Explainer: What you need to know about Trump, Epstein and the MAGA controversy
The 2019 suicide of disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a New York jail cell generated conspiracy theories, fueled by US President Donald Trump’s conservative MAGA movement, that he was killed by one of his famous connections.
Here are some facts about Epstein and the current controversy:
Who is Jeffrey Epstein?
The Brooklyn-born Epstein, a former high school math teacher who later founded consulting and financial management firms, cultivated the rich and famous.
He was known for socialising with politicians and royalty, including Trump, Democratic President Bill Clinton, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Britain’s Prince Andrew. Some friends and clients flew on his private plane and visited his Caribbean islands.
Trump knew Epstein socially in the 1990s and early 2000s. During the 2021 trial of Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, the financier’s longtime pilot, Lawrence Visoski, testified that Trump flew on Epstein’s private plane multiple times. Trump has denied being on the plane.
What was Epstein charged with?
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to a Florida state felony prostitution charge after federal prosecutors agreed not to charge him with sex trafficking of minors. He served 13 months in jail and was required to register as a sex offender. That punishment is now widely regarded as too lenient.
In July 2019, the Justice Department charged Epstein with sex trafficking minors, including sexually exploiting and abusing dozens of girls, in New York and Florida between 2002 and 2005. He pleaded not guilty.
Epstein died on August 10, 2019, at age 66 by hanging himself in a Manhattan jail cell, an autopsy concluded. He was never tried on the 2019 charges.
What is the current controversy over Epstein?
Though the New York City chief medical examiner determined that Epstein’s death was a suicide by hanging, Epstein’s ties to wealthy and powerful people prompted speculation that one or more of them wanted him silenced.
In several interviews, Trump left open the possibility that Epstein may not have died by suicide. During the 2024 presidential campaign, when asked on Fox News if he would declassify the Epstein files, Trump said, “Yeah, yeah I would.”
In February, Fox News asked Attorney General Pam Bondi whether the Justice Department would be releasing Epstein’s client list, and she said, “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.”
Some of Trump’s most loyal followers became furious after his administration reversed course on its promise. A Justice Department memo released on July 7 concluded that Epstein killed himself and said there was “no incriminating client list” or evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent people.
The demands by Trump supporters for more Epstein-related documents have caused a rare fracture within the president’s base. Supporters, inspired by conservative talk show hosts and podcasters, have said the federal government is concealing records to protect wealthy and influential people with ties to Epstein.
Trying to contain the fallout, Trump defended Bondi and accused his supporters in a Truth Social post of falling for a hoax, calling them “weaklings” who were helping Democrats.
With backlash from his base not abating, Trump on July 17 requested that Bondi ask a federal judge to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Epstein’s 2019 indictment. The government on Friday filed a motion in Manhattan federal court to unseal the transcripts.
What happens next?
Ultimately, a judge will decide whether to release the transcripts.
Transcripts of grand jury proceedings are generally kept secret under federal criminal procedure rules, with limited exceptions.
If a judge agrees to release the transcripts, it is likely that some material would be redacted, or blacked out, because of privacy or security concerns.
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