Day 900: Four days later, Trump celebrates July 4th ego-driven event as diversion for pedophile buddy’s arrest
Despite the fact that July 4th was last Thursday, Donald Trump keeps celebrating his ego-driven event, full of tanks and flyovers, costing taxpayers millions. After four straight days of golf, Trump was keen to relive the moments by retweeting right-wing outlets and figures congratulating him and showing aerial photos. He lobbed a few criticisms toward the Robert Mueller probe and how the U.K. is handling Brexit for good measure.
Trump’s social media presence seemed to have a singular goal: drive down any coverage of convicted billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest.
In a startling reversal of fortune, billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein was charged Monday with sexually abusing dozens of underage girls in a case brought more than a decade after he secretly cut a deal with federal prosecutors to dispose of nearly identical allegations.
The 66-year-old hedge fund manager who once socialized with some of the world’s most powerful people was charged in a newly unsealed federal indictment with sex trafficking and conspiracy during the early 2000s. He could get up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
The case sets the stage for another #MeToo-era trial fraught with questions of wealth and influence. Epstein’s powerful friends over the years have included President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew.
And Trump is more than just a casual friend of Epstein. Not only did they socialize, but Trump acknowledged knowing Epstein quite well. In 2002 Trump said, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he like beautiful women as much as a I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Trump has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl at one of Epstein’s parties in a sworn statement as part of a lawsuit filed in 2016.
Epstein himself was asked about Trump’s socialization with underage females at one of his parties and chose to invoke the Fifth Amendment rather than answer the question.
On top of all that, the original secret deal cut by prosecutors was led by Alex Acosta, who just so happens to be Trump’s current Labor Secretary. The plea led Epstein to serve about a year in prison, a slap on the wrist, for his heinous crimes. (Notably, Epstein was allowed out on work release six days a week, for hours at a time, when he simply went to an office.) He was also forced to register as a sex offender.
So yeah, Trump had plenty of reasons to turn the focus back to July 4th fireworks.
900 days in, 562 to go
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