawking of participating “in an underage orgy.”

SOME ACCUSATIONS REVEALED AGAINST POWER PLAYERS

Numerous major names were accused of wrongdoing in the documents. Most notable among these names, at least for an American audience, were defense attorney Alan Dershowitz and late diplomat and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. 

It appears a person who was employed in the Epstein household said Dershowitz, who represented Epstein in a 2008 case, was a frequent visitor to the home and received massages while there. 

Dershowitz addressed the issue in a video on his YouTube page, saying that “the important thing is not to assume guilt by association or guilt by accusation.”

In the same video, Dershowitz confirmed that, in his capacity as Epstein’s counsel, he traveled to Epstein’s home often and had flown with Epstein on multiple occasions. He added that the two went to Epstein’s island once, but that no underage people were present. 

Dershowitz is perhaps best known for having represented Trump during his first impeachment. 

Richardson returned to the international spotlight late in life when he proved adept at brokering deals between the United States and Russia. He famously played a major role in the prisoner exchange that freed WNBA star Brittney Griner

It was already known that Giuffre says she was instructed to have sex with Richardson on one occasion, and the documents further cement the fact that such an accusation was made. Richardson maintained until his death that Giuffre’s accusations were “completely false.” 

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