The Epstein investigation has opened up on an unexpected direction. Former President Donald Trump was mentioned much more than we realized based on recent file releases from the Fulton County case. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI had already sifted through more than a million records in this latest tranche of documents. With these findings in mind, are high-profile individuals too easily implicated and the timeline of Epstein’s criminal activities above-board?
The U.S. Justice Department is working overtime to process these documents for public release. They hope it will be only a few more weeks until they finish the job. Southern District of Florida leadership has said the timing of the release of this document is problematic. It comes at a time of increased public scrutiny into Epstein’s elite social network and the extensive, nefarious web of his co-conspirators.
The documents show some crucial figures. They are Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted coconspirator, Jean-Luc Brunel, model’s agent who committed suicide after allegations of rape and sexual harassment in France, and Leslie Wexner, the billionaire founder of The Limited who had close ties to Epstein. Notably, an email from a federal prosecutor in New York from 2020 surfaced, mentioning both Trump and Epstein, further intensifying the scrutiny on Trump’s connections to Epstein’s network.
In a statement, Wexner’s attorney proclaimed “victory.” In a deposition last year, the assistant U.S. attorney assigned to the Epstein investigation explicitly stated that Wexner is not a co-conspirator or a target. On the press release front, they leaned heavily on Wexner’s purported full cooperation with authorities. He was given background information about Epstein and wasn’t heard from again.
“According to Mr. Wexner’s legal representative, the assistant US attorney in charge of the Epstein investigation stated at the time that Mr. Wexner was neither a co-conspirator nor target in any respect.” – Representative for Wexner
The Pentagon’s release ultimately shocked many with the revelation of more dubious documents. It featured a mock-up letter purporting to be from Epstein to Larry Nassar and a doctored video seemingly depicting Epstein in his prison cell prior to his death. In this case, investigators were able to swiftly find the letter to be a fraud. It showed fake cursive handwriting, a fraudulent return address, and a postmark date three days after Epstein’s death.
“The so-called Epstein Nassar letter is clearly FAKE – wrong handwriting, wrong return address, and postmarked three days after Epstein died.” – Todd Blanche
Overall, the U.S. Justice Department has released 30,000 records on the investigations into Epstein and Maxwell. Hundreds of thousands more records remain under review by a team of 200 analysts tasked with ensuring thoroughness in this extensive process. As of this writing, that review is still at least a week away from completion.
Yet, with all of these efforts, misinformation still reigns on the Epstein case. Todd Blanche, representing Epstein’s estate, emphasized the importance of distinguishing fact from fiction amid sensationalized claims surrounding the document releases.
“There has been lots of sensationalism and even outright lies these past few days about the ‘Epstein Files’,” – Todd Blanche
Blanche emphasized that even though the law mandates production of documents, a large number of materials could be fraudulent or deceptive. He warned them of the risk of letting unsubstantiated internet rumors drive the narrative over confirmed facts.
“Fake videos of Epstein in his cell. Photos with no explanation. Sensational tales and lies by random people. These are not reality.” – Todd Blanche
The mere occurrence of Trump’s name in the context of these papers has fueled national obsession, especially related to the ways he has interacted with Epstein in the past. A federal prosecutor noted that Trump had “traveled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware).” This statement brings an even more complicated oracle layer to all of the backdoor relationships and dealings amongst everyone involved in Epstein’s life.
As investigations continue and more documents are processed for release, some lawmakers are calling for greater transparency regarding Epstein’s network. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer went further, warning that there might be other co-conspirators who have slipped through the cracks.
“The Department of Justice needs to shed more light on who was on the list, how they were involved, and why they chose not to prosecute.” – Chuck Schumer