The death of Jeffrey Epstein has rehashed the conspiracy theory about the Clinton body count. Actually, it just rehashed conspiracy theories in general. The only difference is the theory-peddlers are right on one thing: this needs to be investigated. That’s about it, right? There’s no evidence that Hillary Clinton ordered a hit from insider the jail, though it’s made for some good memes on social media. What we do know is that Epstein officially killed himself, though prior to the report being released it was noted that the neck fractures are more commonly seen in homicides than suicide by self-strangulation.
Epstein was a wealthy former hedge fund manager who knew everyone. He knew President Trump, the Clintons, and members of the British Royal Family. It’s these connections and his wealth that allowed him to get a sweetheart deal from the government where he avoided serious jail time for his alleged sex crimes. At the time, there was not enough evidence to convict, according to federal prosecutors. That person was former Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who served as a U.S. Attorney at the time. It was this deal and the events that led to it which were covered by The Miami Herald that brought his arrest this summer and the indictment on trafficking girls as young as 14. Epstein is a convicted sex offender. You can connect the dots. His Manhattan residence yielded more incriminating evidence, including what appear to be blackmail tapes that were catalogued by Epstein. His residence in the Virgin Islands, known as “Pedophile Island,” was also raided by the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies, where reports tickled back the entire area was wire for surveillance. The reason: possible blackmail. This guy reportedly had dirt on a lot of people, including former governors. Again, circling back to his connections, people with money, and those people with money who had way too much time on their hands, we can assume the worst in their actions. Yes, I think it’s safe to assume that many wanted Epstein dead and that his suicide brought much relief to those in high society. That’s not a far-fetched thing to say.
Attorney General William Barr has ordered the FBI to look into his death, along with the Department of Justice Inspector General’s office. Barr was reported to be “appalled” that Epstein died under federal custody. He had tried to kill himself two weeks prior to his death but was reportedly taken off suicide watch hours before he died. Logs were falsified. Some of the guards were akin to temps at an office. And now The Washington Post wrote that at least eight jail officials knew the Epstein shouldn’t have been left alone and that directive was ignored 24 hours before he died (via WaPo):
At least eight Bureau of Prisons staffers knew that strict instructions had been given not to leave multimillionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein alone in his cell, yet the order was apparently ignored in the 24 hours leading up to his death, according to people familiar with the matter.
The fact that so many prison officials were aware of the directive — not just low-level correctional officers, but supervisors and managers — has alarmed investigators assessing what so far appears to be a stunning failure to follow instructions, these people said. Like others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing investigations. They declined to identify the eight.
Investigators suspect that at least some of these individuals also knew Epstein had been left alone in a cell before he died, and they are working to determine the extent of such knowledge, these people said, cautioning that the apparent disregard for the instruction does not necessarily mean there was criminal conduct. The explanation, they said, could be simpler and sadder — bureaucratic incompetence spanning multiple individuals and ranks within the organization.
The Bureau of Prisons declined to comment.
“It’s perplexing,” said Robert Hood, a former warden at the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colo. “If people were given instructions that Epstein should not be left alone, I don’t understand how they were not followed.”
Hood, who also once served as the Bureau of Prisons’ chief of internal affairs, said it was disconcerting that officials might have thought they were putting Epstein on a less-intensive form of suicide watch.
“You’re either on suicide watch or you’re not. If you have any concern at all, you maintain the suicide watch,” he said.
The warden has been reassigned, while two guards were suspended. What a mess. I don’t think there’s some Grassy Knoll-esque conspiracy here, but what we do have is possibly one of the most explicit cases of government incompetence in recent memory.
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