By Douglas V. Gibbs
A libertarian told me a few days ago that he liked President Trump in the beginning, but he’s beginning to believe Donald Trump was cozy with Jeffrey Epstein. “There’s something wrong,” he said to me. “I just feel it.”
What the gentleman feels is the constant gnawing of the leftwing media and Democrat Party political class claiming over and over again that Donald Trump had something to do with Epstein’s sex island where horrific things occurred, and a large people should be put to death over. That is why the Democrats do what they are doing. They know, as the old saying goes, if you tell a lie often enough it becomes truth. As for me, facts and evidence play a big part in what I am willing to believe. And, I am convinced that Donald J. Trump is not guilty of being one of those people who resided in the dark shadowy world of Jeffrey Epstein.
“But there are photographs of Trump hanging out with Epstein,” I am reminded on a constant basis.
Sure, and because of my work as a constitutionalist I am in a number of images out there with politicians I both agree and disagree with. Appearing in an image doesn’t mean I necessarily agree with their politics, or had some kind of business or social relationship with them.
Trump is a businessman, and as a businessman he has always been looking for ways of building his network, largely so that his businesses would have access to potential investors, and perhaps so that he could also do some of his own investing. Jeffrey Epstein was a shadowy financier who managed the wealth of billionaires. Therefore, both Trump and Epstein did indeed move in overlapping elite circles, particularly in Palm Beach and Manhattan. They were photographed together and reportedly interacted at Mar-a-Lago and other social venues. Trump eventually distanced himself from Epstein, allegedly after a dispute over real estate. There has been no shred of credible evidence tying Trump to any of Epstein’s criminal activities, and Trump was never charged or named as a client in any known Epstein legal filings.
Epstein offered investment and tax strategies, and he had a long list of elite connections. He began at Bear Stearns and ultimately founded his own financial firm, J. Epstein & Co., reportedly managing the assets of clients with at least $1 billion in net worth. He claimed to offer investment, estate, and tax planning services to ultra-wealthy individuals, but with a lack of clear business records and with most of his financial career marked by secrecy. In truth, Epstein’s financial empire was less about traditional investing and more about leveraging elite access, secrecy, and control over powerful clients’ assets. To this day his business dealings remain a subject of ongoing legal and journalistic investigation. Therefore, considering the circumstances, Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were bound to bump into each other on occasion.
Proximity in elite social circles does not equate complicity.
During President Trump’s second term as President the Democrats have intensified their calls for the release of the Epstein Files. Prior to Trump’s current term the Democrats, and their Deep State operatives, have had complete control of those files and if Trump was implicated in them, it’s likely that would have surfaced long ago. Pam Bondi’s delay in releasing the files has sparked speculation. I believe that once she began digging into them she realized the files were corrupted and contain unverified claims that need to be sorted before public release.
Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein’s cellmate and a former cop convicted of four murders, filed a petition claiming Epstein told him that prosecutors, specifically Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, offered Epstein freedom if he implicated Trump. According to Tartaglione, Epstein said Comey told him he didn’t need proof, only that Trump’s team couldn’t disprove the claim. Tartaglione quoted Epstein as saying that Trump was not involved in any of Epstein’s crimes. Tartaglione’s credibility is complicated by his own legal troubles, but the claim adds fuel to mounting suspicions of political targeting.
Tartaglione knew Epstein because he shared a bunk with him in prison until Epstein was found with bruises on his neck on July 23, 2019, and then was subsequently placed on suicide watch. He was later found dead on August 10, 2019 with the official ruling claiming suicide. Security lapses, missing footage, and broken protocols have led many to suspect foul play. Tartaglione claims multiple attempts on his life followed Epstein’s death, leaving him with serious injuries and a metal plate in his head.
As I explained to my friend who was teetering regarding his opinion of President Trump over all of this, “it is important that we separate fact from insinuation, especially in politically charged narratives.” We know that the Democrats have been doing everything they can to take down Trump, from impeaching him twice to weaponizing the entire system against him. Proximity is not proof. Insinuation is not evidence. Tartaglione’s testimony, if true, suggests a disturbing attempt to weaponize prosecution for political ends, not justice. As the public awaits the full release of Epstein’s files, we must demand truth, not theater. We must resist the temptation of allowing innuendo to masquerade as indictment. We must use our discernment, and allow the facts to speak louder than ideologically charged speculation.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
