166 Comments
User's avatar
Kristin's avatar

Every time I think this saga can’t get any crazier, it does. Thanks for keeping us informed.

Elenor's avatar

Blackmail is the KEY issue, I believe, and the "files" are likely videos of the men alone with the girls, which is why so much storage space was needed... and why none of the men were willing to confront Epstein or testify against him.

pts's avatar

It's smelled like blackmail for a long time, IMHO. Too much hand-waving and vague language that never quite explains how Epstein started getting all the money he did and vaulting from one exalted money-related position to another without ever seeming to actually produce anything. Epstein, clearly a smart guy and master manipulator, after faking his way up the ladder at Bear Stearns, just "became" Les Wexner's financial advisor, and later even got power of attorney? Uh huh, sure.

And from there on out Epstein seemed to create his own gravity, drawing rich and prominent people into his honeypot scheme left and right. I've yet to see a coherent explanation of how Epstein ended up with the enormous wealth he did.

PlasticFish's avatar

> It's smelled like blackmail for a long time, IMHO.

Indeed. Blackmail explains it all quite nicely.

Mishka's avatar

Exactly. I knew years ago when we first started hearing about him in the 90s, but no one did anything about it. He got away with so many crimes because so many were doing crimes alongside him.

Judy Shaffer's avatar

"Crazier" is kind. This stuff is sleezy, slimy to its core. What a disgusting bunch of entitled elitists. Epstein Class, indeed.

Maria K.'s avatar

Same. It's like - WHICH timeline is this? WHO opened the wrong tomb? Who broke the veil?

Linda Weide's avatar

I am so grateful to the British press for being more journalistically competent than most of our media. The fact that Substack is doing so well is related to the shitty quality of the legacy media.

Judy Shaffer's avatar

This is sadly true! Oh for the old days of Bradlee & Graham at WaPo, with the likes of Woodward & Bernstein.

Maureen Staley Cary's avatar

I can't help but wonder who in American media is tangled up in the ghastly web.

Linda Hardwick's avatar

"Crazy?" That's the word your using? You must have a very limited vocabulary.

Susanna Askins's avatar

Save your anger for the people who deserve it.

Linda Hardwick's avatar

Correction: "you're. "

Catherine Winter's avatar

*You're.

If you're going to insult someone else for what you perceive is a limited vocabulary, sort out your own basic spelling and grammar first.

Equilibrist's avatar

And you seem to lack an understanding of basic grammar.

Mishka's avatar

You don't have to be mean just because you hate your miserable life.

kdsherpa's avatar

"The Telegraph in the U.K. dropped a blockbuster report." Of course it was information from the U.K. They are the only truth-tellers in this whole sordid mess.

Kathlyn's avatar
1dEdited

Bit of UK politics background for you:

Mandelson was a Labour Party Lord, and while ‘powerfully connected’ politcally (he was pals with Tony Blair, who now seems to be very involved with Trump’s Gaza plans *eyes passim*), has long been generally viewed as a bit of a sleazeball. The Telegraph is definitely a right-of-centre paper (aka “The Tory-graph”).

My first cynical thought was “I wonder how hard they would have looked/worked if it *hadn’t* been embarrassing to the Labour government?”.

Also, don’t think UK is especially virtuous - it’s just that shame still exists for most politicians here (though obviously not Boris or Farage).

Jacqui's avatar
1dEdited

Agree with all that. The Telegraph have rarely been associated with truth -telling unless it furthers their narrative.

Kathlyn's avatar

Agreed - only when it suits their purpose

kdsherpa's avatar

Interesting. Thank you.

Maureen Staley Cary's avatar

Also note that Mandelson is a gay man. Not all victims were female.

Kilroy's avatar

Their police are not controlled by the pedo in chief's minions.

kdsherpa's avatar

You're right. Thank you for reminding me.

Dawn Kucera's avatar

And as I just posted above, they will make sure that this issue does not die.

Dave Edgar's avatar

Fleet Street - AKA the British press. They get their teeth into scandal, they will hold on for dear life.

kdsherpa's avatar

I read "The Guardian" and it seems to be more informational than the U.S. MSM. That's a good paper, isn't it?

Sandra Price's avatar

This is an excellent summary. The allegations and implications of it all is almost too much. I try to keep in mind what these survivors must feel watching justice be so illusive. And for the child-survivor in this article whose name was left unredacted, no doubt she is terrified. She’s already suffered so much, my heart goes out to her and all the other survivors.

Monnina's avatar

Thank you. There is aldo a hidden manipulative criminality being indulged in here. Any justice for rape survivors remains elusive in every Western democracy. Ours is a rape culture. So this constant reiteration in the Murdochian mass global media of decades old and continuing injustice in plain view by the wealthy, well connected and socially celebrated, is emotionally triggering millions. On purpose. Violent misogyny always sells (ask Rupert) and retraumatisation paralyses the electorate. People in shock are easier to manipulate. Elections on the horizon ?

Aly's avatar

Yes, sounds about right. I would hope that much of the electorate though, won't be paralyzed. I would hope that the fury we all feel, will be the fuel that drives us, en masse, to oust these fuckers - completely, fully, vanquished to dust. Let's channel that fury.

Debbie's avatar

Just a note on the Epstein files lack of action for US perpetrators:

Epstein was a sweet honey pot to powerful men across the globe most of these men will duck and cover because they are ashamed they got conned. He wasn’t their friend he was their handler and once he had pictures and emails and videos their lives were his to control. Only in America where you can easily buy an attorney general or a Congress or a Supreme Court judge can any of this happen without consequences.

Europe appears to have a longer history with this level of corruption so this really is their shining hour. These pedos thought they could have all the sex they wanted, anyway they wanted it. But Mr. Epstein had other plans for them. Slavery but with a golden toilet.

Jail them all.

Ann Spragens's avatar

The contrast to the Trump DoJ and FBI could not be more stark.

Perhaps we are seeing Europe come to rescue the US in a turn about of WWII.

Lance Khrome's avatar

When the Brit media, especially the broadsheets, get hold of a scandal, they go straightaway into bulldog mode, relentlessly pursuing named parties, their alleged crimes, ties to government or The Palace, burrowing away for all the dirt that's fit to print, and then some.

Contrast that with the print media here, particularly the NYT, who gingerly approach stories that reflect poorly upon US institutions — AND elites — including the presidency.

Hope the US media develop leads being uncovered by the British press...I'm relying on the Guardian and the pulpy Daily Mail for latest blockbusters, for sure!

Kathlyn's avatar

It is a LOT harder to sue for libel in Britain. The bar for the press is even higher. That could have something to do with it.

Lance Khrome's avatar

Yes, that is a not insignificant contributing factor to press coverage of scandalous notables.

James Dowling's avatar

Actually it’s the other way round. It’s much EASIER to sue for libel here, which is why oligarchs always use the British courts to try and muzzle reporters. Not always successfully.

Nevertheless, British reporters on TV and the printed media are not letting this one go.

Seeing what is happening here, I am genuinely amazed at the lack of charges and/or resignations in the US - where, let’s be honest, most of the crimes actually occurred.

Kathlyn's avatar

Apologies - I am always happy to be told when I’m wrong.

Anne Gayler's avatar

NYTimes...probably the only American paper of record that has a bit of integrity left. Try the Washington Post to see how venality triumphs in Medialand.

Peter Dudley's avatar

Next, on Storage Wars...

Nilla's avatar

Make a meme!!👏👏👏

Barbara larson's avatar

Keep up the great reporting, Jay‼️‼️

Anne Hodges's avatar

We can blame our other branches like SCOTUS and Congress to NOT do their job for the people

ravine's avatar

the Trumpstein Congress? the Trumpstein SCOTUS? there is no salvation to be found in the fruits of the poisonous tree that comprise the US govt…

Dr. Steven Quest's avatar

Great updates. The Epstein issue may still topple Trump.

Ada Fuller's avatar

I want it to topple all the GOP candidates in Texas who run ads saying how much they love trump — they are covering themselves in his slop!

Judy Shaffer's avatar

"Slop" is diplomatic. I'd have used another four-letter word that starts with an "s."

TexasDumb's avatar

These GOP Texas ads are gross, all claiming they've been endorsed by Trump. Let's see how that works out for them.

Judy Shaffer's avatar

Hope springs eternal!

Charlene Pilon's avatar

I didn't renew my subscription in late Jan because I was so overwhelmed but I changed my mind today & realized how much I want to support your work. Great post today!

Potter's avatar
1dEdited

I'm not surprised. Epstein appears to have been engaged in amassing compromising material for blackmail. Kompromat. Why would he negelct to hide it and spread it in the process? This was his "business" apparently- world wide, world wide connections. He preyed upon the vulnerable including the vulnerable well to do and the elite. Part of this was using young women and children, girls, for sex services. It takes a world class conman and schemer who knows how to do this, take advantage of people's weaknesses and does it. Reminds me of Trump. Epstein will be laughing in his grave.

D Epp's avatar

There were also boys who were harmed. I wondered early on why we weren't hearing about them and surmised it's because of the 'manosphere' that reminds boys to be hypermasculine and show strength, never weakness. To be taken advantage of is considered weakness.

Pedophiles don't only come in one flavour: there was probably a huge demand for young boys as well as girls.

Christine Lee's avatar

This is why I don't trust Mandelson's argument that as a gay man he could not have been involved in the sex-crimes. If he's happy hanging out with pedophiles he probably is one, too.

Potter's avatar

I was thinking of that. But I have not run across it. Men do also like little boys or young men. This also shows how really screwed up sexually people can be. Epstein knew and preyed on this.

D Epp's avatar

There was at least one man in the group of Epstein survivors that Bondi snubbed.

Mari Moody's avatar

There are connections of epstein to a summer "christian" camp for disenfranchised boys, that was trafficking boys as young as 8. Look into North Fox Island in Lake Michigan, the owner escaped the country before he could be prosecuted.

LJ's avatar

Ms Lindsey?

Michael G's avatar

Epstein and Maxwell probably collected their blackmail in two ways - cash at first and when the money trail became too big to hide or the cash dried up, then documents, financial information, and state secrets. The latter being more lucrative because it can be resold to third parties including foreign governments. Russia do you hear me?

maggie towne's avatar

Oh yeah, you can add the Saudi’s to this mess as well

maggie towne's avatar

Apparently, he also “handled“ the Rothchild‘s… Not sure what he did for them, but yeah, come on…! He was an arms dealer. I think he was tied to Mossad in Israel, and with Putin in Russia, the man was EVIL.

Jerry Tinianow's avatar

Fourth, as reported last week by NPR, Epstein donated a rental lodge to the Interlochen Center for the Arts, a famous summer camp for young students near Traverse City, Michigan, and used it as a base to recruit some of those students. According to NPR, Epstein, who had been a student at the camp as a teenager in 1967, used the lodge to give him access to students from 1994 to 2003.

maggie towne's avatar

I grew up, knowing that that was a wonderful place to go to learn to be a young artist… Now that I understood that Interlochen was where he prowled… he and Ms. Maxwell to choose who would be their victims. It’s just disgusting to me and they need to pay some kind of price.

PlasticFish's avatar

Couple of kids from my high school went there in the late 70s. Could have gone there myself, but opted for the summer program at U. of Cincinnati instead.

Lee's avatar

Since they only have storage locker receipts up to 2019, wouldn’t that indicate that somebody somewhere has removed everything?

And wouldn’t that point to authorities doing investigations after his death?

Samantha Rose's avatar

That was my thought/question. Who paid for those lockers after his death, or was it destroyed?

Lee Johnson's avatar

Maybe "The Epstein Estate" carried on the storage unit payments?

Unwittingly??? [/s]

Michael G's avatar

When storage unit rent goes unpaid, the renter is notified, if the renter can be reached (most storage unit businesses also require a follow on contact person, in case the renter doesn’t respond). If neither responded, the unit is unlocked and the contents sold. It would seem in this case the default renter, upon Epstein’s death would be the estate, but anyone’s guess on the backup. An Epstein attorney? Maxwell? A name long gone and forgotten? It’s on the original rental agreement.

PlasticFish's avatar

Maybe someone bought some of that stuff at auction and doesn't even realise what they're sitting on...?

Deepak Puri's avatar

I grasp things better visually and created this relationship map of people linked to the Epstein files. I'm updating it daily as new details emerge. The map already has Prince Andrew, Sollenberger and Mandelson.

You can search people visually, by name (e.g. Lutnick) or group (e.g. billionaires). Click on a face for details which appear in a side panel with links to more information. The URL to the blog does not change as more information is added. Just refresh your browser for the latest version.

https://embed.kumu.io/7c3609c5e4eb35507b7870728a179bed

Kim Carlson's avatar

Go MI6! Any chance Epstein files are/were in trump's Mar a Lago bathroom and ballroom? Loose Cannon blocking Jack Smith's document report has me wondering.