In July 2019, New York financier Jeffrey Epstein was arrested for prostitution and child abuse. It wasn't the first time. In 2005, the federal prosecutor found him guilty of exploiting 36 girls, some as young as 14, whom the millionaire had forced, deceived, or paid for sexual relations, with him or his friends. He was sentenced to prison, but after a surprising agreement (closed by prosecutor Alex Acosta, who would later be appointed Trump's Labor Secretary and reprimanded for his "poor judgment"), he only spent 13 months behind bars. Epstein had become a prominent figure in the jet set, with properties in the city of skyscrapers, Florida, New Mexico, or two islands in the Caribbean. Hosting the best parties, he mingled with the wealthiest people on the planet, presidents and future presidents (like his friend Donald Trump), actors, and entrepreneurs. His past also involved strange movements and connections, passports from countries with no personal ties, suggesting not only powerful friends but perhaps links to Intelligence services. His 2019 arrest was a major scandal, but his death in prison, just a month later, ruled a suicide by investigators, was the beginning of something much bigger.
The conspiracies surrounding Epstein, his businesses, his crimes, his friends, and his accomplices rival the most significant of the 20th century. For the MAGA movement led by Donald Trump, or Qanon, who believe that a cabal of lizard men, satanic and cannibalistic, serving Hillary Clinton and the Democrats, run a child prostitution network in sewers and basements of pizzerias (literally), it became an obsession, a priority. They have never believed that the financier committed suicide, but that it's all a big setup to cover up a murder aimed at silencing him and preventing him from revealing the secret list he kept with the names of powerful individuals he was blackmailing for their illegal sexual proclivities.
During President Joe Biden's term, the top online conspiracy theorists focused on the case. Countless hours, resources, podcasts, videos, programs, and campaigns. Trump and Trumpism not only promised transparency, to reveal what the Democrats had hidden but also placed some of the main believers or apologists of these theories in key positions in the administration. For example, Kash Patel, now FBI director, who just five months ago, in February, stated on agitator Benny Johnson's show that if the "FBI protects the biggest pedophile in history, it's simply because of who is on that list."
On January 20, Trump returned to power promising to uncover the whole truth. Attorney General Pam Bondi (who was Florida's Attorney General for eight years and took no action against the financier despite existing complaints) repeatedly swore that all data, all names would be made public. She even claimed to have the complete list of Epstein's clients on her desk, something akin to the holy grail of the conspiracy, and they were verifying it. However, since then, nothing has happened. In February, her team declassified a series of documents, but it was an absolute failure that only provoked mockery and anger, as almost everything was already public knowledge or irrelevant. And this week, in what has been a fatal blow to the movement, her department has stated that there is nothing to publish, no secrets, no lists, no names. Nothing.
In a memorandum, the Department of Justice states that after analyzing all available material in detail, "the systematic review did not reveal any incriminating client list. Nor were credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not discover evidence that could support an investigation against uncharged third parties. Consistent with previous disclosures, this review confirmed that Epstein harmed over a thousand victims. Each one suffered a unique trauma. Sensitive information related to these victims is intertwined throughout the material. This includes specific details such as the names and images of the victims, and physical descriptions. One of our top priorities is combating child exploitation and bringing justice to the victims. Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein does not contribute to any of these goals," concludes the statement.
That message, that last sentence, has caused a schism and a civil war. Former OANN presenter Liz Wheeler and Laura Loomer, the number 1 conspiracy theorist and agitator of the MAGA movement and also a friend and personal advisor to the president, are furiously calling for the head of Attorney Bondi, who has been Trump's personal lawyer for years. Alex Jones, the podcaster who has amassed a fortune and millions of followers by spreading all kinds of nonsense, such as claiming that some of the worst school shootings in the US never happened [for which he was ordered to pay $1 billion to the victims' families], said he was "going to vomit" over the news, which he described as "horse manure, a complete disaster," and broke down in tears on his channel this Monday, saying that Patel and his FBI deputy, Dan Bongino, another podcaster and mystery enthusiast who inexplicably ended up in that position, are "low-quality idiots". "The Department of Justice is running cover for the CIA and Mossad. NO ONE IS BUYING THIS!! Next, the DOJ will say, 'Actually, Jeffrey Epstein never even existed." This is over-the-top sickening."
"I'm not ever gonna let this story go"
Bongino, in February before taking office, vowed not to let the investigation die. I'm not ever gonna let this story go" he insisted, pointing fingers at none other than Bill Clinton. But in May, now in a high position with privileged access, he backtracked, stating that the videos show that no one approached Epstein's cell when he died, and no forensic evidence suggesting anyone else was present at that time was found. "There's no DNA, there's no audio, there's no fingerprints, there's no suspects, there's no accomplices, there's no tips. There is nothing." he said at the time. "If someone has it, I'd love to see it."
Speculations today, amid anger against him and his boss, are endless. Some say that the Democrats' silence on this issue reflects that they have something to hide, and if the president were truly involved and there were evidence, Biden would have used it. Others, like former CIA agent John Kiriakou, believe that the blame lies not with Patel and Bongino, but that "the deep state has already destroyed the evidence" and little can be done now. But there are tens of thousands of insults, attacks, and threats on their social media posts. The instigators of the past are now facing the consequences.
To make matters worse, the Government has further fueled the fire with an incomprehensible decision. Over the years, tens of thousands of comments and analyses have been published on forums and audios about every image, testimony, the prison blueprints where he committed suicide, the location of cameras, the guards' shift schedules, testimonies of some claiming that documents and time records had been falsified. In this context, where every tiny detail only reinforces prejudices, Justice has released a one-hour video, the existence of which had already been revealed, of the hallway in front of Epstein's cell. But inexplicably, the recording seems to be missing a minute just before midnight. The on-screen clock jumps from 23:58:58 to 00:00, which has obviously set the internet ablaze.
This explosive mix only lacks one element: Trump's role, as his critics repeatedly show him dozens of photos at parties with Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell. Or an interview from 2002 where he stated that the financier was a "great guy" whom he had known for 15 years: "It's great to be with him. It's even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are quite young." Another branch addresses the issue through common friends. It is known that Leon Black, founder of Apollo Global Management, paid Epstein over $150 million for "tax and real estate advice," according to his statement. In 2023, Black paid $62 million for immunity in a lawsuit against Epstein. A few months ago, Trump appointed Leon Black's son to a minor finance position.
"Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years. Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable," the president said this Tuesday, visibly upset. The world's richest man, Elon Musk, has curiously become one of the most active in this campaign. In dozens of messages posted or shared from his account in the last 48 hours, Musk has lashed out against the Administration, blaming it for maintaining the 'farce' about Epstein. The reason, in his opinion, is very clear. He didn't spell it out now, but he did a few weeks ago when he declared war on the president: 'The reason the Government hasn't released Epstein's files,' the owner of X said, 'is because Trump is in them,' he added, boasting that he was going to drop 'the big bomb'."