"The very fact that the man was walking free such that he could be arrested again for heinous sex crimes similar to those he’d essentially beaten before with the help of the country’s best attorneys and the abiding support of high society suggests that something is very rotten in our country."
What a foolish sentiment.
But there was a time when you would have written those above lines, and paused in thought, "When have I heard that before," you would have said to yourself.
" History does not repeat itself but it often rhymes."
It was after a few redcoats in Boston shot into a crowd of American rebels and killed a few. It was March 5, 1770, and few people were more unpopular in Boston than British redcoats.
If you were among the "country's best attorneys" in Boston at that time, nothing was more certain to stall your career than to represent British redcoats accused of murdering your countrymen. Nor would "high society" help you , cause many of them were loyalists.
To represent the Redcoats, John Adams, quintessential Bostonian, scholar, schoolteacher, politician, rebel, statesman, he risked his career to represent the despised Redcoats.
We don't vindicate rights just for the popular. If you think that a "sign of rot," then it is you who has the problem.
2
How are we really certain that it was Epstein's body that was found in his cell? During autopsy did they test DNA etc.? If that monster was switched and is living in luxury and protection somewhere it speaks of a different kind of conspiracy. Way too many powerful people are involved in this corruption to be certain of any part of it.
3
What's really amazing about this "affair", is why newspapers and government officials (and the public) are sooo upset about Epstein's supposed suicide, but didn't bat an eyelash about Sandra Bland's "suicide" in a Texas jail (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/08/us/sandra-bland-texas-death.html). A man already convicted of pedophilia and sexual abuse of minors, is arrested again and commits suicide. Not too surprising, at least to me. But an innocent woman, jailed on trumped up charges, commits suicide. I suspect that she was "helped" along!
11
Walter, now that you have courageously undertaken the study of conspiratology (where have you been?), it's time for your word of the day. That word is "shill". The commenters you are referring to in your article are shills - that is, they don't believe what they are saying and are often just pro-establishment bots who may bear an uncomfortable though entirely coincidental resemblance to regular readers of the NY Times.
I like conspiracy theories, so many of which are intricately imaginative and almost certainly fictional. (The roving band of killer Clintons is always good for a laugh.) But if the Epstein death doesn't involve a conspiracy, there must be a conspiracy to set it up to look like one.
3
Simple question, really. What did Epstein hang himself with. I've missed this fact somehow.
3
The fact that Epstein got a secret deal that prevented any of his helpers or johns from being tracked down shows that this is a man for whom the system would be bent into pretzel justice. Whoever bent the system for him back then is still around and still has system-bending powers.
So Epstein is dead and the people he could rat out are safer, which is why he is dead. Some members of the elite are freaking because there is so much corruption, and others are freaking because the corruption could start unravelling and not stop before it got to them.
It is hard to believe that Epstein had this elaborate ring to supply only him with young meat, especially when the best way for him to protect himself is to get other powerful men involved so they will be forced to protect him in order to protect themselves. Apparently it worked once; Acosta and those who hounded him could tell us how, but they are all conveniently bound by legal ethics and nondisclosure agreements that are much stronger than any push for justice or truth.
5
Sorry, no conspiracy here. Just another example of gross incompetence and ineptitude of our bureaucracies and government Let's face it: We are a Stupid People. The kind that takes people off suicide watch that should have been left on, the kind that sleeps on the job, the kind who can elect a man like Donald Trump president. For a conspiracy to have taken place, thinking, competent and resourceful people would have to be involved, people who don't exist anymore--at least at the top, where this conspiracy theoretically was hatched.
6
Two decades ago, as a small town reporter, a woman came to me with a story that her two children were taken from her by the courts, put in a psych ward, drugged and then given to her ex-husband who took them to a different state, and trafficed sexually. She had compelling evidence, and outright proof that doctors at the psych ward committed perjury, but the family court judge made excuses on their behalf, the story was written and ignored, and even my editor discounted the sex-traffic theory...But I knew better and have been dismayed ever since by this growing problem, hiding in plain site...Then came Epstein, and I thought, finally, the truth will come out...count me as one of those who believe he was killed...
3
Why do you think our culture is any moral or reasonable or fair or compassionate than that of, say, Henry VIII, a monstrous "leader" who reminds me of our own current leader. Given what we think we know, this criminal was indeed murdered, and murdered to keep him quiet and murdered so incompetently that in the end that is what surprises me most. Ham-fisted! Pea-brained. Putin does it better.
1
Give me a break. A pimp of underage girls to the rich and powerful tries once to commit suicide, then is conveniently taken off suicide watch. His guards conveniently fall asleep. He is given the means (bedsheets) to hang himself before he can talk.
You’d have to be an idiot not to suspect foul play.
15
Who Killed Epstein? There are plenty of rich and famous who had reason to want him silent. The question is not 'if' someone killed him, but 'who'.
8
conspiracy theory is a term invented by those in power to keep sheep in line. The people in power want you to believe their lies, so anytime you stray they shame you and label your original independent and often correct analysis as a conspiracy theory. The term conspiracy theory says a lot more about those in power with lot to hide, then it does those who disagree with them and search for the actual truth
4
If there was some dark conspiracy to avoid justice for Epstein's associates that resulted in his death that is truly far less weighty than the fact that in dying how ever he died Mr. Epstein evaded justice.
That is the feature of this dreadful scenario that sparks the anger and resentment. It is finally only to hope that if there is a conspiracy of someones that committed this dastardly deed that they will someday reap the bitter harvest of justice in their own lives, and society will be instructed by witnessing it.
1
Considering that conspiracies have been around forever it is weird that they have only recently become "weird". Most head-of-state assassinations from Julius Caesar to Abraham Lincoln were the result of conspiracies. But in recent years for some strange reason, they have only resulted from "lone gunmen". As news outlets combine into huge corporate entities, investigative news disappears. Successful capitalists are much like successful communists. They like to control the narrative.
3
If I were Epstein I would have made it known to those who might contemplate getting rid of him that , on my death every file, picture, and video in my possession would be released to the world press.
3
Perhaps if everyone wasn’t talking about Epstein being “suicided” from the moment we knew he was to be locked up, the conspiracies wouldn’t be rampant. But, everyone was waiting for it to happen, so the speculation was to be expected.
2
And now we learn that his injuries are most commonly caused by strangulation...
4
Any way you look at it, it’s homicide, even if Epstein wasn’t killed outright. Leaving a person with suicidal tendencies alone, without guards or surveillance, is tantamount to murder. It’s incompetence on such a grand scale that it’s hard to believe that it’s accidental, that it wasn’t deliberately rigged behind the scenes.
Note to investigative journalists: now’s your chance. Get to the bottom of this and you will be as famous as Woodward and Bernstein. That is, if they don’t get to you, too.
6
"I wonder where they come from, these trusting souls ... Weren’t they here for the 18-month Mueller investigation, the premise of which was that our commander in chief was possibly working with a rival superpower whose leader is given to poisoning his enemies by lacing their meals with radioactive compounds?"
I was with you all the way Walter, until you cooked up this non sequitur. Swallowing a hoax promoted by Dems and their media enablers to explain Hillary's defeat by someone they despise somehow demonstrates a trusting naive nature? This gap in your reasoning hints at a bit of TDS, unfortunately.
The other irony is the man who will dig into the Epstein suicide (should I put it in quotes?) is Bill Barr. In normal times, people of all stripes would feel some comfort a man of up until now unquestioned integrity is on the case. But of course, he didn't say what the Trump-hate crowd wanted to hear up through the Mueller hearings which even Dems admit were a bust.
So now we have a situation that the investigation will be tarred from the get-go because the Dems consider Barr persona non gratis. This will be more cognitive dissonance. If he simply finds gross incompetence as the truth, but also concludes the whole Russia collusion thing was cooked up by Dems with FBI, CIA and media allies, the Dems will be forced to again denigrate Barr as shielding powerful Epstein conspirators from justice, lest the same Dems would have to accept his conclusions on the Russia hoax, too.
2
I believe he was murdered. Too many people had a strong motivation for this to come to fruition.
3
Never mind this grasping at shadows. Just sit Alex Acosta in front of a House committee; then, after he lies, investigate thoroughly and prosecute him for perjury.
Of course, this questioning should be done by the Justice Dept., but Barr makes that impossible.
1
Such fractured logic, to claim that because we have an alleged sex offender in the Oval Office, we can literally believe that Epstein was killed by someone rich and powerful.
Anyone with the power to murder a man housed in a federal lockup wouldn't have been so sloppy about it. Remember, there was a previous suicide attempt.
I think overall that it speaks to the cynicism of a society to see so much attention paid to the death of one very rich white man than to the other 800 or so suicides that take place in jails and prisons all over the US annually. It also speaks to the crassness of this columnist not to mention that our so-called president is willing to spread ugly conspiracy theories about Epstein's death that implicate the Clintons.
Follow the money. Much more inquiry is needed about where Epstein’s money really came from, who benefited from his “charities,” what ties he and his enablers (especially Maxwell) had to a foreign country, and others (likeWexner) with connections to Epstein. Follow the money.
2
Would powerful people who would be publicly accused of pedophilia have someone killed to protect themselves? IF this is hard to believe for some folks, it's naivete about Power.
1
I also tend to avoid conspiracy theories but I refuse to turn off skepticism just because main stream authorities tell us to believe something. They also need to provide us with proof.
If we are engaging in post-truth speculation, it's at least partly because we have so few facts. Honesty and transparency would go a long way toward silencing rampant rumors.
For me, the most nightmarish part of this is that list of which you spoke. It needs to be published. Every person who participated Epstein's evils must be outed. No matter gender, political party, wealth, or public adoration... name them. Bring them before the courts and give them trials, and do not hide the facts from the public.
It's time our society stood together and declared we want justice and freedom from the arrogant wealthy elite, who take what they want without care. Our children are not their playthings.
2
The California condor has gone from 22 to 230+ individuals (in the wild) Still endangered they often succumb to lead Poisoning. Let's keep them off UK benches
Whether conspiracy or ineptitude or both, it is consistent with what we expect from this conspiratorial and inept administration.
The fact that Trump makes a definitive statement that he never visited the island is suspicsious considering how he is incapable of telling the truth.
William Barr's shock and blame was about as convincing as Rosanne Barr's apology for racist tweets.
There is so much spin being spun on this suicide that it is difficult to assume no foul play.
53
Mr. Kirn says that where there is smoke there must be fire and I am inclined to agree. The facts of this bizarre case have not yet been disclosed.
I am given solace by the fact that Mr. Epstein's many accusers remain alive and well and free to speak. If there is a story to tell, it will be told.
Sooner or later.
22
@LKF Or, in the words of Duke in "Doonesbury," where there's smoke there's gotta be mirrors.
7
Epstein's suicide is the result of a total systems failure from the top--that would be William Barr--to the bottom---overworked ill-trained guards. What amazes me, given the decrepit state of our federal prison system, is that William Barr--I know he is a very busy man---didn't pick up the phone and tell the Warden---what do you need, right now, to keep this guy alive--and then following up with flying some of his aides down to see first hand what was going on---to the point of telling his aides--don't leave, and I mean don't leave until you are satisfied that Epstein is safe. ...
30
He's dead. He killed himself. I believe that. But, for certain parties, it was SO convenient for him to be allowed to kill himself that the temptation to allow overworked, under-qualified staff to supervise him could not be resisted. I believe that, too.
Because he's gone, following the threads that lead from him to important others will be much, much harder. Read this: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/13/opinion/jeffrey-epstein-death.html
We live in a country where, to convenience those in power, prisoners are allowed to die in government custody, like Mohamed Morsi in Egypt, who was denied medical treatment in jail and allowed almost no visitors. We are like that now.
40
I would need to know the answer to this question. After Epstein's first attempt at suicide, did he tell his lawyer that anyone was trying to kill him? I just wish this much attention was paid to Sandra Bland.
35
@James Smith She's the wrong color and doesn't have any money.
2
Epstein’s live testimony is completely unnecessary. He made volumes of video and audio recordings of his crimes, and those of his cronies. In fact, Federal agents were all over his private island before his corpse was cold. No one shown in his trove of recordings has any standing to object to their admission. Any 4th amendment objection to searches are his and his alone ... and he’s dead. In other words, his suicide isn’t protecting anybody. The question is always “who benefits?” In this case nobody. Therefore, no conspiracy. He just didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in solitary confinement, ironically for his own safety.
8
Sounds OK. Why all the interest in Epstein's life anyway. Crime, any crime always fascinats us. There are so called degenerate sex clubs all over the world. Why? Epdtein is yesterday''s news. Please stop publicizing his life and death.
I have no doubt Epstein committed suicide, and that he did so of his own volition. But after his apparent earlier failed attempt, I do believe it's possible that certain people with potentially a lot to lose from his testimony let it be known they wouldn't be too upset if he were allowed to try again.
6
As a good member of the cult, Epstein offed himself to protect the group, knowing much worse could happen if he didn't. This was made possible by pressure arriving at some manager who put known unreliable guards on duty guarding Epstein and probably a different manager who made sure he didn't have a room mate. All very deniable, all very indirect. Or it could have been autoerotic asphyxiation. It happens you know. Look at David Carradine.
@Robert David South: I thought of the auto eroticism myself, both this week and last. But the report that he had neck fractures makes it almost certain that he was able to fall some distance before the noose tightened. Big question: Did he know of the "hangman's fracture" of the 2nd cervical vertebrae and how to create it, or did his jailers know and either force him to hang himself? Or did they kill him first and then stage the hanging? The neck would have fractured even if he were dead. There are too many big people around with ability and desire to fix this death.
1
So many questions with Epstein. How did he get his money and power?
All the connections to the rich and famous, across the political spectrum.
The right say it was Clinton and the left say it was Trump.
My guess is a consortium of rich powerful men who would be damaged by "association" were very relieved to be rid of this reputation exterminator.
13
I am dropping the idea of conspiracy theory in favor of plain old fashioned skepticism. I have found it extremely strange to read that he was supposed to "have made a suicide attempt because there were marks around his neck". How do they think the marks got there and where was his roommate when it happened or when they found Epstein with "marks". What other things were in the cell when Epstein was found with "marks"?
Where is a description of what the guards found besides someone who was "unresponsive"? Were they the same guards who had taken naps? Could someone have given him a bit of sleep medicine to help him fight the urge to save himself during a suicide attempt?
Prisoners notoriously are hard on child sexual predators. His future may have looked grim, but then he could also have ideas that he could have bought himself into a low security prison in a private cell. Someone with that level of egotism just doesn't strike me as one to commit suicide until all was really lost. After all, he had beaten the system numerous times in the past.
And could maybe the warden just have decided to put two overworked guards who have a history of napping on the night shift to work that evening. Maybe due to his own contempt for Epstein or maybe with a carrot of a promotion or an enhanced early retirement? I definitely do see this a fertile field for enterprising journalists. And there are lots out there ripe for doing the investigations!
14
There's a difference between having suspicions, doubts, and questions, which may be rational, and promoting a conspiracy theory, which is based on misinformation and guesswork.
7
Epstein’s life and behaviour, Epstein’s power to deceive, Epstein’s death - are all indicative and made possible by happening in a country that simply has no clue as to what it really is.
5
When confronted with time in the big house, "sec fiends" often take the easy way out, suicide. Faced with a life of prison rape and abuse makes it seem a better option. No conspiracy there. Knowing this, however, the prison really dropped the ball in letting him gain his mortal freedom.
3
@wcdevins A Man living the life style of Epstein has a three fold to it, after being in "Real" lock down after a short time, he would totally come to realize that he would NOT be able to handle any real time, like life in Prison, but at the same time, a Man like Epstein could never hang himself, if he were wanting to die it would be by taking the L-Pill, but at the same time a Man like Epstein thought 100% that he would get off! Ask yourself: would a Man like Epstein take his own life when he didn't even go to court yet, or been found guilty & convicted yet? People in Prison don't commit suicide until After the Gavel Comes Down and the Judge or jury says life in Prison!
2
Men like Epstein don’t just kill themselves. They usually assume they know better than everyone and don’t have the humility to experience one ounce of remorse or embarrassment. For what reason would he want to commit suicide?
12
In the first Godfather movie, Vito Corleone says he will hold the men in the room responsible if his son is found hanging in his cell.
My conspiracy theory is the media was going to use Epstein as a club to hit Trump on the head until they discovered that the real villain was Bill Clinton.
Not saying anything, but...
4
@Eric
Argument for it being Trump rather than Clinton:
1. Clinton's reputation is already gone
2. Clinton no longer needs voter approval
3. Clinton has zero influence over Federal prison security
4. Trump voters still believe him innocent of child rapes
5. Trump DOES need to win reelection or he faces prison
6. Trump-loyalists run the DOJ; can control prison security
Therefor Trump has both motive, AND opportunity
5
Too many coincidences to be real. Wonder why the guards never slept on El Chapo? Dead Men Tell No Tales. Why not just say The Dog at The Homework and call it a day.
14
I was thinking about Herman Goering who committed suicide with poison. He was closely watched but someone was able to get a vial of poison to him.
Years later someone figured out the guard slipped the poison to him in exchange for some souvenirs.
Just as plausible in this case.
5
I don't find him so fascinating really, nor the manner of his death particularly shocking. An interesting pedophile? Can there be such a thing? Such depravity consumes whatever other identity such a creature might have once had. And so it went.
4
Thank you for stating obvious (really), and obliterating that other rather moronic editorial in the Times. Please note, almost all the far fetched conspiracy theories of the 60's and 70's have been proved true... It is best not to underestimate the abilities of the wealthy to do incredibly heinous things and get away with it.
23
Which of the far-fetched conspiracies have been proven true?
Nope. Nothing to see here. JE's body was claimed by an "unnamed" associate.
Riiiigggghhhht.
11
Here's my conspiracy theory: M16 reassured the Queen, mother of Prince Andrew, that 'all would be well' for him (more importantly for her) and so it was.
Also: Where is Ghislaine? I heard she has a lot of oceanographer friends so I believe she's on submarine and who knows where or when she will come up for air?
CBS News reported this morning that there was 'screaming and shouting' heard coming from his cell. They did not say who supposedly heard that. Now that I'm really interested in learning more about.
This guy was killed and Barr is going to huff and puff about it and then pray the public turns away from it.
16
@sophia I tend to agree. The moment Prince Andrew's name was mentioned, Mr. Bond, James Bond (the modern equivalent thereof) was on a flight to NYC.
8
- 11 Saudis carrying a suitcase walk into an unguarded Federal prison;
or
an FSB agent retires to England and is killed by polonium stew;
or
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Soviet_and_Russian_assassinations
Meanwhile an incriminating dossier (or two or three) disappears and is discredited. Couldn't happen... not here.,..
2
Let's suppose that Jeffrey Epstein's bed sheets could support his weight enough to hang himself. What I can't get is what did he hang the bed sheets from that would support his weight to hang himself? I have yet to see pictures of the jail cell that Epstein occupied. Maybe we can start there in alleviating conspiracy theories. Somehow though I feel that's too much to ask the Bill Barr Justice Department.
11
He killed himself. Happens all the time when people have no way out.
Leave your conspiracy theories at the door, please. Reality bites, but not nearly as hard as conspiracy theories bite.
6
Here is your obvious answer. Someone of his "protectors" arranged for him to be able to commit suicide. He doesn't end up in prison as someones toy, he doesn't end up in court implicating others.
Why does this seem improbable to so many people. He was a pimp with a lot of "paying customers" and one of them paid off a few people in the prison system. Of course there was no video, and the guards were "sleeping".
Grow up people. Stop looking for an elaborate story and find something worthwhile to do with your time.
4
These many days after the Epstein “apparent suicide”, we still haven’t heard an official explanation and chronology of what happened! Why? Who’s preventing an investigation?
Co-prisoners at the jail facility have indicated that the rooms are suicide proof, with ceilings about 9 feet tall and rooms with no bars anywhere, including beds. With sheets as thin as paper. If that’s the case, then it would follow that “someone” came into Epstein’s room to commit Epstein’s suicide with a side of chutzpah. Huh? Is the press going to let this crime go the way of Jamal Khashoggi? So far, it certainly looks that way. Alan Dershowitz and Netanyahu must be doing cart wheels.
14
If this keeps up, "ordinary" news will put National Enquirer out of business! Who needs fiction when you can have.... reality?!
10
This is not a set of conspiracy theories. This is justified cynicism. Essentially we're expected to believe that the guy essentially shot himself in the back of the head 10 times, and that AG Barr is shocked, shocked I tell you, that gambling is taking place at Rick's. Come on; how stupid do you think we are?
19
I don’t think he is even dead. He is on an island with Bin Laden and MBS, or in Trump tower.
5
"I should say here, for the record, that I believe Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. I believe that Al Qaeda terrorists carried out the Sept. 11 attacks."
I notice you didn't say, "I believe that Oswald killed JFK." Maybe that's b/c the same logic applies to JFK conspiracies as with Epstein, i.e. certain people (the mob, Soviets, Castro, LBJ, the CIA...) wanted JFK dead, and Oswald was conveniently killed by Ruby, therefore it must have been a conspiracy. And that's not just not true (funny how people think governments are so incompetent until it's time to perpetrate a conspiracy- then they're omnipotent).
Epstein- a jet-setter reduced to living in a cage with rats while more and more info came out about his perversions and whose friends disavowed him- had every reason to want to commit suicide. And cameras do show who was in the jail even if not in his cell. He was alive for 3 weeks after his first attempt, free to tell his lawyers or the police that he was attacked, free to ask for suicide watch (with cameras on him). He didn't. He was suicidal. And most likely only he knew that he was suicidal.
2
So is it true that William Barr's father was the person who enabled Epstein, with no credentials, to become a teacher? Because that's one meme floating around.
......and is it true that we have no real basis for understanding where his money came from? Also a meme.
.....and while we are at it, is it true that Justin Kennedy, the son of the recently retired Supreme Court Justice, was also the dude giving Donald Trump all those dubious loans?
..... I guess I am turning into a conspiracy theorist too
12
Who needs conspiracy theories? What we know for certain is damning enough to the Trump administration and “his” DOJ. Assume Epstein killed himself and had no physical help doing it - it still happened on the Trump/Barr watch, in a facility Barr put him in. Barr will “exonerate” himself, I’m sure, but he can never escape that fact. We don’t need conspiracy theories about that.
11
If the best the corrupt members of "our ruling class" could do to keep themselves out of trouble is to facilitate Jeff Epstein's death in jail, after Epstein had been walking free for years following his prior arrest for sex crimes, then all I have to say is my, how the mighty have fallen.
2
I'm amazed at how easily so many people leap to a conspiracy theories here. Is there a single case in recent history where there's credible evidence that a high ranking US politician or billionaire has has someone in the US assassinated? I couldn't find one. And yet so many people think it must have happened this time. You've all been watching too many movies.
1
Epstein is one of many figures who are running "sexpionage" operations. Rachel Chandler and other girls were trained to be used in recruiting of other girls where Ghilaine Maxwell had connections enough to provide travel documents for trafficked girls from places like Thailand, using the younger girls in their trafficking ring to lure them.
Epstein is tied to the NXIVM cult, another "sextortion" operation with international ties that was also buried by the news. These and other bizarre operations are tied to intelligence and organized crime through the Bronfmans and other figures.
This scandal crosses both sides of the aisle.
4
The conspiracy is, for me at least, how someone exceptionally wealthy, by no known enterprise, & a straight up pedophile was so intimately connected to out elite cultural/political leaders? It isn’t about Epstein, he was a transparent pervert, it is about them, e.g., their greed, complicity, or willful ignorance. A system failure at a very high level. The moral is - why shouldn’t DT be president?
2
This piece captures my disillusion fairly well.
I hate to feel like a cynic and conspiracy nut job.
But we live in strange times.
7
Never attribute to evil that which may be explained by stupidity.
Two overworked/underpaid night shift workers fell asleep on the job. Some bureaucrat warden saved the feds a few dollars by taking him off suicide watch etc. etc. All the pieces randomly fell into place and Epstein offed himself.
2
What happened to the buck stops here?
1
If I was Barr and was really interested in protecting Epstein, I would have sent one of my guys to Manhattan to check out the facility before putting Epstein in there by having a look at some of their old videotapes from a month or two ago.
He could still do that now just for the fun of it.
My guess is Friday was pizza and beer night.
Saturday was open cell door night.
And wild sex and drug parties were so common that mostly the guards slept through them.
2
Facts:
1. Acosta cut a sweetheart deal for Epstein in 2007 because “I was told Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’ and to leave it alone,”
2. The FBI found in Epstein's mansion “an extraordinary volume of photographs of nude and partially-nude young women or girls,” according to court documents.
It follows that Epstein worked for "intelligence" to collect damaging evidence on the world's elite, especially America's elite.
The question of which country's intelligence agency has infiltrated America and can blackmail our political, business and media elite is critical to protect America's national security. Why is this not being discussed, much less investigated?
17
I don't know what the truth is but I know I'm not being told it.
I, however, don't blame powerful people or institutions. I blame us. We let ourselves believe so many lies. Like, for example, the belief of so many in cartoonish, but comforting, gods. On that, I know many NY TImes readers will agree. But our willingness to suspend disbelief and turn off the thinking part of our brain when the truth is likely to tie one in knots rather than set one free goes way beyond childish religions to areas which are far more sensitive to the sensibilities of even the most open-minded people (or, I should say, those who think themselves open-minded).
And on the very (very) hot topic of child sexual abuse, I would refer concerned readers to a NY Times best-selling book from the early aughts titled "A Billion Wicked Thoughts" about internet porn (written before Edward Snowden made us all a little bit more concerned about what we type into our search engines).
If we can't honestly confront what that book called the most popular category, "by far", of porn (with a very revealing accompanying graph) then all this outrage conjures up, for me, Carl Jung and certain of his revealing theories.
5
I simply could not disagree less with you. Mr Epstein was a monster and yet able to somehow defy all gravity grounded in reason, decency and justice. Our society is rotting to the core.
2
As long as AG Barr has his fingers in this case, there cannot be any expectation of a truthful report on the circumstances of Epstein's death. He must recuse himself, not least for his dad's notable and notorious involvement in getting Epstein the job that gained him access into the world of powerful men.
3
FBI, DOJ, Acosta, Trump, both Barrs, a million investigations going every which way, yet it all hinged on poorly paid guards. If you think about how much those guards make and how we rely on people at the bottom to be ethical and responsible to watch this priceless pedophile, while those at the top consorted with him in mansions, private jets and yachts, you can see how it perfectly encapsulates our current society. Rich people can be corrupt and make colossal messes and the poor have to clean it up.
9
The most troubling aspect of this miscarriage of justice is that the two key men who will investigate his death and the continuing prosecution of others are paid sycophants and protectors of our president, and have massive conflicts of interest in the case. They still have their part-time gigs in the Department of Justice to think about, as well. My guess is that all of this will end quietly in the coming weeks, when the DOJ will say 'nothing to see here, folks. Move along. This is ironic, of course, as the DOJ was responsible for Epstein's botched prosecution in the first place.
3
FBI, DOJ, Acosta, Trump, both Barrs, a million investigations going every which way, yet it all hinged on poorly paid guards. If you think about how much those guards make and how we rely on people at the bottom to be ethical and responsible to watch this priceless pedophile, while those at the top consorted with him in mansions, private jets and yachts, you can see how it perfectly encapsulates our current society. Rich people can be corrupt and make colossal messes and the poor have to clean it up.
3
Seems like we are rapidly approaching the status that Masha Gessen has described for Putin's Russia. With so many lies rampant and no idea what to believe, the only sane response is to believe nothing.
5
@rcburr Just so, and very much like Gessen described 2-3 years ago, the lying is so patently disingenuous, so transparently bad, that it amounts to an insulting, "So what are you gonna do about it? Nothing."
3
The guards were sleeping and he wanted to kill himself. What is so hard to believe ?
1
I hate to say this but, in many prisons and jails, both officers and inmates hate pedophiles. Many times the sex offender will be bullied and harassed unmercifully if anyone finds out what he’s in for.
1
This from the guy who believed all the outlandish stories spun by "Clark Rockefeller."
1
The real conspiracy was the fact Epstein and his co-conspirators were given a pass the first time he was arrested. Not just Epstein, but all of his co-conspirators. Was the jail understaffed? Yes. Why? We can trace this back to The Donald and his hiring freeze, which happened before the Epstein case. If this mess ever gets untangled I think we will be amazed at the rich and powerful that at the very least turned a blind eye to the trafficking and exploitation of young girls. Maybe Epstein didn't make his money as an investment manager, maybe he was just a pimp for the rich and famous.
1
In this case, the "simplest" explanation may be some kind of conspiracy. The confluence of coincidences that led to Epstein's suicide boggle the mind.
2
I guess Epstein was more important than el chapo or ramsi yuoseff, sorry about the misspelling . I just don't understand how 2 supercriminals/ s were kept alive, yet Mr. whiteguy was left alone. blaming two tired guards is a condemnation on our system.
Of course Armstrong didn’t walk on the moon...it was filmed in a studio in LA...everyone knows that
And that’s a fact in today’s world!
1
Only those who believe that Trump didn't conspire with the Russians to rig our election would believe the Epstein unassisted suicide story. There are far too many rich and powerful people - including the resident of the White House - who stood to lose too much if Epstein ever testified truthfully about his crimes, to allow that to happen.
My response to the headline when it first appeared?
FAKE NEWS!
3
Epstein Schmepstein, has McConnell sold control of the United States Senate?
1
I believe Mr. Epstein killed himself. He spent his life extravagantly and amorally indulging himself and so facing a great deal of emotional and physical discomfort would not have been an appealing prospect. That said, the circumstances of his suicide give credence to the idea that some form of deliberate inactivity allowed Mr. Epstein the freedom to accomplish his goal. Perhaps it was his lawyers who made it happen as another reader suggested.
That may be the full explanation. But when the deceased is arguably the most highly compensated pimp in all of history and his list of alleged clients overlaps the Forbes 400 there is justification for suspecting that more than his lawyers' efforts or institutional incompetence enabled the suicide.
We may never know the full truth. But what we do know now, in a way that we did not know before, is that there is a level of amoral depravity among America's richest men that is far more reprehensible than the vast majority of us ever realized. How many young lives were forever tainted for mere momentary pleasure? I feel corrupted just knowing I live in a society where such men are exulted.
14
It is interesting to read the comments of those who have worked in prisons, most or all of which know what the conditions are and that the inmate who is determined to suicide, with a little help from lazy, tired or incompetent staff, will eventually carry it off. The conspiracy theorists are largely those who have never worked in a prison, I wager, for whom fantasy is more exciting than the droll truth.
2
@Dr. DianeExcept this was not your run of the mill prisoner, so that make your argument invalid.
3
@heinrichz Once in prison, officers are trained to look at all the inmates as just another run of the mill inmate. It is “just another day in paradise”. (Yawn). In general pop however, other inmates may have their day depending on how well run the prison is. Nobody has to pay other inmates to hurt a notorious pedophile. Remember Jeffrey Dahmer?
Why has no one mentioned that a live video feed of Epstein in his jail cell would have been sufficient, assuming no one on duty fell asleep?
With ubiquitous surveillance of nearly all of us doing the most banal activities, how was this overlooked for the most important alleged criminal in US custody?
16
Absolutely predictable. There were just too many well connected "rich old guys" who enjoyed the "perks" of an epstein friendship.
15
The other part of the Jeffrey Epstein story -- aside from total depravity and rich sociopaths Getting Away With It -- is bravery. Of Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald reporter who would not let the story die, and of the victims who spoke out and have to relive this nightmare daily.
Tenacity matters. Decency matters. Resilience matters.
Without it, that monster would be on his island abusing more girls. I'm comforted that he had a few terrible deserved days in a Manhattan prison. It's not enough, but it's something.
Maybe with some more bravery, we'll get more justice. I'm hoping.
51
Which one is Occam's Razor?
Vast money did not buy anything, and vast power had no influence?
Stuff just happened from incompetence, and not because vast and motivated money bought it, nor strongly motivated power influenced it.
When big money and big power have no effect in America, that contradicts Occam's Razor.
10
@Mark Thomason
Why is Occam's Razor your foundation in this argument. I do not think any of us outside the power circle Jeffrey Epstein orbited have any idea what the risk is to those who could be criminally prosecuted. And to think there is not one in that group who would expend the influence to remove him from the scene surprises me. It would not surprise me that another Nation's Intelligence Agency had a hand in his demise, if the contacts described in the media are true. Do you believe Jamal Khashoggi accidentally fell into an abattoir?
3
This entire story could be predicted. Here is a role out that retells the conventional story but with different motives.
1. Epstein had many former friends in high places. They were not anxious for him to tell his story.
2. Epstein was suicidal\
3. No attempt was seriously made to protect him because of 1l. If he killed himself it could be blamed on government incompetence.
4. As can be predicted during a period of lack of watch he killed himself.
5. Barr waxes indignant fires various people as an attempt to fix situation.
The "collusion" was to fail to keep Epstein on suicide watch. Either guards and warden were incompetent or they were given so few resources that if they treated Epstein according to protocol the prison would empty.
6. The lack of prior attention suggests that authorities wanted Epstein dead in a way they would not have to take responsibility for it. They succeeded.
9
@Michael Cohen - yup, and all the elements of the story work to promote the various interests, e.g. prison guard unions want more resources, liberals hate the criminal justice system, and right wing conservatives can blame government incompetence.
This is all too pat. That in itself is an indication of conspiracy.
3
The gentleman’s way out - not that he was a gentleman in ANY sense whatsoever. But faced with “ no way out whichever way you turn “ it is plausible to me to choose suicide. He was given the chance to end it himself before being humiliated further. WHY was he given that opportunity is more of the question rather than how.
2
Like Mr. Kirn I too scoff at most conspiracies. When confronted with someone spinning a tale of dark forces manipulating our reality I ask: "Do you know someone who had an affair?" When I receive the affirmative response I point out that the affair was a conspiracy of two with little significance beyond the conspirators and they couldn't keep it under wraps; how on earth do you keep hundreds of folks silent about events heralded in headlines?
But... All these contacts with the wealthy and powerful including the President. Not to mention that distant disappeared tale of the Donald dallying with a teenage Epstein captive who disappeared into silence or simply disappeared saying she "feared for her and her family's life." It seems all too convenient.
15
To "dabble" in conspiracy theories is to dabble with the idea that the findings of the many investigations, whatever they are, will necessarily be suspect and untrustworthy, and the idea that there will never be settled facts of the matter. It is to adopt, from the beginning, the attitude of persistent suspicion of any official report. In other words, dabbling in conspiracy thinking is NOT just entertaining alternative possible explanations and waiting for the facts to decide which is the most likely. To "dabble" in conspiracy theories is to immediately pitch yourself into the dark pit of "truthiness" and "fake news."
@Wayne BuckSure, but at this point I’m still waiting for a plausible explanation.
2
@Wayne Buck Or merely old-fashioned fiction-writing.
which is exactly the right thing to do - wait for the investigations to finish and their reports published.
With enough money and enough power, anything is possible.
6
Unfortunately if William Barr does not recuse himself from any investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, few people will feel the truth will come out. I know I will not be satisfied with any report issued by Barr. He has already proven that he is not an honest broker.
19
The way intentionally incompetent government works is by creating an environment where people who realize that the incompetence has to be intentional or at least by design start to imagine everything has some hidden meaning or intent behind it.
To paraphrase a hero from our past: Follow the republicans.
2
I believe there was a camera trained on the outside of Epstein's cell, so if a hit squad came in, it would have been filmed. I don't understand why there is a delay in releasing the details of what that recording revealed.
Assuming there was understaffing, to me the fishy part is removing him from suicide watch so quickly and removing the roommate he was supposed to have. They should be looking at the bank accounts of the warden and the psychiatrist who decided he was not at risk. Or anyone else who had a decision making role in not assigning two guards who were reliable and would not fall asleep.
Trump never shuts up when he should. But having the person who is Barr's boss suggest the best thing to investigate is Bill's travels is pretty crazy. I have no trust in Barr unless he looks into that and publicly debunks what his boss said. Of course, I do start with no trust in Barr.
Like everyone else, I've seen movies where a prisoner is hung by prison guards who fake a suicide. I doubt that happened, but I hope the investigation looks into and clearly says that wasn't the case.
And yes, I would not be completely surprised if the film showed people did enter the cell.
9
There is little doubt that Al Qaeda was involved in 9/11. There are many strong reasons to doubt that they acted alone without assistance. There was no 9/11 Commission. The investigation was 100% controlled by Professor Philip Zelikow, a close associate of Condi Rice and a de facto member of the Bush Administration. He did everything including writing the report. The ten commissioners were bystanders chosen to rubber stamp the conclusions in the supposed service of bi-partisanship. Two urgent questions and then I will quit. 1) Andrews AFB whose entire raison d’etre is to defend Washington DC was deserted of fighters on the morning of 9/11 which failed to return even after the Twin Towers had been attacked. 2) the military on the Eastern seaboard was also stood down that morning. Goodnight.
3
@Chuck Burton: You might want to check out a company called Kellog, Brown and Root. According to conspiracy theorists, they closed the towers down the day before to do some sort of engineering inspection. The theory is that they rigged the building with explosives. However, a conspiracy that vast would be hard to keep secret. It fails Occam's razor.
Of course the columnist feels the way the does; this is fishy beyond fishy. But he's not a conspiracy " theorist." He is suspicious of a conspiracy. A very large difference.
I'd want to know the details about the lawyers requesting the curtailment of the suicide watch. And the details of closed circuit video cameras. Were there none in the passage and hallways? I'd want to know the details of Epstein not having a cell mate.
I'd want to know the specifics of the sleepy guards: where were they taking their three hour naps? Were they sleeping on cots or daybeds or in chairs? I'd want to examine the chain of command that emplaced these guards. I'd want to know what their histories are, as well as their commanding officers. I'd want to know the details of falsifying reports.
If one were investigating this incident, this is precisely how a law enforcement would go about it, and with many other approaches that the public may not know of.
Do we for one moment believe that a seasoned investigator *wouldn't* think that this case is as fishy as can be? This isn't conspiracy theorizing, it is exactly how a capable investigator would approach this.
That capable investigator is absolutely motivated by fishy-ness. It's how they do their job. So, enough of calling anyone suspicious of this incident a "conspiracy theorist." You'd have to be fool not to look at this in such a fashion...
Unless of course the investigator is on the take too. We shall see.
21
@Nelly Also consult building plans & staff about facilities & procedures for private egress for prisoners from MCC for cooperation w/LE.
Can we foresee the unforeseen? May at times the simplest explanation be the truth? And may the simplest explanation, almost of necessity, generate grandly outrageous conspiracy theories? Since the time when human thought began?
Some will never be convinced that Nixon was guilty, that Oswald shot JFK, that the attacks on 9/11 were conducted by Middle Eastern terrorists, that climate change is the Real McCoy.
And in these times when sophisticated propaganda and ultra-secrecy overwhelm factual transparency, why not indulge in conspiracies? Some conspiracies may even be revealed to be fact. Thanks to the generosity of the Internet, Shakespeare's character said that "thinking makes it so."
And therefore doth the mind create its own prison.
Whatever the cause, if Jeffrey Epstein is truly dead, he has escaped his prison time.
We have already seen how the system protected this man and his potential co conspirators in the Florida case. Has there ever been a deal like that one? I doubt it. By the same token, I do not doubt that the rich and famous he could have and would have brought down have a lot to gain by his not being here, too much, for this comedy of errors to have been purely coincidental. Through either looking the other way or actual participation (yes, I will go there), they rid themselves of this stain on their reputations and power. I do not trust Barr to tell the truth when he finds it. He has not proven honest in the Mueller case, nor in his previous incarnations as a public servant. It is this bad. It's time to look at it for what it is.
6
Curious but effective way to grab a headline. Conspiracy or not, the fact that it could be plausible today because of a dysfunctional government and electorate makes me cringe.
6
It’s the industrial scale of certain contemporary American malefactors that sets them apart. Sure, there was Ponzi, but Ponzi was no Madoff. Cyclists have cheated and juiced from the beginning of the Tour de France, but not quite like Armstrong. Drug and opioid use and abuse have been around for millennia, but nothing resembling the tens of billions of Oxy pills that have been manufactured, marketed, and distributed to hapless Americans in the space of just a few years (pick your prime villain).
Epstein is dwarfed by figures from history in terms of sexual rapacity and crime, but he dwarfs Humbert Humbert from fiction, to take one example. A closer comparison is with the nexus that fosters and protects those in authority who commit sexual assault and abuse against vulnerable individuals in institutional settings. From reports thus far, it sounds to me like Epstein stage-managed and exploited both the settings and the opportunities to indulge his sexual obsessions over a period of decades in locations around the world, at great expense and at some risk. The industrial scale.
3
AG Barr’s angry theatrical public response to Epstein’s suicide, in and of itself, gives pause before accepting the case for Epstein’s escape opportunism by suicide enhanced by BOP neglect, although both conditions appear to have been likely. On the other hand, many still in the shadows escape accountability from his death....Arguments pull in both directions. One can only hope some obsessive, driven journalist will take the trouble to run down every lead to discover the actual facts surrounding his demise. We have long since blown by the marker for innocence among the elites - now the only hope for satisfaction appears to be in cold eyed accountability for the guilty.
9
@Aging Vet
Interesting ( and I agree) that you believe that the truth would come from an enterprising journalist and not the Justice Department or BOP. Shame that the country has come to this.
3
Past conspiracy theories ranging from the tragic (JFK's assassination) and the triumphant (Neil Armstrong's moon walk); to the outright ludicrous (seemingly anything that Bill or Hillary Clinton's names could be slapped onto) have either been debunked, or (debatably) inconclusive.
Jeffrey Epstein wasn't even "cold," when the conspiracy theorists were at it, yet again.
It's as if these people have nothing better to do; or would love to have their own "a-ha!" moment, at the expense of those conducting the investigation. They won't be happy until they can prove there was a cover-up; or a monumental act of scandal or chicanery, for which they can scapegoat the government or law enforcement, for their own personal ignorance, or denial of given proof or reality.
I also believe in the moon landing, but remain very skeptical
about this story.
For some unexplained reason, in this extremely high profile case, he was not placed on the protocol of suicide watch even after a suicide attempt (or whatever it was).
Not one, but BOTH guards were coincidentally asleep at the exact, exact same short during that one night shift. Uh, huh.
And...where's the body?
Between the sitting president, a past president, a prince and so many more....it's an absurd story.
7
It is simply homocide or suicide by neglect. The most famous inmate in the prison system has been erased.
A good way to reject conspiracy theories is to rule out the scenarios that could lead to them. Conversely, to accept one is equivalent to rejecting rational explanations because an ecosystem is no longer capable of making rational choices.
Given that we live in the era of Trump & Deplorable Inc., ruling out the scenarios that are the stuff of conspiracy theories is never a good idea. This is after all a time great ignoramuses like Trump, Alex Jones and Tucker Carlson rule the world of media. Imagine if 20 years ago, somebody told us that a person like Trump would one day be the president of the United States. We would have treated it as a scenario worse than the mostly crudely constructed conspiracy tale. It would have been summarily dismissed. So the conclusions of a conspiracy theory are all to plausible.
On the other hand, the fact that the alternate explanations to Epstein's suicide : overworked staff, corrupt prison system, poor management, the guilt of shame etc. are all too real also mean that the conspiracy theory needs to be shelved.
So given the coin toss, i wish for heads, i.e. a rational and reasonably well informed society. After all, my own self preservation depends on the validity of that assumption. So i reject the conspiracy theory and instead choose for sanity.
Furthermore, accepting a conspiracy theory is a self fulfilling prophecy. The theory becomes reality and the reality is soon distorted.
So what is it that you want ? Trump or Sanity?
Didn’t Trump himself re-tweet a right wing nut’s conspiracy theory aimed at a former democratic President? Given Trump’s penchant for deflection and Barr’s superficial anger not withstanding, shouldn’t this tell us all we need to know?
4
No conspiracy needed: It's a fact that William Barr, the top Trump sycophant, oversees the Federal Prison system. Regardless of what went wrong and what future investigations reveal, leadership must accept responsibility for department failures. Epstein died under Trump's watch, so all deflections of blame are nothing more than red herrings.
3
While there will never be a satisfactory explanation it is difficult to accept what appears as a series of incompetant decisions.
Cell mate transferred, left alone, no recording cameras, two sleeping guards, falsified records, the AG's historical relationship with the criminal, sheets that didn't rip when he purportedly used them, no photos of the crime scene.
How very convenient and absolutely understandable this has been made for us. All the tees crossed and eyes dotted. So simple even I can understand it. All Mr Epstein had to do was to request his paid attorneys to take him off the suicide watch. As they were in his employ did he have to do more than instruct them?
Nothing more to see here,so back to business. I understand there is a large mansion coming up for sale in NYC and it can be had for pennies on the dollar
2
Perfectly possible that DOJ made it clear no special treatment for Epstein, friend of Trump and son of Dalton headmaster who hired him in the first place. Simple as that. Trump needs protection, especially in Southern District of New York. AG Barr can give it to him. Whatev, it becomes impossible to believe any "official" narrative. Come back to Princeton, Walter!
Reality: People 'hang up' in custody all of the time... COs, guards, etc. are often not paying attention [this happens in hospitals too where similar things happen.]
Notes get changes, even on hospital units....even on hospital units in prison settings....especially when major sporting events or holidays are underway....I have seen it.
Yea, it's cool to believe it was either Trump or Clinton that ordered the hit! Then you hear about the hiring freeze, the assignment of cooks, janitors and other non trained people to work as guards because they were so understaffed. How about the forced OT leading to 18 hour days. Do you really think that anyone working there that looked the other way isn't going to get caught lying? Did you really think that after being taken off suicide watch he WASN'T going to try again? Do you really think that the best therapists and psychologists are working there instead of private practice?
The author of this novel called an opinion piece should go back to his paying job.
3
i liked this piece and the thought that went into it. i disagree with the part about letting the imagination run wild in the fever dream of post modernism, or however the scold went.
i think we could use a little fever imagination about what a better world might look like and the kind of government that world would mean.
meanwhile, very very little imagination is needed to festoon with factuality the incarceration of epstein and his death by shadows. (and you thought killing a journalist in an embassy was tasteless.)
"they got him" was the my first thought when i heard the news. the idea that this was all human error omits the point that you assign a prisoner to the human error prison if you want that prisoner taken care of ... by an aw shucks confluence of huh? wha?
but "they" can't get any more substantial than unknown clients, benefactors and blackmailers. so i'm disappointed that "the island" wasn't raided until 48 hours after epstein's death, which gave the staff there plenty of time to clean up before guests arrived.
3
@drollere
Indeed, one has to wonder about the delay in getting to the island.
4
his death means that powerful people wont be brought to justice. I'm sure that his estate will pay out millions but all the johns will be going free as their strategy will be "deny,deny. deny" . I know I've heard that "somewhere".....
Considering the future that Mr. Epstein was facing-months of trials where he would have to listen to a multitude of his victims telling of his misdeeds and then spending the rest of his life in prison-why would he not want to kill himself?
2
There are no limits to people's willingness to delude themselves and pretend they're not seeing what's in front of them, especially if it involves confrontation of scary, sickening subjects.
Fellow commenters, I am an average, middle-aged white woman, raised in a "nice" suburb of a midwestern city and with a college education. When I tally up the pedophilia I've been exposed to, you might not want to believe me. Friends are often shocked by my stories; I in turn wonder if they just weren't paying attention to their surroundings for most of their lives.
A brief and incomplete reckoning: I was nearly abducted at the age of four from a McD's parking lot by a man with no pants on; little sister nearly abducted as well from our front yard by a man in a car. Grew up with two pedophiles in the family -- one on mom's side, one on dad's. Knew *two* families growing with three girls each who were molested by their fathers (apologies if this is hard to read). Frequently stared at and bothered by older men throughout my tweens and early teens. Became a teacher, and the sexual abuse stories were rife.
I don't mean to sound glib -- I truly don't -- but I've been on my guard *all*my*life* against this stuff. Experience has taught me that pedophilia is rampant among us. To elide 45 years' worth of reflection on the subject, I don't doubt for a second that Epstein was silenced. A lifetime of observing people's propensity for denial makes the conclusion inevitable to me.
5
'Three people can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.' That's the most logical reason for not believing in conspiracies (at least successful ones).
Raccom's Razor is still the right approach. Think about all the people in the jail and elsewhere who would have to conspire to do this and keep it secret. The man just plain killed himself--he had shown that he wanted to do just that.
I have a conspiracy theory for you to consider. It applies to every location on Earth, and has been in effect since before the dawn of recorded history. It's pretty simple. Here goes:
The powerful employ the thugs to control the peasants.
Do you find it plausible?
9
Those conspiracy theorists have it all wrong. Actually, Trump had Epstein killed because of the dirt Epstein had on him.
2
I strongly dislike conspiracy theories, and I try to fight them wherever I can. But the idea that Epstein was killed to silence him has strong, very strong allure. The idea that killed himself has just as much logic to it.
Like everybody I do not know what happened. Unlike everybody, therefore, I will suspend judgement. But if one day it is proved that he was killed, I will not be surprised. Who will ?
But the main point is : the rich always believe they will get away with murder (or pedophile rape), and they act on their belief.
2
Mr. Kim, let's not mince words: the possibility that Epstein was killed to prevent the exposure of criminal activity of other tycoons, perhaps including Trump, is plausible. Why then do you group it together with various off-the-wall concoctions? Another author published some 120 years ago an article titled "J'accuse" - maybe you could use your public platform for a similar purpose, if not now then later, when more information will surfaces?
AND we have the usual suspects (patsy’s) to blame - low level prison guards. How obvious can you get? If your going to cover things up - be smarter.
4
@Gwen Vilen
And Lady MacBeth smeared the guards faces with blood...
"The very fact that the man was walking free such that he could be arrested again for heinous sex crimes similar to those he’d essentially beaten before with the help of the country’s best attorneys and the abiding support of high society suggests that something is very rotten in our country." Suggests or confirms?
5
I've never been into conspiracy theories in my 65 years, but I can smell a rat. It was clearly in the interest of powerful people that Epstein die. An Epstein unable to be cross examined, to talk for a plea bargain, to just talk, period, was a better Epstein. He dealt in damaging information and was involved in the most unsavory activities imaginable. Most people, Republican or Democrat, do not like people who traffic in children, and have sex with children, and this was his business and his clients were highly placed and rich people.
So, will the truth come out? Probably not for a long, long time. But someday it will: contemporary accounts are out there and some historian will put it together after finding things that people wrote, people who had nothing to gain like servants, perhaps accountants, and then the children too afraid to speak up at present, they will be the clinchers.
The fear of the powerful, and the corrupt exercise of power, will end this case for now, but as the Bard wrote: the truth will out. Just not for a long, long time.
4
Given AG Barr's preemptive press conference on Epstein's death, even before the final Autopsy Report or any investigations, in & of itself makes me not trust what he says.
He lost any credibility with his dishonest, preemptive handling of the Mueller Report, in order to cement public opinion this way. Thus, questioning the official version, that makes this high-profile holding jail sound more like Rikers, is reasonable. What is unreasonable is dismissing thoughts other than official versions of events as pathetic or stupid conspiracy theories.
I'm not surprised by Epstein's death. People / witnesses who have incriminating information are targets & end up dead or in Witness Protection. Or, knowing they are facing miserable life in prison, suicide.
(What about previous reporting that Epstein enjoyed special privileges, including being able to go in and out of his cell freely?)
My concern is really just for the victims who will not have closure. At least I hope they all feel safer.
2
William Barr is in charge of this investigation. That's enough reason to be suspicious.
4
When the president retweeted the Clinton conspiracy, I thought that it is just as easy to believe a Trump conspiracy. There are a whole lot of people who could have been ruined if Epstein had decided to 'spill all.'
As a former chief of a diagnostic unit in one of the largest prison systems in the US, I feel well qualified to consider what likely occurred in the Epstein case. Suicidal prison inmates are quite innovative and opportunistic. I have seen a noose made out of toilet paper and have known of several cases of sheets tied to the base of a toilet that was rigged for self-garroting. Watching for a length of time between bed checks, the determined suicide will take advantage of it to carry out their plan. Having a cell mate in SHU especially with a high profile inmate is news to me but, if so, how many “cellies” could bunk with a known pedophile? Also, inmates will do anything, say anything to get off suicide watch as they are nearly naked there with nothing but a mattress and, while prison officials are tasked with conducting business in very specific ways, they are not above error especially when it comes to jobs involving over worked, poorly paid prison guards; some of whom may not have qualified for the more prestigious police or military forces. Prison work and government work in general is highly stressful and fatiguing and employees look forward to early retirement whenever possible. Nevertheless, it is curious that the warden wouldn’t be more careful and, anticipating possible criticism, wouldn’t keep Epstein on close observation; even one to one. But, on the other hand, I don’t know the competency level of people working in the federal system only my own state.
2
Did Trump not accuse the Clintons of supplying the guards Sleep Ezz?
If not he will soon.
Until these questions are answered, Epstein is alive and well:
1. Why was he taken off suicide watch
2. Why was his cellmate transferred prior to his death
3. Who were the guards responsible for watching him.
4. Where is video footage of his cell
5. Where is video footage of his body
6. Who ordered his removal from suicide watch after his first attempt.
1
The Mueller Report, now the Epstein death.
Getting harder and harder not to believe that the primary role of AG Barr is to "protect the guilty".
3
'Incredible, these “sane” voices. Just incredible. And, according to my count, fewer by the day.'
Here's betting that the last of these "sane" voices, still droning on about what's wrong with "our" moral character, and how reading the same books he's reading, and generally being more like him, represents the path back to the America that we have lost...will be David Brooks.
2
The simplest explanation, that fits Occam's razor, is that he suicided.
He fit the profile of the high risk suicide. He came into jail late in life. Incarceration was a catastrophic fall in prestige and comfort. As a sex offender, --particularly a child molester --he would be a target for assault and murder once in prison, particularly since his case was so notorious. If anyone would commit suicide in jail, particularly during the first few weeks, it would be him.
As to the lack of supervision, it is a mistake to underestimate the incompetence in correctional settings. Also lack adequate staffing.
As to his removal from suicide watch, it is not hard for an articulate, charming sociopath to convince clinical staff that he has no intention of harming himself.
It's simply not that hard to hang oneself in a jail cell. The sheet does not have to support the full weight of one's body.
My hypothesis: he saw the life he created for himself was done. He had an excellent idea what the future held. He took action. Prove otherwise if you can.
The columnist offers no evidence of a homicide. There is no effort to explain how the presumed murderers got into the prison, made it to the cell block and into his cell, eluding notice of all staff, with their presence not noted by any camera.
I had a long career in corrections and find it perfectly plausible that he did commit suicide. I prefer to wait until the evidence is in before reaching my own conclusions.
2
The most high profile/value detainee in U.S. history since Lee Harvey Oswald and they both met the same fate.
William Barr's father hired Epstein to teach math to wealthy teenagers in a private school where he started his habit of meeting rich people. Barr controlled the facility Epstein was kept in, the evidence that was confiscated, and now the investigation. All that story needs is a big red bow.
And oh, by the way - buildings don't turn to dust in midair including all the furniture and about 1000 people who have never been accounted for, and still continue falling down to crush the undamaged lower floors. Nuclear byproducts in the dust evidence gathered by the USGS proves what really happened. Anyone can see it - just look at the photos in mid-collapse. We can't deal with reality until we're willing to look at the truth.
2
Yeah, I totally agree. And I wonder where we are all going to be when Ghislaine Maxwell:
1. Disappears under “mysterious circumstances”.
2. Has a tragic “accident”.
3. Also commits suicide.
Does anyone really think that so many people with so much power and money will ever have their day of reckoning?
For example, an insider in the British political scene recently said simply, regarding prince Andrew, that there are “wheels within wheels“ that would prevent the prince from ever being prosecuted.
Yup.
2
I think it was a planned suicide like Frankie Pantagiline in the Godfather 2. It happened on the graveyard shift on a weekend- a time when a lot of people call out or fail to show up for work.
The guards had their hands full. Its definitely movie material though.
Jeffery Epstein represents the tip of the iceberg of rampant corruption and cronyism enjoyed by the rich. They live in a different world free from the constraints of everyday people. Free from consequences in this sex scandal, as well as free to threaten life on this planet itself with their bought and paid for government protecting them raping and poisoning our shared planet for their profit. They can flood the oceans with plastic, so much so that we are breathing, eating and yes, defecating plastic oursevles.
They can ruin markets for their gain, while we struggle to survive. No consequences for them, much like Trump who has spent his entire life conning for profit, and now can't be indicted because he sits in the highest office of the land. It's a giant no-consequence zone that they live in. We get to suffer their consequences.
The rich thumb their noses at the rest of us, as they lavish in the faux royalty glow we give them, slavishly admiring their excesses and the safe remove they confidently operate from.
This why our elections are corrupted. The rich divide us over phony social issues so they can continue the plunder.
Maybe now we will wake up to the reality, that there is no society unless we make that society just and viable for all. Not just the playground for the rich to revel in their excesses.
We need a people revolution to take back the power vested in us by our Constitution. November 2020 will be democracy's last stand, we had better answer the call.
5
Trump's handlers and Mr. Barr very cleverly inserted 'conspiracy' immediately into the news on Saturday morning to essentially force the legitimate rational media into firmly rejecting that idea and riducule anyone who thinks it.
We can't agree with Trump, now can we?!
But, what if we were led down this path intentionally?
Imagine please if Trump had NOT tweeted 'conspiracy' last Saturday . . .
What questions then would the good NYT journalists be asking?
Would you be questioning the surprising absence of video surveillance and the sudden sodden sleep of inexperienced prison guards; asking who benefits the most from this not coming to trial; asking about JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank and all the rest of the financial crimes, connections, collaborations that were just starting to come out; following the money instead of the girls?
No, not the Clintons, they are old news. How about Mar-a-lago and that crowd? What financial crimes were going down while the insiders were entertaining themselves by the pool with underage girls?
So, now let's start over - how would the NYT investigate this story if Trump had NOT tweeted 'conspiracy' on Saturday?
Feel a little backed into a corner, don't you?
Think that maybe was intentional?
Think there perhaps there was a whole lot that we aren't suppose to learn?
Let's try this again.
There more to this Epstein Barr virus than what we have learned to date.
4
Trump is responsible for MCC. Period.
1
Interesting article. I do not think the facts add up in this particular case, but do believe in other things that are not accepted as publically held truths, or as I see it--information that the public is not privvy to.
This paper had another interesting article yesterday by a philosopher talking about why he refused to sign petitions due to their trying to prove truths by way of majority opinion and how this very notion distorts the fundamental aims of philosophical thinking and reasoning.
I see this debate as underlying the same fundamentals as that one. On the one hand, you have people who cling to this notion of 'truth', which really can be reduced down to the notion of what is generally agreed to be the case by the majority.
From a utilitarian economic perspective, those in power, have a vested interest in truth being defined in a manner that is favorable to them, and those without it have an interest to change the majority opinion so that it is favorable to them. The tensions here reflect that dynamic between those with power and those without it. The notion of a fact benefits the interests of those who have more power than those who do not, because we accept our relative positions to these facts as a class conscience or identity or social and economic position.
The notion of fact enables those with power to keep it, and force those without it to believe in a conspiracy--and there is a conspiracy. A conspiracy where truths, subjugate and limit us
1
I so agree with Walter Kirn. I've never been drawn to conspiracy theorizing either but to imagine that this wasn't foul play of some sort is just to be a bad reader of reality. It's not time to point figures at particular figures, but it also isn't time to spend disbelief and accept easy answers to this insanely suspicious scenario. To do otherwise is simply to give up on this country.
11
We have many generations of younger Americans who don't remember where they were on November 22, 1963 because they hadn't been conceived as yet.
It's not fair to our youth for baby boomers to have sole possession of mysterious implausible things our own government may have done to get rid of inconvenient people who were not going along with the program.
I stood in the window of the 6th Floor Museum of what used to be the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas and I knew then that the official story was a lie.
The best shot for a lone assassin was when the motorcade was coming straight towards the sniper, on flat ground, no trees. But Oswald didn't take that easy shot.
Jack Ruby, the death of Oswald, the third bullet, the incredible timing of the shots, and the direction chosen to take those shots all led me to the conclusion that the assassination was the work of more than just one loner ex-marine.
So now we pass the torch to a new generation who get to spend the rest of their lives wondering who killed Jeffrey Epstein or has he been spirited out of the jail, given plastic surgery and a new identity and will live out the rest of his life in some obscure part of the world where he will never be found.
Knowing what he knows and that both political parties plus the royal families of both the UK and Saudia Arabia were involved in his drug and sex parties, his request for a back door exit would not have fallen on deaf ears.
Can't wait for the movie. Who plays Epstein?
17
@American Expat I understand there has been an autopsy. Do you think the pathologist is in on the deception? Or that she wouldn't recognize Epstein? That seems far-fetched to me.
4
@American Expat I agree with your analysis. I suggest Ron Perlman to portray Epstein.
@American Expat
The most plausible explanation of the Kennedy assassination I have read is that Oswald acted alone but missed. He was aiming at Connolly, a man Oswald hated because he refused to reclassify his undesirable discharge from the Marines when Connolly was head department. According to Oswald's wife, Oswald admired Kennedy. It has also been testified that Oswald had a list of people he wanted to kill, which included Connolly, in a little green book, though that page was ripped out though not before it was seen and noted by an FBI agent. According to this scenario, Oswald was shooting at Connolly but he didn't account for the motion of the car properly and the bullet was late, hitting Kennedy instead. It has also the unpredictability of reality associated with it: Oswald was not such a good shot with his crummy rifle. Anyway, the Kennedy is irrelevant today in my opinion, but the article by James Reston Jr. in the other Times, the LA Times, of November 22, 2016, lays out the case in more detail.
As for Epstein, I am not surprised about the conspiracy buzz. I remember that buzz as constant while I grew up (I was born in 1947). How about the defeats of Sonny Liston by Cassius Clay (before he went by Muhammad Ali) which were "obviously" fixed.
@Aunt Nancy Loves Reefer
"Conspiracy theories are most useful as a measure of a person’s sanity and intelligence."
Not quite, Aunt Nancy. Heightened suspicions, actually heightened curiosity, and framing the correct questions---whether scientist or investigator--- are a good measure human awareness and intelligence.
Within their fields, scientists and investigators take pride in their ability to ask the correct questions. They aren't allowed to think like you have above. Didn't that kind of thinking prohibit and punish cannabis far beyond what was reasonable?
Finally, I've never met a reefer appreciator with such a closed mind to the character of mankind. In truth, conspiracies are how humans do business, be it personal or otherwise.
4
So his NYC house is raided by Federal agents back in early July. And they find a ton of evidence. But it takes them another FIVE WEEKS to raid one of his other properties? And the other ones seem to still NOT be searched? His French property too?
Why is no one talking about the above, which seems to be a massive failure of law enforcement.
And, he dies in Federal custody?
Very disturbing.
45
This much I promise, whatever answer is ultimately provided, even if it happens to be perfectly true, will not be believed.
27
It’s almost certain that the first incident, in which he was found injured with marks on his neck, was an attempted suicide. If it had been a botched homicide, he would have told his lawyers, and we would have heard about it by now. If someone survives a suicide attempt and is subsequently found dead of an apparent suicide, I would say it’s highly likely that he committed suicide.
20
@Marc His lawyers were in on it, ya know.
@Marc
You're probably correct regarding Epstein's suicide. But from a conspiracy standpoint, given his prior attempt, aren't you curious why he was allowed the sheets or clothing he used to hang himself? And why was he in a cell by himself, when two weeks prior he had a cellmate? He was the most important and high-profile inmate in the jail. Shouldn't every step been taken to keep him alive? Why wasn't it done? Makes you wonder.
1
@Marc
Correct reasoning. If it turns out the Clintons killed him I'll slash my wrists with my Occam's razor.
Epstein dead? I've seen nothing about who made a positive ID of the remains, what time & where the ID was made, and whether dna, dental or other objective evidence corroborates it. If not, it could have been a straightforward escape arranged by bribery. It even could've been used by someone who wanted to silence Epstein out of sight. I don't believe any of what I imagine, just that it's all been done before.
13
Where is the coroner's report? Politico several days ago stated it was awaiting further information.
Each day I am thankful that this retired teacher, impecunious that she may be, is not wealthy, powerful and associates with only good, ethical people. That gives me much needed stability in these heinous times with the horrific assaults upon our beloved America. And, I still am hopeful the good guys will win.
18
@jaxcat Toxicology reports, among others, can take weeks. No evaluation will be made until all the data is in. That's the protocol, I believe.
2
I do not believe in conspiracy theories, simply because any conspiracy is, in the end, too difficult to keep under control. Even "Deep Throat" came forward eventually.
But at a time when many Americans, myself included, do not believe a word coming out of William Barr's mouth -- or anything the president says for that matter -- it would be foolhardy not to question what really happened here.
There are too many loose ends with Barr's father's connection to the school where Epstein worked; to Barr's connections to the president, who clearly fawned over Epstein; to the many, many, many men (and some women) in power who were associated with Epstein and enjoyed his largess, if we can call it that.
This is a very sordid, seedy story of people in power, one that needs to be pursued until every rock has been turned over, every gilded curtain looked behind. If there is to be any justice at all during this administration, this is one conspiracy that needs to be taken seriously until the truth is known.
62
@avrds
You don’t believe in conspiracy theories because they are eventually revealed? So you do believe in them.
But how do you know all of them have been revealed?
The phrase itself is a form of namecalling that makes little sense. Of course there are conspiracies and there are also theories about conspiracies which aren’t real. The trick is telling the difference. The oil company Exxon, for instance, knew from its own scientists that global warming was supported by the evidence because their own scientists said so, but they pretended to believe the jury was still out. Those arguments have been made in bad faith for decades. There has been a conspiracy by the oil companies to protect their investment at enormous cost to the rest of us.
There are theories which are transparently stupid and others which might be correct but have little or no evidence for them. One of the most transparently stupid conspiracy theories was that Saddam had WMD’s and ties to Al Qaeda. That one was pushed by the US government and some members of the press.
7
@avrds "I do not believe in conspiracy theories, simply because any conspiracy is, in the end, too difficult to keep under control."
1. He suicided? He sure didn't have much reason to live.
2. He was murdered? He sure knew a lot.
3. His death was faked, by the US Government, to prevent 1 and 2.
Give him a reason to live and keep him safe. Otherwise, he gets the Whitey Bulger Special.
In these surreal times, when over half of the country accepts the fact that Russia conspired to influence the last presidential election and that it manipulates social media trends, while the other (almost) half claims that that is actually a conspiracy by Trump opponents, it's to be expected that the - fairly unsurprising - demise of this extremely high value prisoner is being questioned, by many along party fault lines.
8
When I first heard that Epstein was dead by probable suicide it reminded me of the scene from The Godfather where Michael Corleone unexpectedly arrives at the hospital to discover that The Don has been left unprotected. Michael instantly knows what is supposed to happen next-his father is about to be murdered. With literally only moments to spare and the son of The Baker, he saves The Don's life. My initial thoughts when I heard the news was that "someone" decided "here's your chance, go ahead save us a lot of trouble." The system turned a blind eye to exactly what it knew was about to happen. And that's the world we live in.
21
I'm admittedly not following this case very closely, but among the bizarrest (at least to me) aspects is the that these two very connected anomalies could occur (i.e., occur without a sinister intention at work): a psychologist officially declared Mr. Epstein not a potential suicide case, despite apparently attempting suicide a week previously, and b) Mr. Epstein was allowed to keep a cord or other material that he could use this way. On top of these, the obvious, very related anomaly of the monitors being asleep on the job; but the first two seem especially strange.
As to officially declaring Epstein suicide-safe, how can that determination made except by a psychological exam? Given that he was being forced to live in a tiny cell, after years of unimaginable luxury (including his entertainments there), now facing almost certainly the remainder of his life in a cage, isn't he inherently potentially suicidal? But, for sake of argument, let's say that weren't a factor. The question is, on what basis could a psychologist assume Epstein incapable of feigning mental and psychological composure? No test, and no psychologist could be that infallible. Someone like Epstein would know exactly what answers to give in such an exam.
The above implausibility combined with the presence of a cord or other material suggests Mr. Epstein was being invited or encouraged to hang himself. And add in the guards being "asleep"-- there's a ton of room to be very, very suspicious.
51
I would like to see the log of all the people who came to see him while he was incarcerated there. That, I think, would be a good place to start an investigation.
19
@Shelby
Why do you think that all of the people who went to see him were logged?
3
We could ask lots of practical questions, such as: Why is it not possible to have audio monitors in every cell? But at the end of the day what might be most informative is to know whether Epstein asked to be removed from suicide watch, whether his lawyers pressured prison authorities to remove him from suicide watch, and why the prison psychiatrist and higher ups thought that was OK. Oh, and some authentic hallway surveillance video wouldn't hurt, either.
22
@Larry Excellent questions.
Based on what we know thus far. The evidence does not point to any conspiracy. Gross negligence, dereliction of duty, incompetence maybe but nothing beyond that. The two staff members will probably lose their jobs, additionally they could also face criminal charges if it can be proven they altered the unit log book. My question is where were the senior staff as the events unfolded. The shift lt and the jail captain where were they. What instructions were passed down if any by the senior staff the warden and the 2 associate wardens. As to the handling of this high profile inmate. The Bureau of Prisons appears to have lost its way. The current director of the bureau is serving in an acting capacity. 30 years ago when I was with the bureau it had a stellar reputation. Times have changed.
5
@Ed Henson
"The evidence does not point to any conspiracy."
Which is exactly what one expects after a job well done, no?
17
Kirn should have stuck to his area of expertise, literature, and not turned his attention to whacky conspiracy theories.
Conspiracy theories are most useful as a measure of a person’s sanity and intelligence.
They are not a positive indicator.
2
@Aunt Nancy Loves Reefer
"Conspiracy theories are most useful as a measure of a person’s sanity and intelligence."
Not quite, Aunt Nancy. Heightened suspicions, curiosity, framing the correct questions---and recognizing these---whether scientist or investigator, are a full measure human awareness and intelligence.
Within their fields, scientists and investigators take pride in their ability to ask the correct questions. They aren't allowed to think like you have above. Didn't that kind of thinking prohibit and punish cannabis far beyond what was reasonable?
Finally, I've never met a reefer appreciator with such a closed mind to the character of mankind. In truth, conspiracies are how humans do business, be it personal or otherwise.
5
@Aunt Nancy Loves Reefer, neither are slurs on people you disagree with. This strange "accidental" end to a man notorious in nationwide headlines was a bizarre sequence of blunders, or an intentional killing or arranged suicide. This upon a man who was a threat to powerful accomplices he could have informed on. It requires a certain naïveté--or something--to think such foul play could not occur in a prison. And a greater naïveté to consider oneself especially realistic to do so.
2
@Aunt Nancy Loves ReeferActually, Ezra Pound said that literature is news that stays news, and one of his precursors, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Society is a joint stock company in conspiracy against the manhood of every one if its members,” so Mr. Kirn is on solid ground on both counts.
1
All speculation aside, the fact that Epstein had 14 ways to contact tRump has an aboniable stench. In his peuultimate last paragraph, Mr. Kim cites examples of super complex situations that fly in the face of reason. The fact that we lost two Space Shuttle's to mechanical problems -regardless of the immense engineering feats posits clearly how we fall short. In these cases monitoring with an a cctv feed coupled with predictive policing A.I. could have obviated the suicide and the need for personalized inspections.
8
Thanks for writing this Mr. Kirn.
It's only "crazy conspiracy theory" if one is assuming facts not in evidence, such as Epstein is still alive or such.
But being highly suspicious of the circumstances here is not at all irrational, but just the opposite, it should be the default position considering all that we know about Epstein's case to date.
As much as there are people wrongly assuming facts pointing towards a nefarious explanation, it should also be noted that all of those falling over themselves to explain this case as nothing to be suspicious of at all are also operating under a lot of assumptions that they too have no evidence for.
The only answer here is for both law enforcement and the press to thoroughly do their jobs. I can only hope that actually happens.
59
The one conspiracy theory which I think could have some credibility is that Epstein either paid off the prison authorities to let him commit suicide, or that the prison authorities took it upon themselves to be lax and if he committed suicide, who cares. Suicide is common among the incarcerated, as is prison guards falling asleep and not doing their jobs.
19
@EJS or that some others paid the guards to " sleep " on the job - and or to supply the means for the suicide. When one thinks of the number of people who would be happier without a trial of Epstein , it is very reasonable to consider the possibility of outside influence. Don't think that that influence would come from the most famous of the named - they have already experienced the mud, I would be looking at the next level who have not received the deserved but unwanted attention.
1
@EJS this is my suspicion also. I can just imagine that Jeffrey Epstein did not want to exist in such horrible conditions, and took the easy way out and saved himself from years of misery. Why wouldn’t he commit suicide? I think he bribed the jailers.
1
I am surprised by the proliferation of people applying the "conspiracy theory" rubric to the Epstein suicide. The terms seems to be thrown around very loosely, with no indication that there is a shared understanding of what it even means beyond seeking some intentional designer to plan and carry out what the theorists see as an implausible suicide.
I believe that a combination of poor staffing, incompetence, and bad judgment could create a situation where a desperate man -- a high flyer laid low and facing allegations of he most heinous conduct -- would have an opportunity to successfully commit suicide. Even in the MCC. That's it.
As for conspiracy theory. "Conspiracy theorists" are derided for making up explanations when they lack facts (or a factual basis for inference) to explain a situation, or when they just would prefer some personally satisfying alternative to boring reality. In Epstein's case, the reality of BoP failure may be boring, but it is an adequate and complete explanation for what happened. We don't need any conspiracy theory to explain it.
5
@William
"a combination of poor staffing, incompetence, and bad judgment could create a situation where a desperate man -- a high flyer laid low and facing allegations of he most heinous conduct -- would have an opportunity to successfully commit suicide. Even in the MCC. That's it."
BAA HUMBUG!
1
Frankly, whether or not Epstein killed himself or was murdered is beside the point. What matters is whether or not our justice system allows his clients and accomplices to slip back into the shadows because of it or not.
The odds seem grim.
114
@Tom
It matters very much. Even a suicide (voluntary) is not likely to happen without some sort of compromise on the part of the Establishment. An involuntary suicide is just the same as a murder.
Nevertheless, a suicide is an act to avoid unbearable shame but a murder is obstruction of justice!
2
Those who believe there was a conspiracy to allow or encourage Epstein to commit suicide simply do not understand how jails throughout this country fail, chronically, to assure the safety of inmates. In. Bexar County, suicides in the jail happen all too frequently on a yearly basis.
The county jail is run ineptly by politicians who abuse their employees. The pay for employees is too low. The staffing is too low and there at not enough people to walk all the miles needed in an 8-hour shift to check each cell. Employees are required to work double shifts too frequently to cover for staffing shortages.
Other counties throughout the country have similar issues. Too many people with mental issues are overcrowding our jails. Our country does not want to recognize the cuts to mental health programs have lead to jail overcrowding and budgets that counties do not wish to fund.
Thus, suicides is not a random event. I am actually surprised the suicide rate is not much higher.
31
@Ben
I doubt Epstein was murdered, but am open minded about this at the moment. But there is a point people keep missing. If the government really badly wanted Epstein alive, he would be alive. If he was a captured terrorist very high up in Al Qaeda, they would have been sure he stayed alive for questioning.
But it was possibly convenient for people in the government that he not be able to tell why he was given such favorable treatment for so many years. Actually ordering a hit would be dangerous, but there was an excellent chance he would kill himself.
2
@Ben
You want me to believe that a person like Epstein would commit suicide? He knows that he can game the system and he did many a time before. I don't believe that a monster like Epstein would be so ashamed of his trial that he would think of committing suicide. Are you kidding me?
2
Like the old saw, "You're not paranoid -- maybe someone is really after you." Now, it may be tempting to assign the Epstein conspiracy theories to the tin foil hat crowd, but unlike many of groundless theories floating about, one must admit the facts do lend themselves to plausibility about a conspiracy here.
It seems, however, many would simply ignore the incredible amount of evidence in favor of a conspiracy here, so that they aren't accused of harboring delusions.
So what do the published facts about Epstein tell us? He tried to commit suicide the prior month. He was then left "unattended". Anyone who has worked in prisons understands the serious departure from protocol and the risks in leaving him unattended.
Then days before his suicide, thousands of pages of evidence are made public, describing the extent of his criminal behavior - but more importantly, the criminal behavior of some very powerful men. Epstein was a man who had years' worth of incriminating evidence on some of the most powerful and wealthy people in the world. A man whose "rolodex" included the names of the current and past presidents, a highly decorated MIT scientist, and some of the most powerful business leaders in the world.
These are all documented facts. Now, there may or may not be a conspiracy relating to Mr. Epstein's death. But I say even what has been reported thus far makes a clear prima facie case for it. And so far, I haven't seen very persuasive evidence to the contrary.
66
@Rick Deckard The same evidence can be used to show that Epstein did kill himself. This was a proud egotistical man who owned the world and who believed he would never be caught. It was also known that he was having trouble adjusting to his new situation in jail. The tipping point already occurred before the first attempt, and was only tipped that much more when the thousands of pages of evidence came out.
Certainly many powerful people had reason to want Epstein dead, but Maxwell is still alive. When she disappears, then maybe the idea that the rich and powerful are nothing more than Lex Luthor incarnate might be more believable.
12
@Rick Deckard So, when we can not find, or trust, the "facts" of such a situation, we can't reallyh believe either side We are left with 3 questions:
1) Who would stand to benefit?
2) Could they possibly do it?
3) What would you put past them?
14
@jumblegym,
I'm not saying we cannot trust facts. My only point is that I am waiting to read evidence that soundly disproves the conspiracy theory.
12
"I feel that some wild speculation is warranted, if only to preserve one’s mental health by releasing built-up intellectual pressure. Others disagree. They suggest that unleashing one’s imagination on a situation that defied imagining when I and the country were younger and more innocent is a sign of social decay."
It is instructive that Mr. Kirn's friends consider the possibility of contemporary social decay as essentially unthinkable. This precisely encapsulates the dilemma faced by members of America's intellectual elite: How could a culture that had the wisdom and good sense to richly reward me possibly be deemed decadent? Am I not living proof of the integrity of the system?
One of the ongoing challenges presented by Trumpism is the persistent and determined gullibility of the elites. They simply cannot fathom the idea that their privileged world may be rotten at the core. Trump is an aberration. Or, the powerful and noble institutional structure will contain and chastise him. Or, Trump is only pretending to be vulgar, narcissistic and impulsive -- but beneath surface lies an insanely clever plan based on a brilliant and necessary strategy of disruption.
When elites finally let go of these self-congratulatory protective fantasies, the immediate psychological consequences can be disorienting and depressing.
This seems to be where Mr. Kirn presently finds himself. For him an unfettered indulgence in the Epstein conspiracy theories performs a therapeutic function.
18
Please. In this case conspiracy theories are not only plausible, they're likely. The fact is the guy knew a lot of dirt on a lot of powerful people, who had an incentive to shut his mouth permanently. While there may still be incriminating evidence in his computer files that the Justice Department has already seized, suppressing it is now a lot more likely. We don't know who had him offed, but it's a very good bet someone did. Even if they did it by quietly encouraging negligence on the part of his guards.
126
@Nikki, Only by keeping Mr Epstein alive could any of his co-conspirators and collaborators hope that his files, records and sundry documents would be kept hidden because, as defendant, he would have the right to object to all subpoenas.
You wonder "who had an incentive to shut his mouth permanently?"
Answer: Mostly, Mr Epstein himself. By dying, he escapes jail and leaves all "the losers" to face justice without him.
Mr Epstein simply waited 'til the jail system itself gave him his chance, as he knew it would.
It sounds like suicide would have been practically impossible. The cells at MCC apparently have 8-9-foot ceilings, and the sheets are paper-thin and would not support a man's weight. The beds are also anchored down and could not be used for hanging, according to something I read elsewhere from the point of view of someone who was incarcerated there. It is apparently a brutal place filled with sadistic guards, according to the former inmate.
32
@Jay: From what I've read, there was a bunk bed in his cell. I was really surprised. I would have thought there'd be non-bunk beds in a cell where somebody might - not a stretch to think - commit suicide.
5
How common are the types of "mistakes" made while holding Mr. Epstein? If we and our representatives are unwilling to pay for a properly staffed government, we get a poorly run government (prison). Perhaps people are looking for the wrong conspiracy.
25
@Stephen
Whatever the problems resulting from funding cuts for the Federal prison system, that isn't a conspiracy. It's openly discussed public policy.
Also: according to AG William Barr, around 2600 Federal correctional officers leave the job every year. https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/13/politics/prisons-bureau-jeffrey-epstein/index.html
According to current Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, as of May 2018, the Federal BoP employed a total of 15,970 COs. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes333012.htm
That's an annual attrition rate of around 16.5%. One-sixth of the Federal BoP CO staff turns over every year. For what it's worth, that's a lower rate than a lot of state prisons. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2016/03/01/many-states-face-dire-shortage-of-prison-guards
2
Meh. Nothing surprises me anymore, nothing is completely unimaginable... So, ok, I can imagine it as a possibility, that there is some truth to some of the conspiracy theories surrounding Jeffrey Epstein.
But a good rule of thumb is, one should not resort to conspiracy theories when a more plausible explanation is available. The official version - brazen incompetence and carelessness, overworked staff, etc. at the jail looks entirely plausible to me, sadly.
38
@Leonid Andreev
Well said. It is clear that there were staff shortages and the guards have admitted napping on their shift.
Epstein had compelling reasons to take his life, without being murdered.
But why was he removed from suicide watch after his recent attempt. Why would his lawyers advocate for that?
24
@Nat
Why his lawyers would advocate for that - that's an easy part. Being on a suicide watch is royally inconvenient. They quoted somebody familiar with what it's like in that particular jail - you have to wear a garb that's made to be next to impossible to tear, in order to make a noose (it's more or less made from a tarp; no underwear either). You sleep without any bedding. And being watched literally non-stop cannot possibly be too much fun. In other words, the lawyers petitioned for it because their client asked them to. And because the request did not strike them as entirely unreasonable; he may have convinced them that the first attempt was of a "cry for help" variety - or at least that was all the plausible deniability they needed.
Why, and how in the world that request was approved by the authorities - this part is a bit mind-boggling; to me at least.
26
Why should we presume that we are different, that human desires and perversions, behavior noble and ignoble, the attraction to the exciting and grotesque, is any different today than it has been throughout time? The history of man is replete with the sordid, sadistic, and sensational among the 'ruling classes' and those with means to act out their best and worst fantasies.
Reagan legitimized greed as good. Scalia sanctified money does not corrupt. Business men like Edward Conrad preach "a small elite with vast wealth is good for the poor." Politicians venerate the rich as 'job creators.' Society shrugged at 40 years of growing income inequality.
Today, wealth has been so reapportioned that among a handful of people is a level best described as morally obscene. Why should their belief in their own human exception to the norms of behavior for everyone else be different?
It's not too far-fetched to believe that, as the stakes grew higher and higher, the lengths to which people go to protect themselves grew just as high. We may feel pity or contempt for these men. But we are all complicit in believing we are different.
53
@RMS - Read Snowden & Manning's disclosures.
Then the Assange indictment.
Then read Shakespeare.
Then read Greek tragedy.
The result is obvious.
2
This is a case where “Occam’s razor” leans toward assuming skullduggery. A simple suicide in custody, given the overall circumstances, seems wildly unlikely.
139
@JMcF Further in support of skullduggery, I am baffled how, in terms of the physics and mechanics of it, Epstein with lengths of torn sheets could hang/kill himself by throwing? or suspending ? himself from the top support of a bunk bed that would not be taller than himself.
And of course there will be conspiracy theories about the comprehensiveness and thoroughness of the medical examiner's autopsy.
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@JMcF
It seems pretty likely that someone in Epstein's position would commit suicide on his own accord. But I also wonder if he was encouraged to do so, if only through selective negligence: not being put on suicide watch, understaffed wing, inattentive guards, etc.
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@FilligreeM
My understanding is that Kate Spade hung herself on a bed post. So height somehow isn’t a mandatory.
On Conspiracy Theories
I am one of those who will not say no to the idea that an alien being crash landed at Roswell, NM.
I think the chances of an alien being crashing at Roswell are astronomically unlikely. But can we say for sure that it
did not happen with all of the government’s machinations??
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@Mr. Bunk It would help a lot to assess such claims if one has a dose of science in their head to allow rational analysis. As a long-time student of astronomy and astrophysics, I can assure you that the likelihood of an alien at Roswell is nearly nonexistent.
1
@Mr. Bunk - Some opinion writer just the other day wrote about conspiracy theories and aliens; he didn't believe any such thing, silly, in fact.
Nevermind that this very newspaper printed a year and a half ago a series of articles about the 'tic-tac' sighting, complete with photos and radar readouts of something our own jet fighters couldn't identify and were completely amazed by.
Does everyone have a memory problem, or is it mass cognitive dissonance? If you want to read about something besides the psychopath in office for a change, the CIA released reams of previously top secret papers; the truth is in there, as much as they're so far willing to let us know.
1
I read a lot of mysteries. One question the detectives always ask about a death is "who benefits?"
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@Blonde Guy Who benefits if he is alive?
@Blonde Guy
Jeffrey Epstein benefits, that's who.
This is one of the wisest and truest columns about the episode I have read.
The writer is correct: the simplest explanation is usually the best. In this case, the simplest explanation is that Epstein was either murdered or had assistance in his suicide.
As for the bizarre world in which we now live, where reality itself is being challenged on every front - is it incumbent on each of us to try to maintain our own sanity, and those of our loved ones, as difficult as that is becoming.
But sanity in an insane world is a challenging balancing act.
When insanity and attacks on reason are thrust upon us from the highest reaches of our civilization - when our government lies every day, when Congress refuses to hold the executive branch accountable, when the populace is not demanding truth - at that moment we can see how close we are to totalitarian rule.
In this Kafkaesque world, our energies are spent just trying to maintain our sanity, our souls, and perhaps our lives - against a world in rapid descent.
At times, it can feel that we are losing the battle, as we succumb to despair, or are overwhelmed by the 24/7 barrage of attacks on our mind.
But we must find ways to prevail, to connect with others, and to have faith that the forces aligned against reason can be defeated.
I confess to losing faith at times myself. But in my darkest hours, I jolt myself back to strength by refusing to be defeated by an orange clown in a circus tie.
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@Space Needle You don't have to accept the easy conclusions, if you ask the easy questions.
Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. And, in the correct order. Only Epstein and 8 or 10 other people had to be in on it. The "current" government wants him alive. And, if Epstein wants to stay that way, he'd better be a star player for the team.
Will there be a public wake? Will the Clintons be there?
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@Mike
What about your hero Trump? Will he be there? I think stands to gain as much from Epstein's death as the Clintons - maybe more.
@Space Needle. Well said
1
We don't need conspiracy theories to explain anything. The super-wealthy and their friends are well beyond the reach of law and have been for decades. The only thing that's different today is Trump has given them permission to be far more open about their contempt for such quaint "principles" as justice for all. When the president is above the law, so are his peers and enablers.
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"Inference to the best explanation" can be a useful method of thinking. Sometimes, a conspiracy is the best explanation of a set of facts or events.
Dismissing an explanation as "a conspiracy theory" won't tell us whether the explanation is true or not.
It is a type of ad hominem argument -- a logical fallacy.
29
@Alex Michaels True, but the keyword is still "theory". The main problem with them is how they are now so easily put before the public as truth. And for proof that *that* all you need do is look at the president of the United States.
So what you're really suggesting is that skepticism is an insult to those people selling theories based on nothing much more than suspicion, or worse, political interests.
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@Jim Cricket
No, @Alex Michaels is merely pointing out that the phrase "conspiracy theory" is often employed dismissively, as if there were something inherently pejorative about the term. This is typically done for the purpose of preemptive dismissal, to foreclose any further discussion of the very possibility. No matter how provocative the extant facts of a given case may be, or how reasonable the inferences drawn on the basis of that incontrovertible evidence.
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@DC Reade Well, which came first? The chicken or the egg? The crackpot theory or the dismissal?
If anyone was bought in this sordid affair, you can bet it was for a pittance, maybe a new patio. One thing that distinguishes the elite in this country is that they know how cheaply most Americans will sell themselves for. Someone worth billions can buy a senator for a few thousand dollars in campaign contributions to vote on legislation that might net them billions more. In any other decent corrupt country, the officials would be skimming 10% right off the top. The guards and administrators involved might seem like bumbling patsies, but there should be a close examination of their, and their family's finances.
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@stan continople ALWAYS follow the money.
Epstein himself apparently paid his rape victims, usually needy young girls, $300 a session. Peanuts for him; for them, more money than they'd ever seen in their lives. Yes, the filthy rich know how low the rest of us will sell for.
3
The tragedy was the election of Donald Trump over the best qualified, best prepared candidate ever to run for president. Everything that's followed up to and including last week's alleged suicide of the convicted pedophile Epstein so pales in comparison it barely registers as farce.
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@Leigh
Perhaps if she'd run a campaign that wasn't arrogant and dismissive toward a huge portion of the country, things would be different...
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@Leigh
Al Gore was more qualified than Hillary.
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@Eric
@Leigh, get over it; move on! Your candidate wouldn't listen to her advisors or her willy-political husband....aka she knew better than everyone? Sound familiar? We would of had the same thing in the WH happening.... I am POTUS! I know it all!
2
I am retired physician who was a skilled diagnostician because of my ability to accumulate data from the history, a careful physical examination, laboratory and Xray findings and then use rational judgement to sort the wheat from the chaff.
In the Epstein death in a prison cell everything that led to his death after his indictment and then being refused bail points to one person-the current AG Barr.
He over turned the Bureau of Prisons decision to house Epstein at Rikers Island. This interference by an AG in a Bureau of Prisons decision was a rare event. It almost never happens. No real explanation was given at the time why Barr intervened.
Everything else flows from that decision.
I hope a House Committee brings Barr in front of them and asks him under oath why he did that.
It might be too much to ask the majority party to do since their track record to date in oversight has been a dismal failure.
But one can always hope.
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@Edward B. Blau. I am skeptical of conspiracies and, in general, much more apt to blame incompetence. However, looking at your reasoning, and considering Barr's tendency to conspire and deceive, how can the scale be all on the incompetemce side? That being said, incompetence is also a Trump Administration default setting. This is a dream environment for skilled and enterprising journalists.
46
@Edward B. Blau Where did you get the notion that Barr changed Epstein’s venue? Evidence?
By the way, Rikers Island is a NYC facility not federal.
Epstein was accused of federal crimes, hence was put into a federal facility on the day he was arrested.
7
@artbenis: I can't remember where I read that Barr had changed the location of Epstein's incarceration, but I did read it. In confirm what Blau said about that. I remember because I thought it odd, that Barr had done that. I don't trust Barr at all so I tend to remember the reports of what he's done.
20
Interesting reference to the California condor there. The great movie that presented a narrative of corrupt, secretive agents in the government who murder a whole division of the CIA as an inside job to protect their private agenda is "Three Days of the Condor." A great film. Another film that's eerily relevant is the late Kubrick's last work, "Eyes Wide Shut," about the super-powerful whose identities are secret as they engage in sordid, murderous and sexual rituals. We need art to help us navigate and absorb our shock and despair.
75
The author brings up Occam's razor--a razor that is often dull, but in any event, a razor that, when I use it in this instance, tells me the simplest explanation is that Epstein's death was a surprise to him--as in, his death was the product of "assisted" suicide.
In what form the "assistance" (ha ha) was delivered, I don't claim to know. But I do know that with enough hands on deck, making it look as if a person hung himself is hardly impossible. I also know that many people with very long tentacles that could potentially reach deep into the Manhattan federal prison wanted Mr. Epstein dead.
158
Even if one removes all ancillary players from the equation - the psychiatrist and warden who cleared JE from suicide watch, the body-builder ex-cop transferred out of his cell block, the other prisoner transferred out of his cell, the sleeping guards - even if the story is reduced to JE, a sheet, and a bed, this could not have happened as we are being told. The sheets at MCC are paper-thin and are engineered to tear when put under strain. A six-foot two-hundred pound man simply could not suspend himself from a makeshift noose fashioned from such material long enough to either asphyxiate or induce cardiac arrest.
While it may have been optimal for those who found JE to have photographed him as soon as he was found so that we had documentation of his posture and his "noose", it's understandable that their first instinct was to attempt to revive him. Nevertheless, those individuals should be intensely grilled (separately if more than one was present) by law enforcement sketch artists to fashion a rendering of the scene in JE's cell when he was discovered.
209
Epstein's lawyers got him removed from a justifiable suicide watch a matter of days before Epstein killed himself. They should be investigated rather than the prison guards or the warden. Why, that is, wouldn't they want their client alive?
Further, since Wm Barr's father got Epstein the first job for which Epstein was unqualified, why is Wm Barr within five yards of the suicide investigation?
305
@William Conelly
If it is true that Epstein's attorneys "got him removed from a justifiable suicide watch," clearly they were endangering their client, especially after he had already made an attempt. The attorneys may have argued to remove the suicide watch because their client asked them to remove it, or they may have acted independently. If their client asked them to remove it, and they did so with full knowledge that their client was suicidal, doesn't that cross an ethical guideline in legal work? And If they acted independently, why did they do so?
86
@William Conelly,
Yes, this hits the nail on the head squarely. Wm. P. Barr’s pappy hired Epstein, a college drop-out, to teach at an exclusive school. Since Bill Barr paid a visit to a prison complex in Indiana, he has sought to restore and expedite the death penalty machine.
This could, ironically, include restoring the death penalty for T/R/E/A/S/O/N...? Maybe even human trafficking of minors?
1
@William Conelly
Barr Sr resigned from Dalton School on Feb 1974 effective June and Epstein started work there in September. What evidence do you have that Barr Sr hired Epstein? No one else has produced any.
1
I'll give it my best Trumpism: 'You have to wonder, given the video of Trump partying with Epstein and those comments about how Epstein likes women 'on the younger side' whether someone close to POTUS wanted Epstein silenced.'
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@Chris W., well, a lot of people are saying that. I hear a lot of people say that. So who knows. But people think it's that way. So there you go.
8
You forgot “People are saying...”
4
I do not know what happened. But the circumstances are extremely suspicious. Trump has far more to gain from Epstein’s demise than anyone else. He also is in ultimate charge of the facility where he died and the employees responsible for making sure he was safe. To have William Barr leading the investigation into what actually happened, no matter how angry he claims to be, provides me with zero reassurance that the real facts will eventually come out.
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@Ted
It's weird to find myself in the role of Trump's flak catcher. But you offer no evidence in support for the conclusion that "Trump has far more to gain from Epstein’s demise than anyone else."
Also, the fact that a President is in "ultimate charge" of every Federal government agency does not carry a lot of weight as far as support for a conspiracy allegation of wrongdoing at the far end of the bureaucracy. More data points are required than that.
I'm open to hearing out every fact claim that can be verified. But speculation that relies on vast gaps between scant data points is tiresome. I realize that we may not get much more in the way of specific information, especially facts of the sort that are beyond dispute. But at least give it some time.
7
@Ted. Don’t give up so easily.
2
@DC Reade
The President, at least one former president, and the husband of the last Democratic candidate, associated on multiple occasions with a man who was recognized for at least the last 11 years as a serial child rapist.
Child rape tends to bother people across the political spectrum.
Even some of his more ardent supporters, or the corrupt senate majority may have felt pressure to legally investigate that trail. Epstein had nothing more to lose and could have chosen to take everyone down with him.
2