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Caalaroga Shark Media. Good morning, I'm Read Carter, and welcome
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to Celebrity Trials. Yesterday we explored how Galaine Maxwell became
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Jeffrey Epstein's enabler in chief, building a systematic operation to
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sexually exploit miners across multiple decades. Today we're examining how
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this criminal enterprise finally collapsed, the trial that brought justice,
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and the recent political controversy that's left even Trump supporters
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demanding answers, because this week we learned that all those
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promises about client lists and massive revelations were apparently just
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political theater, and the victims, the people who suffered the
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real consequences of this operation, are still waiting for the
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whole truth. Jeffrey Epstein's world began unraveling in twenty nineteen,
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more than a decade after that infamous sweetheart plea deal
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should have ended his criminal career. On July sixth, twenty nineteen,
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Epstein was arrested again on federal charges for the sex
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trafficking of miners in Florida and New York. But Epstein
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would never face trial. He died in his jail cell
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on August tenth, twenty nineteen. The medical examiner ruled that
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his death was a suicide by hanging, though Epstein's lawyers
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have disputed the ruling and there has been significant public
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skepticism about the true cause of his death. With Epstein dead,
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prosecutors turned their attention to his longtime accomplice. On July second,
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twenty twenty, Galaine Maxwell was arrested at a remote property
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in New Hampshire, where she had been hiding since Epstein's death.
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Maxwell was charged with conspiracy to entice miners to travel
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to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport miners
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to participate in illegal sex acts, transporting a miner to
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participate in illegal sex acts, sex trafficking, bpiracy, and sex
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trafficking of a minor. The charges covered a decade of
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systematic abuse from at least nineteen ninety four to two
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thousand and four, and involved victims across multiple states and countries.
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Maxwell's trial began in November twenty twenty one, and for
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four weeks, the world got an inside look at how
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two sophisticated predators had operated for years with virtual impunity.
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The prosecution's case rested primarily on the testimony of four
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women who had been abused as miners. These women, now adults,
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described in devastating detail how Maxwell had recruited them, groomed them,
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and delivered them to Epstein for abuse. Their role was
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really the most significant in the trial by far, explained
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former federal prosecutor Moira Penza. That was really the crux
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of the government's case. Here was the testimony of those
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four victims, while being corroborated by other witness testimony and
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other evidence. The victor sims described how Maxwell would approach
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them when they were vulnerable, often from troubled backgrounds or
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difficult family situations. She would befriend them, take them shopping,
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ask about their lives and families. She made them feel special,
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chosen important. But this wasn't kindness, it was predatory grooming.
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Maxwell was systematically breaking down these girls defenses, making them
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trust her, making them feel indebted to her and Epstein.
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Annie Farmer, the only victim to use her real name
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during testimony, described how Maxwell had normalized sexual behavior and
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made abuse seem routine. Other victims testified about being trained
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to satisfy Epstein's sexual demands, with Maxwell often present or participating.
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But perhaps most damaging was the testimony about how Maxwell
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turned victims into recruiters. The operation was designed to be
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self perpetuating. Each victim was encouraged to bring friends, ex
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spanning the network of available children. Maxwell's defense team tried
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multiple strategies. They argued she was a scapegoat for Epstein's crimes.
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They attacked the victim's memories and motivations. They brought in
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experts on false memories. They suggested the victims were biased
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because they couldn't get justice against Epstein after his death.
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When you have those attacks on sexual abuse victims, especially
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ones who are miners, I think we have seen that
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really is not persuasive to a jury, noted Prosecutor Penza.
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On December twenty ninth, twenty twenty one, after five days
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of deliberation, the jury found Maxwell guilty on five of
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six counts. The verdict was clear Galaine Maxwell was Jeffrey
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Epstein's partner in crime, not his victim. On June twenty eighth,
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twenty twenty two, Maxwell was sentenced to twenty years in
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federal prison. At the sentencing hearing, four women spoke in
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court to describe the long lasting effects of Maxwell's and
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Epstein's abuse. Before being sentenced, Maxwell finally spoke publicly about
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the case, but even then she couldn't bring herself to
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take full responsibility. Jeffrey Epstein should have been here before
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all of you, Maxwell said at the podium, her legs shackled.
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It is not about Epstein. Ultimately, it is for me
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to be sentenced. Maxwell acknowledged that she had been convicted,
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but stopped short of taking responsibility. I am sorry for
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the pain that you've experienced, Maxwell said. Annie Farmer said
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she didn't believe Maxwell's statement of apology was sincere. Another victim,
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identified only as Kate, said Maxwell's final insult was her
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lack of remorse after being found guilty. You could have
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put an end to the rapes, the molestations, the sickening
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manipulations that you arranged, witnessed, and even took part in,
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Kate said. In court. US attorney Damian Williams said today's
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sentence holds Gallaine Maxwell accountable for perpetrating heinous crimes against children.
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This sentence sends a strong message that no one is
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above the law and it is never too late for justice.
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Maxwell is currently serving her sentence at a low security
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federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. And is eligible for release
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in July twenty thirty seven, but she's not going quietly.
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In September twenty twenty four, the Manhattan based Second US
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Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Maxwell's conviction and twenty year sentence.
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The court rejected Maxwell's claim that Epstein's two thousand and
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seven agreement with federal prosecutors in southern Florida shielded her
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from being prosecuted in New York. The court also rejected
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Maxwell's claims that her trial was tainted because one juror
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did not disclose that he had been sexually abused as
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a child. We are obviously very disappointed by the court's decision,
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and we vehemently dis agree with the outcome. Maxwell's lawyer
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said in a statement, we are cautiously optimistic that Glaine
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will get the justice she deserves from the Supreme Court
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of the United States. In April twenty twenty five, Maxwell
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asked the U. S. Supreme Court to overturn her sex
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trafficking conviction, arguing she was covered by a non prosecution
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agreement the government made with Epstein in two thousand and seven.
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Despite the existence of a non prosecution agreement promising in
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plain language that the United States would not prosecute any
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co conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein. The United States in fact
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prosecuted Maxwell as a co conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein. Her
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attorneys wrote, it's a desperate legal argument that essentially admits
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Maxwell was Epstein's co conspirator while arguing she should be
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immune from prosecution. Back in a moment. Now here's where
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this story takes a bizarre political turn that's angered Trump
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supporters and raised serious questions about government transparency. During his
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twenty twenty four campaign, Donald Trump suggested he would seek
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to open up the government's files on Jeffrey Epstein once
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in office. He directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to review
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and potentially release what many believed would be explosive revelations
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about Epstein's elite connections. On February twenty first, twenty twenty five,
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Bondi appeared on Fox News and made a stunning claim.
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When asked about releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients,
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Bondi said, it's sitting on my desk right now to review.
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That's been a directive by President Trump. This wasn't vague
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political speak Bondi was explicitly claiming she had Epstein's alleged
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client list in her possession and was reviewing it for
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public release. The announcement sent shockwaves through biracy theory circles
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and Trump's base, who had long believed the government was
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hiding damaging information about powerful figures connected to Epstein. On
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February twenty seventh, twenty twenty five, the Justice Department finally
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released what it called the Epstein Files Phase One. The
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rollout was pure political theater MAGA influencers were called to
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the White House and handed binders titled the Epstein Files
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Phase one before the documents were even posted online. But
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there was one huge problem. The files contained virtually no
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new information. The Justice Department said it was making the
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document's public to show its commitment to transparency, but the
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first phase of declassified files largely contained documents that had
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been previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity
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by the US government. Trump supporters, who had been promised
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explosive revelations were furious. The documents were mostly flight logs
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and evidence lists that had already been public through Maxwell's
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trial and various civil lawsuits. Conservative activists began demanding to
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know why Bondi had hyped this release as containing major
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revelations when it was clearly recycled information. Then this week,
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the other shoe dropped. On July seventh, twenty twenty five,
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the Justice Department in FBI released a memo that completely
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contradicted everything Bondi had been promising. The memo stated this
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systematic review revealed no incriminating client list. There was also
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no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as
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part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that
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could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties. The memo
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also confirmed that Epstein died by suicide and said no
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further charges would be filed in connection with the case.
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Think about what this means. For months, Bondi had been
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telling the American people she had Epstein's client list on
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her desk. She had promised massive revelations. She had suggested
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criminal prosecutions were coming. Now the same Department of Justices
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saying there never was a client list, there's no evidence
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of blackmail. No one else is getting charged. The response
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from Trump supporters was swift and brutal. Savannah Hernandez a
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turning point. USA contributor wrote on x why did Pam
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Bondi get in front of the entire nation and say
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she had the Epstein client list on her desk? She
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should step down as Attorney General for lying to the
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American public. Conservative activist Robbie Starbuck wrote, Pam Bondi said
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the Epstein client list was on her desk to review
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for release to the public just a few months ago.
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Now the DOJ says there is no client list, So
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what was on her desk? Was she lying to us
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or was she lied to? Even more damaging was this observation.
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Gilaine Maxwell is in prison for twenty years for sex
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trafficking kids with Epstein, and the FBI just said that
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there is no client list. He didn't blackmail nobody, and
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nobody else is getting charged, so they sex trafficked kids
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to nobody. This is where the government's position becomes completely absurd.
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Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking miners for Jeffrey Epstein.
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The evidence at trial showed they had a systematic operation
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that lasted for decades and involved hundreds of victims. But
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now the government is claiming there's no evidence that anyone
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else was involved. That Epstein and Maxwell created this massive
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trafficking operation just for Epstein's personal use. The flight logs
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alone contradict this. We know powerful people flew on Epstein's plane,
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visited his properties, and socialized with him for years. We
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know from victim testimony that some of these people participated
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in abuse, But apparently the DOJ and FBI couldn't find
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evidence worth prosecuting after millions of dollars in investigations and
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access to all of Epstein's records. Either our law enforcement
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agencies are incompetent or they're protecting people. Neither explanation is acceptable.
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What's most infuriating about this memo is how it dismisses
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legitimate questions as conspiracy theories. The memo states that one
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of the government's highest priorities is combating child exploitation and
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bringing justice to victims, before adding perpetuating unfounded theories about
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Epstein serves neither of those ends. But these aren't unfounded theories.
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These are questions based on evidence presented at trial, victim testimony,
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and documented connections between Epstein and powerful figures. When Pam
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Bondi claimed she had a client list on her desk,
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was she lying was she confused or did someone tell
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her to walk back those claims. At Monday's White House briefing,
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Press Secretary Caroline Levitt claimed that Bondi hadn't actually been
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referring to a client list when she said she had
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a client list on her desk. According to Levy, it
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she was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork,
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all of the paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.
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That's not what Bondi said. The Fox News host specifically
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asked about the list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients, and Bondi said,
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it's sitting on my desk right now to review. Here's
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what really happened. Trump's administration promised to expose the deep
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state and reveal hidden truths about elite corruption. The Epstein
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case was perfect for this narrative. A wealthy predator with
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connections to powerful people who seemed to escape justice for years,
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but when they actually got access to the files, they
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discovered the same thing previous administrations discovered. Either the evidence
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to prosecute other powerful figures doesn't exist, or pursuing it
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would implicate people the current administration wants to protect, so
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instead of admitting this, they created a political theater release
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that promised everything and delivered nothing. They gave their supporters
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recycled documents and called it transparency. When that didn't work,
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they released a memo claiming there never was anything defined,
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contradicting their own earlier promises and leaving their most loyal
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supporters feeling betrayed. The victims of this circus are the
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same people who have been victimized throughout this entire saga.
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Epstein and Maxwell's actual victims who are still waiting for
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the whole truth about who else was involved in their abuse.
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But there's another group of victims here, Trump supporters who
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trusted their government to tell them the truth about this case. Instead,
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they got political theater followed by bureaucratic gaslighting. The Jeffrey
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Epstein case represents everything wrong with how our system handles
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elite crime. A wealthy predator and his sophisticated accomplice systematically
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abused children for decades, protected by money connections and a
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justice system more concerned with protecting the powerful than serving victims.
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Gilaine Maxwell is serving twenty years in prison, which is appropriate.
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Jeffrey Epstein escaped earthly justice through death, but hundreds of
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questions remain unanswered, and the recent political theater around the
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client list has only deepened the wounds. The victims who
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courageously testified against Maxwell deserve better. They deserve the truth
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about everyone who participated in or enabled this operation. They
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don't deserve to be told their continued questions are conspiracy theories.
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Maxwell's conviction was justice, but it wasn't complete justice, and
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until we have answers about everyone else who was involved,