The Epstein Connections Fueling Conspiracy Theories
Summary
In the absence of information about how sex offender Jeffrey Epstein managed to die in prison by an apparent suicide on Aug. 10, outlandish conspiracy theories have cropped up across the political spectrum.
Among the more prominent theories are claims that the Clintons or President Donald Trump is somehow involved. Trump himself shared a comedian’s tweet peddling the baseless suggestion that former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were responsible.
When a reporter asked Trump about that on Aug. 13, the president said he had “no idea” if the Clintons were involved and referenced trips that Bill Clinton had taken on Epstein’s plane.
It’s true that Clinton had ties to Epstein, a wealthy financier who stood accused of sexually abusing dozens of young girls, and that the former president had traveled on Epstein’s plane. But Epstein had ties to Trump, too, and to other politicians who have been named in recently released court documents.
The relationships to Clinton and Trump don’t explain Epstein’s death, and the conspiracy theories being used as political weapons are, of course, unsubstantiated. Here’s what we know about those connections.
Analysis
Jeffrey Edward Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell at a federal prison in New York at about 6:30 a.m. Aug. 10, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which said life-saving measures were initiated before Epstein was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead. The Federal Bureau of Prisons deemed the death an “apparent suicide.”
Epstein was on suicide watch following a July 23 incident in which he was found semiconscious with marks on his neck, but was suicide watch days
