Why were Jeffrey Epstein’s pals obtuse about his sex trafficking?

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“In a rich man’s house, there is no place to spit but his face.”— Diogenes

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Polite society would suggest that you’re judged by the company you keep.

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Growing up in my house, these life lessons were more succinct. More colourful.

Here’s my father: “That kid’s nothing but f—ing trouble, a f—ing idiot. Stay away from him.”

Those bits of wisdom were also shared with my two children.

Apparently, Bill Gates, the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew), two U.S. presidents, one former and one current, never learned that lesson, bringing us to the matter of billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein killed himself

None of the aforementioned titans of politics, business and high society ever thought it curious that there were 14 and 15-year-old girls running naked around his posh portfolio of mansions from the Paris apartment to “Pedophile Island” in the Caribbean.

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Hedge fund manager Epstein killed himself in August 2019 in his Manhattan jail cell. He was 66 and carried with him in his diseased, reptilian brain lurid secrets that could shatter governments, Royal families and some of the most powerful men on the planet.

Epstein had been arrested just a month earlier at a posh private airport in New Jersey on sex trafficking charges. But seldom does a day go by when the name Jeffrey Epstein isn’t at least whispered.

On Friday, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released photos from Epstein’s estate illustrating the titans in the late sex trafficker’s orbit. Among those photographed are President Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and others.

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Photos offer a snippet of Epstein’s vile universe

After Epstein’s death, the spotlight turned to his second banana, partner in slime and underage girl groomer, the disgraced socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.

Investigators are hoping the new trove of photos can reveal the extent of Epstein’s troubling relationships with the great and the good.

The posh pedo is believed to have sexually assaulted thousands of underage girls. The 19 photos released Friday offer a snippet of his vile universe.

Among them:

— One image shows Trump with six women wearing leis.

— Another depicts a bowl of novelty condoms with a caricature of Trump’s face with the text, “I’m HUUUUGE!” The condoms were produced at a New York City novelty shop.

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— In other images, Steve Bannon and Epstein take a photograph in a mirror; Bill Clinton is seen with Epstein, Maxwell and another couple; and tech billionaire Bill Gates is pictured with Mr. Windsor (the disgraced Prince Andrew).

— Former Harvard president Larry Summers and lawyer Alan Dershowitz also appeared in pictures from the estate.

— However, none of the photos depict any sexual misconduct or underage girls.

The White House lambasted the Democrats, claiming the party is cherry-picking the photos to create an alternative narrative.

“The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked and the Trump Administration has done more for Epstein’s victims than Democrats ever have by repeatedly calling for transparency, releasing thousands of pages of documents, and calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said.

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Hours with sex slave

So far, the Republican-led committee has released tens of thousands of documents.

Lawyers for Epstein’s estate said Thursday in a letter to the committee that they could review videos and photos they had requested “taken at any property owned, rented, operated, or used by Epstein from January 1, 1990, through August 10, 2019.”

Top oversight committee Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia, told reporters the released photos were “significant,” and noted that Democrats on the panel have only scoured through about a quarter of the 95,000 photos that have been handed over.

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Garcia said it is “time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends. These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW.”

Neither Trump nor Clinton has been charged with any wrongdoing, and both have maintained they severed their relationships long ago. The U.S. President has run in the same Manhattan social circles as Epstein, whom he called “a creep.”

Trump obsession

Epstein wrote in emails that Trump “spent hours” with the late sex slave Virginia Giuffre, as did the disgraced former Royal Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor.

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Epstein claimed that the President “knew about the girls.”

And it appears that Epstein had a Trump obsession, discussing the businessman ad nauseam with anyone who would listen. He invoked him often, offered analysis of his behaviour, and gossiped about him. Epstein also tried to put himself at pole position as an expert on all things Trump.

Under a law passed by Congress last month, the Justice Department has until Dec. 19 to release all of the Epstein files in its possession.

But the stench of Jeffrey Epstein is unlikely to abate anytime soon. The document dump is likely to get much, much worse, with Garcia calling some of the other photos “incredibly disturbing.”

Heads will no doubt continue to roll, and reputations will be obliterated. All are being judged by the company they keep.

“F—ing idiots.”

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun

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