The president has advanced the widely debunked conspiracy theory that the 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. (Trump can’t get over that Hillary beat him in the popular vote!)
REPORTER ASKED
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.
DOESN’T EXPLAIN DEATH
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 is 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 reportedly on suicide watch following a July 23 incident in which he was found semiconscious with marks on his neck, but was taken off suicide watch days before his death. The New York City Chief Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on Aug. 11, saying in a statement that its determination is still “pending further information.”
BARR APPALLED
Attorney General William Barr, who said he was “appalled” that the death occurred under the federal prison’s watch, has instructed the FBI and the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate. He has cited “serious irregularities” at the facility. Members of Congress have also demanded answers. Barr was at the prison for unknown reasons only days before.
HOW RICH
A financier who got his start at Bear Stearns, Epstein lived in exorbitant luxury. He reported total assets of $559 million to the court when he was requesting bail in July and owned five lavish properties at the time of his death. His primary home was on a private island in the Caribbean, but he also had a six-story mansion assessed at $75 million in New York City, a ranch in New Mexico, a gated house in Palm Beach and an apartment near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Before his downfall, Epstein would shuttle a bevy of famous friends between the houses and around the world on his private jet — among them were Prince Andrew, actor Kevin Spacey, former President Bill Clinton and, at least once, President Donald Trump himself.
As My World Turns 
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