Several main criminal prosecution officers who spoke on the condition of anonymity with Rolling Stone say that Jeffrey Epstein hired private detectives in order to assume, intimidate and monitor FBI special agents who were suspected of suspecting minors for sex. The FBI rejected a statement to Rolling Stone.
Epstein case further divides Trump’s government
These new accusations on the pressure on the FBI are followed by internal tensions within the government of Donald Trump, which last week about dealing with files and information in connection with the discredited financer and suspected sex offenders became public. Reports of several media describe a tense meeting between the deputy FBI director Dan Bongino, the chief of staff of the White House of Susie Wiles, Minister of Justice Pam Bondi and other civil servants. According to reports, the meeting ended with bongino angry. He is now supposed to consider his resignation from the FBI.
Years after his death in prison during Trump’s first term, the Epstein case continues to ensure tensions at the highest level of Trump’s second government.
Trump officials admitted to Rolling Stone last week that the Ministry of Justice’s refusal to publish further Epstein-related documents would annoy an already impatient and upgrade basis. “They will be so angry with us,” said an official. Trump’s promise to publish Epstein’s so-called customer list was an often repeated election campaign promise that was taken up and reinforced by Maga Social Media Influencers such as Tim Pool and Laura Loomer. The same influencers are now outraged by the Ministry of Justice about the obvious blocking.
The Ministry of Justice tried to invalidate conspiracy theories about an alleged murder of Epstein by releasing eleven hours of video recordings from the deceased financier in prison. But the publication quickly fueled further conspiracy theories after it was found that one minute was missing in the published video. (Bondi said the video was restarted every night. There is no minute every day at the same time.)
Trump and FBI director Patel defend government line
Trump asked his supporters to ask no further questions about the Epstein devastations. “We are a team. Maga. And I don’t like what happens. We have a perfect government, the world talks about it. And ‘selfish people’ try to harm her. Because of a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein.”
On Saturday, FBI director Kash Patel made a contribution on X behind Bondi and Trump: “The conspiracy theories are just not true. It was never an honor to serve the president of the United States @Raldonaldtrump. And I will do it as long as he calls me.”
According to a report by NBC News, both Patel and Bongino are increasingly frustrated by Bondi-not only because of the Epstein devastations-and have expressed their dissatisfaction with the direction of the Ministry of Justice.
While the FBI is often the first to use the success of large -scale law enforcement actions, the Bureau investigates on behalf of public prosecutors from the Ministry of Justice, which determines the direction and the scope of criminal charges. This often leads to tensions between investigative agents and judicial officers who have to weigh political and process -related hurdles.
Internal DOJ report describes blocked arrest
Exactly such tensions as they are currently between Bongino, the FBI and Bondi, the Minister of Justice, also go through a 348-page investigation report by the Ministry of Justice (Office of Professional Responsibility-OPR) on the circumstances of the 2007 Epstein deal.
In 2018, a year after Alexander Acosta, former US public prosecutor of the Southern District of Florida, was appointed Minister of Labor under Trump, the “Miami Herald” began a comprehensive series of research. They accused Acosta of negotiating an unprecedented mild and illegal comparison for Epstein. Using emails between Acosta and Epstein’s lawyers who explained how the amazingly mild judgment came about. Acosta denied these allegations.
The deal that Epstein accepted allowed him to face minors at the state level of recruitment and procurement and to serve time as part of a freelancer program, which escaped a possible life sentence and federal amenities. He also received a non -follow -up agreement that prevented Epstein’s victim from filing a lawsuit against him. And at the same time protected his co -confessors from law enforcement.
FBI agents wanted to arrest epstein-Doj blocked
According to the OPR report, the FBI special agents Epstein wanted to arrest the maiden islands during a beauty competition, in which he acted as a juror. The responsible agent and her colleague were disappointed with the decision not to do so. And the responsible supervisory special agent was “extremely upset” according to the report.
Maria Villafana, the responsible public prosecutor, was also prevented from continuing with a planned arrest on May 15, 2007. Although the FBI had already announced a press conference. However, according to the report, DOJ managers in Miami prevented the campaign.
In the following months, Epstein’s lawyers systematically undermine the efforts of the indictment. They examined the family members of Doj officials. Tried to invalidate the charges through renowned lawyers. And appealed to high-ranking Doj officials in Washington to stop the procedure.
But the intimidation continued. The “Miami Herald” reported that Epstein hired private detectives to monitor police officers from Palm Beach, who originally reported to the FBI. Including police chief Michael Reiter.
Investigation also against FBI agents
“Police reports show that Epstein’s private detectives spoke as police officers. That they ran through riders to find compromising material. And that they were accused of pursuing girls and their families,” reported the Herald. “In one case, a girl’s father claimed to have been pushed off the street by a private detective, as police and court files show.”
Two law enforcement officers confirmed to Rolling Stone that the same tactics were also used against FBI agents. “They were monitored. Their garbage was searched. Epstein hired private detectives to examine the investigators,” said an official. An FBI agent even moved into a guarded residential complex to avoid constant harassment.
Doj wanted to disclose Epstein for disability – and let it
Epstein’s attempts to sabotage the investigation went so far that the public prosecutor’s office tried to complain about it for the disability of the judiciary.
The OPR report documents that Villafana had collected evidence of two federal places against Epstein. And his lawyers were temporarily ready to examine a corresponding admission of guilt. After months of delay, Villafana wrote: “I am surrounded by victims and agents who want to know why we do not raise any charges.”
A special agent who worked on the case said that he tried to delay the agreement, which granted the epic immunity before further law enforcement. But his efforts were “swept under the carpet”. From leading officers from the US public prosecutor in Miami.
This assessment also shared Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein rack in 2016 under oath that an FBI agent who asked her in 2006 told her five years later that he wanted to continue to investigate Epstein. But his hands were bound by the “command chain”.
Doj holds back important Epstein documents to this day
In addition to unexplained questions about the investigation of 2006 and the later agreement there are further doubts about the raid in 2018 in Epstein’s town house in Manhattan. And on the extensive documents seized there. These remain under closure. And today’s leadership of the doj made it clear in a memo last week that no further evidence or documents on the Epstein affair should be published.
While the tensions in the doj spoiled, Sigrid McCawley, lawyer of several Epstein victims, commented on “News Nation”. “What is really shocking about this disclosure is that the government knows that it is sitting on a treasure trove of information. And it does not reveal it. I have been working in these cases for over ten years. And there is an abundance of information about Epstein and his co -snacks that the public has never seen before.”
The former police chief of Palm Beach, Michael Reiter, who originally informed the FBI about Epstein’s machinations, was not surprised that FBI agents such as his own civil servants were also intimidated.
“Such things happen more frequently than people think. Fill through garbage, constant surveillance,” says Reiter. “It surprises me that this also happened FBI agents? Not a bit.”