The Division of Justice has some explaining to do!
It’s no secret that the discharge of the Epstein information has been a large number. Redactions have been everywhere — with highly effective males being protected and survivors getting unjustly uncovered. And now, the DOJ is but once more within the scorching seat for eradicating a picture that confirmed Donald Trump‘s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick hanging with Jeffrey Epstein on his personal island!
Per CBS Informationthe picture was initially posted to the DOJ’s web site final month below file No. EFTA01230639, however was out of the blue eliminated — lengthy sufficient for individuals to appreciate it was lacking — earlier than it was restored on Thursday evening after they received a ton of backlash. The photograph reveals Howard, Jeffrey, and three different males trying out an oceanside cliff on the island.
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The Web Archive‘s Wayback Machine was first in a position to obtain the picture on January 31. It was additionally archived by Jmaila platform that archives Epstein content material.
In some unspecified time in the future after the file initially dropped, it was faraway from the DOJ’s web site and changed with a “Web page not discovered” message. Apparently, simply hours after CBS Information printed a narrative about it being gone, it was restored! Guess they didn’t like being caught red-handed! Test it out:
The Commerce Division has not commented on the scenario but, however the DOJ’s spokesperson instructed CNN:
“This picture was a part of a batch of information that had been flagged for nudity. The batch of hundreds of photos was pulled for assessment and is being uploaded with vital redactions on a rolling foundation. No information are being deleted.”
Hmmm. Y’all shopping for that??
Sooo, why does this even matter? Nicely, Jeffrey and Howard have an extended historical past — one which Howard lied about in public. Emails revealed within the Epstein information present that in 2012, Howard, his spouse, and their 4 youngsters really deliberate a visit to go to the intercourse offender’s island, Little St. James. And bear in mind, this was after his first conviction in 2008, when he pleaded responsible to procuring a baby for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute.
Even with that icky conviction, the Lutnick household went to go to him! Howard was invited for lunch on December 24, 2012, and Epstein’s assistant later reached out on his behalf, saying:
“It was good seeing you.”
The federal government official testified in entrance of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee about his relationship to the financier earlier this month, sharing:
“We had lunch on the island, that’s true, for an hour. Then we left with all of my youngsters, with my nannies and my spouse all collectively. We had been on household trip. We weren’t aside. To counsel there was something untoward about that in 2012, I don’t recall why we did it. However we did.”
He additionally insisted he had “nothing to cover — completely nothing.”
Whereas Lutnick hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing with regards to Epstein, he has been caught mendacity about their connection. Why? He beforehand stated on a podcast that he’d stopped speaking with Jeffrey in 2005 — however docs present they had been in shut contact, and never simply due to that go to. In 2014 and for a number of years after, they communicated about their now-shuttered promoting firm, Adfin. The newest interactions concerning the firm got here in late 2018. Lutnick additionally reached out to Epstein that very same yr to complain about an artwork museum growth plan that was set to break their views, seeing as they had been neighbors in New York Metropolis.
Epstein finally “died by suicide” in 2019 whereas in jail on federal intercourse trafficking expenses. Soooo, this man was chatting with the felon up till a yr earlier than he handed. Very completely different than claiming to have reduce him off earlier than he was ever convicted! Jeez.
Many lawmakers are actually demanding a full look into Howard’s ties to Epstein. Rep. Nancy Macea Republican member of the Home Oversight Committeeeven known as for Lutnick to testify in entrance of the committee! He’s testified earlier than, so it looks as if possibly he’d be keen? We’ll see what occurs…
(Picture through MEGA/IF & Division of Justice)