Tag: cover ups

The New York Times ignores an essential part of the Jeffrey Epstein story — Israel

If you want to understand why conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein flourish, then you must read the interminable investigation the New York Times published, purporting to explain how Jeffrey Epstein clawed himself to the pinnacle of the financial/political/social world. “The Untold Story of How Jeffrey Epstein Got Rich” concludes that Epstein was the greatest conman and swindler that ever lived, and charmed the pants off of every powerful man he met. Some of his marks still curse Epstein for fleecing them. But the paradigm of the article is the execs at Bear Stearns back in the 70s who found out that the former math teacher at Dalton School had invented college degrees from “two California universities” but didn’t fire him because they wanted to give a humble kid from the outer boros a second chance. 

“You lied about your education,” [senior exec Michael] Tennenbaum said.

“Yes, I know,” Epstein calmly replied. He had never graduated from college. Tennenbaum recalls being disarmed by the admission. Decades later, he would regard it as an example of Epstein’s ability to manipulate his marks — in this case, him.

“Why did you do it?” Tennenbaum stammered.

Without an impressive degree or two, Epstein said, “I knew nobody would give me a chance.”

This resonated with Tennenbaum.

That’s a great story, and there is great reporting in this article. But the premise of the article is a stupid myth the NYT wants to believe– That Epstein was just the canniest, boldest con man that ever lived, and he left everybody swooning. The talented Mr Ripley. 

It’s a myth not because Epstein was not a bold and crafty con man – no doubt he was. But even a conman can have an ethos. Look at Gatsby, a mobster with romance. Look at Trump’s fascistic populism. And Jeffrey Epstein had an ethos that he played on over and over again as his racket grew; and that ethos was the love of Israel in the rising Jewish meritocratic establishment of the 70s. 

Almost every player in the Times story is a Jewish success story who lobbied for Israel in prestigious circles, from Dershowitz to Larry Summers, Leon Black, Lynn Forester de Rothschild, and Epstein’s most famous associations, Robert Maxwell and Les Wexner.  

Love of Israel was a lead criterion for inclusion in Epstein’s circle. I don’t think Epstein’s “marks” were even fooled by him. They knew he was a conman who played fast and loose. But they also knew that the Israel lobby has a need for charmers who break the rules, so they looked the other way.   

Epstein did numerous chores for Israel that investigative sites have documented and the Times does not touch: he helped Israel broker financial deals with neighbors, he had an Israeli spy living in his house for a time, and he had a close relationship with former Israeli PM Ehud Barak that included business ventures and politics in Israel.

“It’s well past time to ask questions about the billionaire pedophile’s links to Israel,” Jacobin says. 

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DOJ scrambles to find VOLUNTEERS to help redact new Epstein files after sleuths used simple method to crack censored documents

The Justice Department is seeking volunteers to help redact more Epstein files over the ‘next several days,’ it has emerged.

A supervising prosecutor announced an ’emergency request’ from the DOJ to help with ‘remote document review and redactions related to the Epstein files,’ according to an internal email sent to the Southern District of Florida‘s US Attorney’s Office.

The email, which was reviewed by CNN, suggests the DOJ will release more files related to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. 

‘I am aware that the timing could not be worse,’ the official reportedly wrote in Tuesday’s email asking career prosecutors for assistance. ‘For some the holidays are about to begin, but I know that for others the holidays are coming to an end.’ 

The supervising prosecutor cited how officials have an ‘obligation to the public to release’ the files but in order to do so must make ‘certain redactions’ to ‘protect the identity of the victims, among other things.’

The DOJ has released a massive trove of Epstein files already, but there are many more to come with officials noting that overall there are hundreds of thousands of documents set to be released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Some of the files released by the DOJ were improperly redacted, allowing sleuths to easily reveal the censored information by copying and pasting blacked-out text into a word processing document, the New York Times reported.

The hack allowed viewers to reveal previously withheld names and entities. It also revealed additional details of Epstein’s alleged abuse – which the Daily Mail has opted not to publish – and money concealment tactics.

The Daily Mail understands the redactions that sleuths were able to hack through were applied by various courts, whose documents were then handed over to the DOJ and published in the Epstein files. Files redacted by the DOJ and FBI were unaffected.

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Seth Rich Attorney Ty Clevenger Blasts FBI for “Nine-Year Coverup” — Accuses Bureau of Lying to Courts and Burying Evidence While Ignoring Court Orders

A lawyer closely tied to the long-running legal battle over the mysterious death of Seth Rich is accusing the federal government of an extraordinary, years-long coverup, one that he says mirrors the FBI’s handling of other politically explosive cases and exposes systemic corruption at the highest levels of federal law enforcement.

Ty Clevenger, an attorney who has spent years litigating Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cases related to Seth Rich, issued a blistering public statement this week alleging that the FBI deliberately concealed records, lied to federal courts, and is now openly defying a court order to produce documents related to Rich’s case.

Clevenger’s remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of the FBI following revelations that the bureau effectively “buried” the January 6 pipe bomber investigation for years.

According to Clevenger, the FBI has been caught repeatedly lying to federal courts during eight years of FOIA litigation, hiding and misrepresenting records related to Seth Rich “on a massive scale.”

Even more alarming, Clevenger claims the FBI is currently defying a court order to turn over records, prompting a pending motion to hold the bureau in contempt of court.

Clevenger also blasted Republican lawmakers for their silence over the past nine years, naming names.

He pointed out that Rep. Thomas Massie has aggressively pursued the Epstein files but never publicly pressed on Seth Rich. Rep. Barry Loudermilk has led investigations into January 6 but, according to Clevenger, has ignored the Rich case entirely.

He then rattled off a list of prominent Republicans—Andy Biggs, Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Chuck Grassley, Tim Burchett, and James Comer—asking whether any of them are even aware of what he calls an “ongoing FBI coverup.”

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DOJ forced into Epstein files U-turn after Trump photos vanished as Pam Bondi is warned she faces CHARGES

The Department of Justice was forced into a U-turn on its release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein after a photo of President Donald Trump was temporarily removed from the files. 

The missing photo depicted Trump alongside his wife Melania, Epstein, and the pedophile’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. 

It was taken in February 2000 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and was one of the few photos in which the president appeared in the documents as federal agents raided Epstein’s New York City townhouse.

Another photo from one of Epstein’s open desk drawer showed him posing with four women in swimwear. 

The photograph of both images are now once again included in the files, the Department of Justice announced Sunday, following accusations of a cover-up. 

‘The Southern District of New York flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims,’ the department explained on social media.

‘Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review.

‘After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction.’

Still, Representatives Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, and Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, announced Sunday that they are speaking with their fellow members of Congress about holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt.

They claimed that is the best way to hold the Justice Department accountable for its failure to release all eligible files related to Epstein’s crimes by Friday’s deadline.

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FBI was warned that Jeffrey Epstein was into child porn — but ignored it for 10 years, docs show

A former employee of late sex predator Jeffrey Epstein alerted the FBI that he was interested in “child pornography” and that he threatened to “burn her house down” decades before Epstein became an international fixation — but feds apparently did nothing.

Maria Farmer, whom Epstein hired to help purchase art, filed a complaint against him on Sept. 3, 1996, but it took nearly 10 years more before the notorious sex abuser began to face significant legal scrutiny.

“I’ve waited 30 years,” Farmer told The New York Times when asked about a recently released report showing her complaint, describing herself as “vindicated.” “I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.”

“They should be ashamed,” she continued. “…They harmed all of these little girls. That part devastates me.”

Farmer has publicly claimed for years that she tried to inform the authorities about Epstein and his madam, Ghislaine Maxwell’s, predatory behavior.

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Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna Announce Plans to Bring Inherent Contempt Charges Against Attorney General Pam Bondi Over Epstein Files – “We’re Building a Bipartisan Coalition”

During a joint Sunday appearance on Face the Nation, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), the authors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Trump last month, announced their intention to bring charges for inherent contempt against Attorney General Pam Bondi. 

Under the rarely used congressional power, “the House or Senate has its Sergeant-At-Arms, or deputy, take a person into custody for proceedings to be held in Congress,” according to the National Constitution Center. However, it is unclear how effective this would be in the face of legal challenges and the executive branch’s power.

This is the latest in an escalating saga of threats, with Massie and Khanna claiming the DOJ has not complied fully with the law due to redactions in the files and not releasing every document available.

Khanna told CNN on Friday that he and Massie are currently drafting articles of impeachment or inherent contempt against Attorney General Pam Bondi, The Gateway Pundit reported.

“Massey and I aren’t going to just do something for the show of it, but my sense is, just looking at the initial reactions from people in MAGA, from survivors, is that this release is going to cause as much grief for Pam Bondi as the earlier releases,” Khanna told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in reference to Bondi’s dumpsterfire release with MAGA influencers earlier this year. “The issue for her is not are there going to be 212 Democrats who would support it. The issue for her is how many Republicans and MAGA supporters would support it?”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press this morning, where he dared Massie and Khanna to “bring it on,” maintaining that the DOJ is simply following the law and taking the necessary time to make redactions before releasing all of the files.

Blanche told NBC’s Kristen Welker that ensuring victim information is redacted “very much Trumps some deadline in the statute,” and he dared Khanna and Massie to file Articles of Impeachment. “We are complying with the statute, we will continue to comply with the statute, and if by complying with the statute, we don’t produce everything on Friday, we produce things next week, and the week after, that’s still compliance with the statute,” Blanche added.

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At least 16 files disappear from DOJ site for Epstein documents, including Trump photo

At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public.

The missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

The Justice Department did not say why the files were removed or whether their disappearance was intentional. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Online, the unexplained missing files fueled speculation about what was taken down and why the public was not notified, compounding long-standing intrigue about Epstein and the powerful figures who surrounded him. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee pointed to the missing image featuring a Trump photo in a post on X, writing: “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”

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Ro Khanna Says He and Thomas Massie May Bring Articles of Impeachment Against Bondi Over Epstein Release

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna (CA) on Friday said in a CNN appearance that he and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) are currently drafting articles of impeachment against Attorney General Pam Bondi and weighing the pragmatism behind proceeding with the move. 

Last month, President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law to release all files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

And the Department of Justice released documents on Friday, which showed a heavy Bill Clinton presence around the late pedophile and young women.

But Massie and Khanna said it wasn’t enough.

Ro Khanna released a video statement on Friday, highlighting redactions in the files and saying the document dump “does not comply with Thomas Massie and my Epstein Transparency Act.” He then floated the impeachment of people at the DOJ.

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Over 500 pages in Epstein files were entirely blacked out, CBS News finds

The Justice Department released thousands of new records on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, but at least 550 pages in the documents are fully redacted, CBS News has found.

The newly released files included photos of several prominent people in Epstein’s orbit, images from his homes and investigative records that detail disturbing allegations against the late sex offender. But the heavy redactions in many of the records have drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, as the department defends its handling of the files.

One series of three consecutive documents — totaling 255 pages — is entirely redacted, with each page covered by a black box. A fourth 119-page document labeled “Grand Jury-NY” is also entirely redacted. It’s unclear what proceedings it stemmed from, but the document listed immediately before it is a transcript in which a prosecutor asks a grand jury in 2020 to consider evidence for a superseding indictment of Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.

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Massie says DOJ’s Epstein release ‘grossly fails’ to meet legal obligations

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a leading sponsor of the law requiring the Trump administration to release the full Jeffrey Epstein files, said Friday that the Justice Department is “grossly” violating its legal obligations. 

In a social media post, Massie said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and her chief deputy, Todd Blanche, who orchestrated Friday’s document release, are skirting the law that President Trump enacted exactly a month ago.

“Unfortunately, today’s document release by @AGPamBondi and @DAGToddBlanche grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law that @realDonaldTrump signed just 30 days ago,” Massie posted on X. 

He referred to a similarly critical post that Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), the lead sponsor of the Epstein transparency law, had published shortly beforehand, which accused the DOJ of using heavy-handed redactions without explanation. 

“One document, 119 pages of Grand Jury testimony, was completely redacted,” Khanna said.

“@RepRoKhanna is correct,” Massie wrote in response.

Khanna and Massie had joined forces on legislation to release the full Epstein files, which was initially opposed by Trump and his Republican allies in Congress. That changed over the summer, when the pair brought a number of alleged victims of the late sex offender to Capitol Hill, where they pressed GOP leaders to stage a vote on the legislation. 

It didn’t work initially. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) refused those entreaties, saying the better strategy for investigating Epstein’s associates was through the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is conducting its own probe. 

The tipping point came in November, after the government shutdown, when Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) was sworn in to replace her late father and immediately signed a discharge petition to force the Khanna bill to the floor. 

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