Dem
47
GOP
53
Be careful what you wish for, etc. It is likely that the immigration "surge" in Minneapolis was a ploy by Donald Trump to distract people from the Epstein files. But that has gotten so far out of hand that the Department of Justice was forced to release another 3 million Epstein files to distract people from Minneapolis. Maybe they could take turns: Epstein news Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Minneapolis news Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. That would make people dizzy and stop paying attention. Church news on Sunday for the faithful. (see next item).
Deputy AG Todd Blanche said that Friday's Epstein dump is the last tranche. In addition to the 3 million pages, it also contains 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. It could be a while before reporters have sifted through all of it for tidbits that tell what Epstein was really up to and what escaped the notice of the censors. There is nothing more. Please move on.
There are many reports about the Epstein files all over the media now. One of the most detailed (and most graphic) is this one from the CNN staff. Many of the links in it are to documents in the dump that are quite disturbing. You have been warned.
There is a file from the FBI with a list of over a dozen sexual assault allegations related to Trump in the dump. The FBI did not verify the tips and some may have been secondhand. Trump has denied them all. Also in the files was a document stating that one of Epstein's victims told the FBI that Ghislaine Maxwell "presented" her to Trump at a party, describing her "accolades," and suggested that she was "available." She went on a tour of Mar-a-Lago with Trump. She later told the FBI that nothing happened between her and Trump. Maybe she just wasn't his "type."
A heavily redacted FBI memo describes a letter from a lawyer that contains the sentence fragment: "... attorney to Jane Doe contact the Public Access Line unit to report the sexual exploitation and rape of a minor child of 13 years of age by Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey E. Epstein, case ..." It goes on to describe how the child, who had just finished 7th grade, took a bus trip from the Midwest to NYC and was contacted by [BLACKED OUT] and invited to a party. The salient part of the memo is reproduced below:
It should be noted that the 1994 memo is basically a transcription of what "Jane Doe"'s lawyer told the FBI. The FBI apparently did not verify it, although given this kind of allegation, perhaps it should have at least tried. It is also worth noting that the law passed by Congress stipulated that the only allowable redactions are the names of the victims. Far more than that has been redacted here. But you ain't seen nothin' yet.
Jane Doe was supposed to appear at a news conference in Nov. 2016, but was afraid to show up. Her lawyer at the time was Lisa Bloom, a very high-profile lawyer and the daughter of Gloria Allred, another very high-profile lawyer. If the Democrats capture the House in November, they might wish to subpoena the original unredacted document and have a pleasant chat with the lawyer who filed the report, under oath. Maybe a chat with Bloom might also be productive.
The statute of limitations for rape in New York State is complicated. In some cases, there is none, in others, it may be as short as 5 years. It depends on the facts of the case (ages of the people involved, whether force was used, etc.). NY AG Letitia James would probably know. Maybe somebody should ask her.
Please note that the document dump was accompanied by the message: "This production may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos, as everything that was sent to the FBI by the public was included in the production that is responsive to the Act."
Several wealthy and powerful men are mentioned. In one e-mail, Epstein wrote that he had helped Bill Gates acquire drugs "in order to deal with the consequences of sex with Russian girls." It is not known if Epstein ever sent this or he planted it on his computer to blackmail Gates, who was surely capable of getting any medicine he might need on his own. Gates vigorously denies the accusations.
The files also showed that Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick was planning a visit to Epstein's island in 2012. They had considerable contact through intermediaries. Why through intermediaries? Did Lutnick know even then that direct correspondence with Epstein might not look good if it ever surfaced? Unlike Gates, Lutnick did not vigorously deny visiting the island, but simply said he hadn't see the documents.
Other men implicated, at least peripherally, are Richard Branson, Elon Musk, and Steve Tisch. Epstein wrote to Branson noting that they were both in interested in women. Branson once wrote to Epstein: "Any time you're in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!" Multiple messages between Musk and Epstein showed them comparing schedules for a potential visit by Musk. In one e-mail, Musk wrote: "What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?" Steve Tisch, the co-owner of the New York Giants football team, once met a woman through Epstein. He asked: "Pro or civilian?" In another e-mail, Tisch responded to an invitation to Epstein's mansion with "Can I expect 'trouble'?" Epstein replied that he could bring an unnamed Russian woman if he wanted to.
Leon Black, a private equity billionaire, is a special case. He made payments, labeled "gifts," to women in Epstein's orbit. They totaled over $600,000. He also paid Epstein $170 million for tax and estate planning services. To us, seems a bit much. Couldn't Epstein just use TurboTax for $150 for complex returns?
There is an undated document in the files showing people in Epstein's inner circle, but many of them are blacked out. A draft 60-count indictment against four people from the Southern District of Florida from the 2000s is included. It relates to people who had procured girls for prostitution. The indictment was never executed and the individuals were never charged. The document mentions 19 girls, some as young as 14, by their pseudonyms. They would travel to meet Epstein for "lewd conduct" and be paid several hundred dollars for their work. Why Alex Acosta, then the U.S. attorney on the case, never brought charges is not explained. His work on the labor front was apparently something Trump liked, since Trump appointed him to be secretary of labor in Trump v1.0.
The release contains many "302 memos." This is FBI-speak for notes agents take when interviewing anyone. They are simply summaries of what was told to the agent. The FBI does not go out an verify every one unless there is a reason to do so. Here is an example of one of them. It is a bit difficult to determine what it is about. The names of Epstein and Steve Bannon do appear on the first page, though.
Again, note that the law allows the redaction of only victims' names, nothing else. There must have been a long discussion of victims that day. However, although a large amount of material that has been redacted that was forbidden by law from being redacted, some victims have already noticed that their names were not always redacted and have appeared in multiple places. The former was certainly intentional to protect perps but the latter was just due to incompetence.
Some of the 302 memos have large redactions but also portions where only the names have been redacted. Click here for one that is heavily redacted but also contains sections with the details of what a "massage session" with Epstein was like. If you don't like reading about things like "cocaine," "breasts," "dildo," and "ejaculation," reader discretion once again advised.
So, are we done, case dismissed? Not everyone thinks so. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) went on CNN's State of the Union yesterday and told Dana Bash: "We are witnessing a full-blown cover-up." Here is a video of Bash interviewing Raskin.
This is probably just the tip of the iceberg. No doubt, as reporters and others keep digging, more "interesting" material will emerge. And it is probably the case that, as Raskin believes, there is a great deal of material that has not been released. (V)