All articles tagged with #epstein
Eight men were arrested in a failed plan to attack a UFC event at the White House. Investigators say the scheme was fueled by a mishmash of grievances—centered on Jeffrey Epstein, billionaires, and various online conspiracy theories—leading the Missouri man described as “running the show.” The plan never materialized beyond online rants and social media posts.
Leon Black refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements during a closed House hearing into Jeffrey Epstein, prompting subpoenas for the NDAs and for a future deposition; Democrats say the NDAs and Epstein’s involvement are central to the probe, while Black’s team calls the move partisan. The testimony revisits Black’s long ties to Epstein and the payments involved, and follows an Apollo Global Management independent review that found no evidence of wrongdoing by Black or Apollo, even as related lawsuits and investigations continue.
Bill Gates told the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door session that Jeffrey Epstein sought to blackmail him by using knowledge of Gates’s extramarital affairs, with Epstein reportedly drafting ideas in emails but never sending anything that Gates would call blackmail. Gates stressed he was not blackmailed and described his relationship with Epstein as a mistake, while noting Epstein’s ability to raise funds for global health influenced his involvement and that he did not fully know the details of Epstein’s crimes.
Emma Brockes surveys a week of brief, telling moments—from G7 leaders’ offhand banter and Trump quips to Epstein’s NYT Magazine exposé, NHS guidance on A&E demand around England’s World Cup games, Brooklyn Beckham’s meta ad, and a quirky bee mystery—illustrating how public attention oscillates between spectacle and deeper truth.
Vice President JD Vance promotes a faith-focused book and sits for interviews, including a stop on The View, where he dodges pointed questions about Jeffrey Epstein, race, and his relationship with the administration, even as Iran cease-fire criticism swirls and speculation about a 2028 presidential bid intensifies.
A New York Times investigation draws on dozens of interviews, newly released records and handwritten notes to argue that Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 death in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center was shaped by a chain of systemic prison failures—staffing shortages, incomplete inmate rounds, security-camera gaps and a risky protective-c custody setup—which produced a suicide scenario that authorities have defended, while also fueling ongoing questions and conspiracy theories in the wake of the Epstein Files transparency effort and evolving autopsy debates.
Vice President JD Vance told ABC’s The View that he’s a “conspiracy theorist” on Jeffrey Epstein and urged full government transparency, while defending the administration’s race and affordability records. The tense, largely civil exchange also touched on his memoir Communion and his 2028 campaign push, with Vance promoting the book as it climbs Amazon’s bestseller list.
A new report claims Jeffrey Epstein, while imprisoned, sought to provide prosecutors with damaging information about Donald Trump, highlighting alleged attempts to influence investigations before his death.
Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte argues JD Vance’s memoir Communion and his book tour reveal an out-of-touch, self-promoting politician more interested in virtue signaling than governance. The piece ties his Catholic conversion and praise of Charlie Kirk to a broader pattern of pandering, notes controversial Epstein/Maxwell references and Trump-era alignment, and suggests his 2028 bid is weakening as Rubio and others appear more appealing; even his TV appearances risk amplifying perceived inauthenticity.
NBC News reports that Epstein, after admitting in 2008 to soliciting underage girls for prostitution, enjoyed extraordinary freedoms in a Florida minimum-security jail, socializing with the rich and famous and continuing to exploit women while maintaining his lavish lifestyle.
A forthcoming book by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan portrays Trump aides as terrified of Epstein-leak fallout, holding Situation Room meetings to plot how to bury or control the scandal and weighing bold PR moves, including interview ideas with Maxwell.
Capitol Hill remains focused on energy and security policy: Guthrie backs a Ratepayer Protection Act to make large electricity users, including data centers, cover the full infrastructure costs, while separate headlines cover Trump’s push for a short-term FISA extension and the ongoing debate over a permanent DNI, a House Oversight probe seeking testimony from acting A.G. Blanche on Epstein materials, and looming shutdown risks tied to immigration funding.
The Washington Post review shows Jeffrey Epstein cultivated a web of modeling-industry contacts who offered to bring women into his orbit after his 2009 jail release. One agent, Elkholy (now a musician), says he sought Epstein’s fashion connections for financial gain, highlighting how the modeling world became a recruitment channel and raising questions about accountability as he and others try to explain or justify their involvement.
House Republicans on the Oversight Committee urge the DOJ to investigate sexual assault allegations made by Epstein’s former assistant Sarah Kellen against Frédéric Fekkai and Philip Levine, based on a May closed-door interview. The letter asks the department to use all tools, including witness immunity, to probe possible criminal conduct by the two men, who deny any wrongdoing. Epstein died in 2019; Levine’s name appears hundreds of times in Epstein files, and Fekkai is described in the letter as having had a grooming-related role. The panel says its job is oversight, not law enforcement, but will refer the claims to DOJ for investigation.
House Republicans pressed the Justice Department to investigate Frédéric Fekkai and Philip Levine over Epstein-era misconduct allegations raised by Sarah Kellen, urging the DOJ to use all tools including witness immunity; they note Epstein files link the two to Epstein’s operations and question why Kellen wasn’t interviewed earlier; Maxwell remains the only person convicted so far.