Former billionaire hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein is dead. It was ruled a suicide. The late financier has been under intense scrutiny for his alleged activities concerning underage girls. He got a sweetheart deal from the government some ten years ago that was quite weak concerning the allegations lobbed against him. The reason, at the time, was the government didn’t think it had the evidence to convict. That plea deal was the subject of a multi-story series from The Miami Herald, which brought Epstein back into the limelight and under a new investigation. It led to his arrest and formal indictment for sex crimes, including the trafficking girls as young as 14. A search of his Manhattan residence unearthed a trove of incriminating evidence. He had tried to kill himself about two weeks prior and was taken off suicide watch hours before he successfully killed himself. Epstein had ties to some very powerful people, including President Trump, the Clintons, and member of the British Royal Family. Yet, the evidence retrieved from his home included cataloged tapes that reportedly have very high-profile individual on them. Are they blackmail tapes?
Given Epstein, his profile, his connections, the timing of his death, the events that led to it, and those who might have been palled around with him, there’s a reason for an inquiry into how this happened. Attorney General William Barr said he was “appalled” by the news of Epstein’s death while in federal custody. He’s already ordered the FBI and the DOJ inspector general to look into this matter (via The Hill):
Attorney General William Barr on Saturday decried the death of wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein in federal custody while he awaited charges on sex trafficking, saying the apparent suicide "raises serious questions."
“I was appalled to learn that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead early this morning from an apparent suicide while in federal custody. Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered," Barr said in a statement.
"In addition to the FBI’s investigation, I have consulted with the Inspector General who is opening an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Epstein’s death," Barr added.
Epstein was reportedly placed on suicide watch in late July after he was found unconscious in his jail cell with marks around his neck. However, reports Saturday indicated he was not on suicide watch at the time of his death.
JUST IN: FBI investigating Jeffrey Epstein death. @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/FPR9KCfd7I
— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) August 10, 2019
A lot of people probably wanted this guy dead if this evidence concerning blackmail tapes is true. You can see that; anyone can. But this part of the story remains in allegation-land, part of a long list of women who started to come forward after Epstein was arrested (via Daily Beast):
New allegations against disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein have emerged. One of Epstein's accusers says she was ordered to have sex with several powerful men. pic.twitter.com/WqlOxaWh5R
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 10, 2019
The 2008 Epstein immunity deal included a provision giving not only Epstein immunity -- but a number of unnamed co-conspirators who were involved with Epstein.
— julie k. brown (@jkbjournalist) August 10, 2019
I’m not a conspiracy theorist but there are an awful lot of very powerful people who would like to see this Epstein thing go away. Is anyone investigating the guard on duty? #JeffreyEpsteinSuicide
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) August 10, 2019
"Every single person in the Justice Department — from your Main Justice headquarters staff all the way to the night-shift jailer — knew that this man was a suicide risk, and that his dark secrets couldn’t be allowed to die with him." https://t.co/4NlXq1Gmls
— The Hill (@thehill) August 10, 2019
A young woman who says financier Jeffrey Epstein and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell kept her as a sex slave also accused a host of high-powered men of being involved in Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring, according to court records unsealed Friday.
Virginia Giuffre, who says that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to powerful people for erotic massages and sex, claimed in depositions in 2016 that Maxwell directed her to have sex with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Britain’s Prince Andrew (whom she has accused before), wealthy financier Glenn Dubin, former senator George Mitchell, now-deceased MIT scientist Marvin Minsky, and modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, as well as “another prince,” a "foreign president," a well-known prime minsiter" and the owner of a “large hotel chain” in France.
None of the men named in the deposition have been charged with a crime or even sued in civil court in connection with the Epstein case. The deposition represents accuser Giuffre’s allegations, and the court documents unsealed on Friday did not contain any corroboration or further details, though many documents remain sealed.
It's not a "conspiracy theory" to think this, at BEST, is incompetence of a literally unbelievable degree. https://t.co/Sx0PLDW4jC
— Robert A George (@RobGeorge) August 10, 2019
Let’s have the investigation run its course. There’s obviously a lot that needs asking for and given that AG Barr called for this to be looked into strikes this from the conspiracy theory realm. It may have been one of the most foreseeable outcomes that could have been prevented if not for possible gross incompetence. Still, some on the Left have caught “grassy knoll” syndrome, which could make finding answers more difficult.
The panic on the right trying to pin this on the Clintons is hilarious and unbelievably telling.
— andy lassner (@andylassner) August 10, 2019
Trump is the President.
Bill Barr is his boy.
This is under their watch.
I think @andylassner deleted the second tweet in this thread because he realized he sounded like Alex Jones on a bad day. pic.twitter.com/1c5rl2DetE
— Molly Ratty (@molratty) August 10, 2019
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