"Epstein's death he was charged with sex trafficking in 2019 and killed himself in prison a month later has long been a magnet for conspiracy theories but the documents expose a reality less about a shadowy cabal and more about a system of power that operates in plain sight, indifferent to conviction or consequence. Spanning 2009 to 2019, Epstein's short, choppy emails laden with spelling and grammatical errors do little to implicate his contacts including Donald Trump in any criminal activities."
"But they do show some acquaintances supporting him during legal troubles while others sought introductions or advice on everything from dating to oil prices. Their bantering, frivolous tone implies that Epstein would have felt still welcome as a member of polite society, receiving no social incentive to change his ways. Far from being ostracised as a sex offender, he was normalised."
Jeffrey Epstein retained influential ties across royalty, politics, business and academia that preserved his social standing after a 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. Records from 2009–2019 show short, often choppy messages that rarely implicated contacts in criminal activity but did show support, introductions and requests for advice on personal and political matters. Exchanges included casual banter and strategic talk with figures like Steve Bannon, and some acquaintances aided or courted Epstein despite his legal troubles. The pattern illustrates normalization of a known sex offender within powerful networks and a system indifferent to conviction or consequence.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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