Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019, had once denied being a "sexual predator." He rather called himself an "offender."
“I’m not a sexual predator, I’m an ‘offender,’" the financier had told The New York Post during an interview published in February 2011.
“It’s the difference between a murderer and a person who steals a bagel," Epstein had said as he downplayed the gravity of his actions.
He further justified, saying, "The crime that was supposedly committed in Florida is not a crime in New York."
The financier's statement had come after a New York judge had reportedly ruled that he "is the most dangerous kind of sex offender: a Level 3."
Jeffrey Epstein's case and death news got enmeshed in conspiracy theories and unverified claims over the years.
Epstein was a convicted sex offender and was accused of sex trafficking young women and girls as young as 14. It came more than a decade after his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, for which he was registered as a sex offender.
He died in a New York prison cell on 10 August 2019 as he awaited, without the chance of bail, his trial on sex trafficking charges.
The Epstein files
Under increasing pressure, the Trump administration released another batch of "the Epstein files" on Friday. Thousands of files, numbering about 120 photos, primarily depict FBI evidence boxes, envelopes, hard drives, old CDs, and computers.
But the documents still include 119 pages labelled as grand jury materials that remain fully redacted. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) clarified that the recently released Jeffrey Epstein-related documents are being redacted solely to protect victims, and no politicians' names are being withheld.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, "The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law -- full stop. Consistent with the statute and applicable laws, we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim."
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, "The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law -- full stop. Consistent with the statute and applicable laws, we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim."
'Bill Clinton in a hot tub'
Among the newly circulated images is one showing former President Bill Clinton in a hot tub. According to CNN, a Justice Department spokesperson, Gates McGavick, clarified that the blacked-out area in the photo was applied to protect a victim of Epstein's sexual abuse.
A spokesperson for Clinton, Angel Urena, said Friday that the former president had no knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities and had ended the relationship before those crimes came to light.
"There are two types of people here," Urena stated. "The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We're in the first," Urena was quoted as saying.
I’m not a sexual predator, I’m an ‘offender,’
The files also included photographs of famous people who spent time with Epstein in the years before he came under suspicion
But there was almost no material related to another old Epstein friend, President Donald Trump, aside from a few well-known images, sparing the White House from having to confront fresh questions about a relationship the administration has tried in vain to minimise.
