"Today, we honor Brown for her perseverance and unwavering moral compass. She has forced politicians, judges, lawyers, and the public to choose: stand with survivors, or help the pedophiles who abused them avoid accountability. Thanks to her, we can still deny cover to rich, powerful men who presume they can escape accountability for heinous conduct." A woman shines in nation's crisis is nothing new. In Judges (5:11) "Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel." America in crisis and we see a number of Deborahs standing up. Brown, Jen, HCR and others. They will save the country.
Julie Brown epitomizes what journalism should be about. Todd Blanche, on the other hand, epitomizes what gives the legal profession a bad name. He is not seeking truth. He is likely negotiating a deal for Maxwell to clear Trump's name in return for a pardon or commutation of her sentence.
Dozens of victims have been compensated in civil suits against Epstein and the Epstein Estate. According to Google, Maxwell has also been a defendant in several civil lawsuits related to the Jeffrey Epstein matter. These include lawsuits filed by Virginia Giuffre (settled in 2017), Sarah Ransome (settled in 2018), Annie Farmer (2019), Jennifer Araoz (2019), and other unnamed individuals in 2020 and 2021.
The allegations in these suits varied, including claims of defamation, recruitment, sexual abuse, and false imprisonment. Maxwell has denied these allegations. She also filed her own lawsuit against Epstein's estate seeking reimbursement for legal fees.
Wonder whether David Markus represented her in all these matters? Wonder whether other johns (like Trump) were implicated or mentioned?
Questions for Maxwell would concentrate on the period surrounding 2006, when Acosta gave Epstein the deal of the century and others got get out of jail free cards.
Did she have any dealings with Trump Model Management?
DOJ: "In the earlier phase of the conspiracy, from at least approximately 1994 through approximately 2001, MAXWELL and Epstein identified vulnerable girls, typically from single-mother households and difficult financial circumstances. This earlier phase required the defendant and Epstein to identify one girl at a time to target for grooming and abuse. In the later phase, from approximately 2001 until at least approximately 2004, MAXWELL and Epstein enticed and recruited, and caused to be enticed and recruited, minor girls to visit Epstein’s Palm Beach Residence to engage in sex acts with Epstein, after which Epstein, MAXWELL, or another employee of Epstein’s would give the victims hundreds of dollars in cash. MAXWELL and Epstein encouraged one or more of those victims to travel with Epstein with the intention that the victim engage in sex acts with Epstein. Moreover, and in order to maintain and increase his supply of victims, MAXWELL and Epstein also paid certain victims to recruit additional girls to be similarly abused by Epstein. In this way, MAXWELL and Epstein created a network of underage victims for Epstein to sexually exploit."
Epstein's long-time attorney died recently. He was 80 years old, so perhaps conspiracy theories are not warranted yet, but I hope Ms. Brown has good bodyguards and state of the art home security.
Agreed. No Putin-like "accidental" deaths, and no openly bragged attacks - none of it. The rest of us have to up our vigilance game, too, without being overly panicked or paranoid.
Roy Black’s death is not linked to Epstein scandal, his family says By Jay Weaver
"Records show that Black was not among the lawyers who attended Epstein’s plea and sentencing hearing in June 2008 in West Palm Beach Circuit Court. Also, his signature was not among the lawyers who signed Epstein’s “non-prosecution agreement” with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami in September 2007.
"Acosta’s non-prosecution agreement was initially kept secret from Epstein’s victims. The agreement also immunized several of his co-conspirators from federal prosecution.
The Herald’s investigation of the secretive plea deal, part of its “Perversion of Justice” series by Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown, led to Acosta resigning as U.S. Secretary of Labor in 2019 during the first Trump administration."
She is not a "new" hero. Her investigation and the book had been reported on extensively at the time. That's why I bought the book when it was first published in 2021. Yesterday I wrote about it in several comments here and on Jim Acosta's sub stack.
Her work has not been kept in the dark. I remember reading her work regarding Epstein and Maxwell in the Miami Herald. She is a superb journalist and truth teller. I have the utmost respect for Ms. Julie Brown.
"But why is she a NEW hero? Why has all her work been kept relatively in the dark?"
Because the Left sees a chance to embarrass Trump. That's all this amounts to. It's funny to watch all the wailing and gnashing of teeth from right-wing media after all these years and now the split in the Repubs' ranks. It's also funny to see the sudden interest from left-wing media after total silence during the Biden administration.
The bottom line is that all of it should have been released after Epstein's death. Obviously things such as videos of children should be sealed, but the names and dates should be revealed. I believe the 2007 case is where everyone needs to focus their attention. The cover-up, if there is one, starts there.
it's not primariy the "left" ( as if the US had any serious left-wing politics) that is pushing for release of info on Epstein - it is the MAGA folks who were led for years (by Trump) to believe that material in the files would incriminate Clinton and maybe even Bill Gates. The "left" is certainly enjoying Trump's discomposure, after his full and rich lifetime of scams, frauds and cheating.
"it's not primarily the "left" ( as if the US had any serious left-wing politics) that is pushing for release of info on Epstein..."
It is now precisely because the MAGA crowd is dissatisfied with Trump's sudden about-face in releasing the files. The Dems and the media see an opening to embarrass Trump and they're going to take advantage of it.
trump embarrasses himself every day without any help from "the left" (whatever that is). The funny thing is that MAGA people get all worked up about pedophilia and try to pin the pedo label on all kinds of Democrats when, in fact, it is mostly Republicans who have been certified pedophiles. Remember Dennis Hastert, the longest serving GOP Speaker of the House? Adjudicated pedophile. Mark Foley, trump, Ruben Verastigui, Chase Tristian Espy, Rep. John Rose, Rep. Matt Gaetz, etc.
Agreed! I saw the headline, I couldn't read anything more about it. Shipman is the worst of the worst. I figure that she, too, will spend eternity with Trump in Hades!
It's great that someone is continuing the investigation, especially in the face of all the distractions that are being thrown up. It's really amazing, the volume. Just check Fox. Yesterday, the banner story was Gabbard's "investigation" of Obama. Today, it's more "evidence" of Joe Biden's decline, with more follow-up on the Obama "story" and a piece on shiny New York City. No mention of Epstein in the leads.
But as we keep uncovering sanctioned racketeering by this administration, a foundation of fiends who are in control keeps solidifying, and referring to prisoner Maxwell as a victim….. Keep protesting, making your voices heard, hitting them in their wallets by boycotting his business supporters and associates which actually gets their attention, and send everyone you know the now famous South Park episode.
The sexual trafficking of girls is reprehensible, as is any form of slavery, and I hope Epstein’s victims come to terms with their past. Andrea Dworkin comes to mind here. (Look her up.) But let’s not forget the millions of women, girls, boys, or men subject to rape and abuse by the untouchables. The malefactors are not only the procurers and debauchers (including relatives, neighbors, teachers, cops, and clergy) but also paying clients. It is rare for pimps (Trump’s grandad) to be held accountable in any significant way (100 plus life sentences?) and even rarer for their clients and freelance molesters to be outed or imprisoned. The Epstein files only spotlight what has been going on openly or behind closed doors for centuries in every country that ever existed. So let’s not forget Equal Rights for women worldwide.
Hooray for Julie Brown and independent news sources such as the Contrarian!
Agent Orange will continue to try to hide everything in his disgusting past -- from his love affair with Jeffrey Epstein to his grades in high school. I have never met anyone in real life with a thinner skin.
Check out Joyce Vance this morning. SARs, or Suspicious Activity Reports, can be a treasure trove for prosecutors. Banks flagged more than $1.5 billion in transactions involving Epstein. They included “thousands of wire transfers for the purchase and sale of artwork for rich friends, fees paid to Mr. Epstein by wealthy individuals, and payments to numerous women.”
Kudos to Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, who has been investigating Epstein’s finances for at least three years.
“We felt from the beginning this was a follow-the-money case,” Senator Wyden said in an interview. “This horrific sex-trafficking operation cost Epstein a lot of money, and he had to get that money from somewhere.”
She might be rising up to the easily-noticible level on the Orange Menace' list of targets. We no longer live in a Democracy and Constitutional Rights have been swept up and placed in the dust bin.
As someone stated above, we're praying she has good surveillance and security. Heck, I'll contribute to that fund if I find there is one - or a need for one.
Thank you, Jen, for your profiles in courage. They offer a strong glimmer of hope. I used your encomium of Karen Bass in my ESL class last week to light a candle.
Yes, thank God she broke the story and forced a reaction, but how's long will it be till those documents saved recordings are destroyed and another law is broken?
That's a good question, but my concern is how we break up this sex/slavery ring, which is clearly more vast than many of us realized - or wanted to. Not saying it can't be done; I know it can be. But it will have to be done regardless of how much or how little of the files are released. Or destroyed. (I work in the latter field, so I'm aware of that angle as well.)
Yes. Celebrate Julie Brown. And keep digging.
"After recess, Democrats should call her to testify in an open hearing." Absolutely!
And make sure she has good security.
I thought about that too! She truly is a heroine!
I had the same thought!
Concise and on target!
"Today, we honor Brown for her perseverance and unwavering moral compass. She has forced politicians, judges, lawyers, and the public to choose: stand with survivors, or help the pedophiles who abused them avoid accountability. Thanks to her, we can still deny cover to rich, powerful men who presume they can escape accountability for heinous conduct." A woman shines in nation's crisis is nothing new. In Judges (5:11) "Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel." America in crisis and we see a number of Deborahs standing up. Brown, Jen, HCR and others. They will save the country.
Julie Brown epitomizes what journalism should be about. Todd Blanche, on the other hand, epitomizes what gives the legal profession a bad name. He is not seeking truth. He is likely negotiating a deal for Maxwell to clear Trump's name in return for a pardon or commutation of her sentence.
Dozens of victims have been compensated in civil suits against Epstein and the Epstein Estate. According to Google, Maxwell has also been a defendant in several civil lawsuits related to the Jeffrey Epstein matter. These include lawsuits filed by Virginia Giuffre (settled in 2017), Sarah Ransome (settled in 2018), Annie Farmer (2019), Jennifer Araoz (2019), and other unnamed individuals in 2020 and 2021.
The allegations in these suits varied, including claims of defamation, recruitment, sexual abuse, and false imprisonment. Maxwell has denied these allegations. She also filed her own lawsuit against Epstein's estate seeking reimbursement for legal fees.
Wonder whether David Markus represented her in all these matters? Wonder whether other johns (like Trump) were implicated or mentioned?
Questions for Maxwell would concentrate on the period surrounding 2006, when Acosta gave Epstein the deal of the century and others got get out of jail free cards.
Did she have any dealings with Trump Model Management?
DOJ: "In the earlier phase of the conspiracy, from at least approximately 1994 through approximately 2001, MAXWELL and Epstein identified vulnerable girls, typically from single-mother households and difficult financial circumstances. This earlier phase required the defendant and Epstein to identify one girl at a time to target for grooming and abuse. In the later phase, from approximately 2001 until at least approximately 2004, MAXWELL and Epstein enticed and recruited, and caused to be enticed and recruited, minor girls to visit Epstein’s Palm Beach Residence to engage in sex acts with Epstein, after which Epstein, MAXWELL, or another employee of Epstein’s would give the victims hundreds of dollars in cash. MAXWELL and Epstein encouraged one or more of those victims to travel with Epstein with the intention that the victim engage in sex acts with Epstein. Moreover, and in order to maintain and increase his supply of victims, MAXWELL and Epstein also paid certain victims to recruit additional girls to be similarly abused by Epstein. In this way, MAXWELL and Epstein created a network of underage victims for Epstein to sexually exploit."
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-prison-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse
"MAXWELL and Epstein identified vulnerable girls, typically from single-mother households and difficult financial circumstances." 🤬
I don’t doubt it for a minute.
Epstein's long-time attorney died recently. He was 80 years old, so perhaps conspiracy theories are not warranted yet, but I hope Ms. Brown has good bodyguards and state of the art home security.
Agreed. No Putin-like "accidental" deaths, and no openly bragged attacks - none of it. The rest of us have to up our vigilance game, too, without being overly panicked or paranoid.
Roy Black’s death is not linked to Epstein scandal, his family says By Jay Weaver
"Records show that Black was not among the lawyers who attended Epstein’s plea and sentencing hearing in June 2008 in West Palm Beach Circuit Court. Also, his signature was not among the lawyers who signed Epstein’s “non-prosecution agreement” with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami in September 2007.
"Acosta’s non-prosecution agreement was initially kept secret from Epstein’s victims. The agreement also immunized several of his co-conspirators from federal prosecution.
The Herald’s investigation of the secretive plea deal, part of its “Perversion of Justice” series by Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown, led to Acosta resigning as U.S. Secretary of Labor in 2019 during the first Trump administration."
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article311239025.html#storylink=cpy
Doesn't mean that Black's Epstein file would not contain info that could lead to relevant evidence.
Thank you Jen for telling this part of the story and giving us a new hero
But why is she a NEW hero? Why has all her work been kept relatively in the dark?
She is not a "new" hero. Her investigation and the book had been reported on extensively at the time. That's why I bought the book when it was first published in 2021. Yesterday I wrote about it in several comments here and on Jim Acosta's sub stack.
Her work has not been kept in the dark. I remember reading her work regarding Epstein and Maxwell in the Miami Herald. She is a superb journalist and truth teller. I have the utmost respect for Ms. Julie Brown.
"But why is she a NEW hero? Why has all her work been kept relatively in the dark?"
Because the Left sees a chance to embarrass Trump. That's all this amounts to. It's funny to watch all the wailing and gnashing of teeth from right-wing media after all these years and now the split in the Repubs' ranks. It's also funny to see the sudden interest from left-wing media after total silence during the Biden administration.
The bottom line is that all of it should have been released after Epstein's death. Obviously things such as videos of children should be sealed, but the names and dates should be revealed. I believe the 2007 case is where everyone needs to focus their attention. The cover-up, if there is one, starts there.
it's not primariy the "left" ( as if the US had any serious left-wing politics) that is pushing for release of info on Epstein - it is the MAGA folks who were led for years (by Trump) to believe that material in the files would incriminate Clinton and maybe even Bill Gates. The "left" is certainly enjoying Trump's discomposure, after his full and rich lifetime of scams, frauds and cheating.
"it's not primarily the "left" ( as if the US had any serious left-wing politics) that is pushing for release of info on Epstein..."
It is now precisely because the MAGA crowd is dissatisfied with Trump's sudden about-face in releasing the files. The Dems and the media see an opening to embarrass Trump and they're going to take advantage of it.
trump embarrasses himself every day without any help from "the left" (whatever that is). The funny thing is that MAGA people get all worked up about pedophilia and try to pin the pedo label on all kinds of Democrats when, in fact, it is mostly Republicans who have been certified pedophiles. Remember Dennis Hastert, the longest serving GOP Speaker of the House? Adjudicated pedophile. Mark Foley, trump, Ruben Verastigui, Chase Tristian Espy, Rep. John Rose, Rep. Matt Gaetz, etc.
"trump embarrasses himself every day..."
Well, maybe not every day, but he does have his moments.
"The funny thing is that MAGA people get all worked up about pedophilia..."
Pedophilia knows no boundaries, and it's not funny.
There is a place for courage. Courage should be honored.
And cowardice exposed and condemned. Cowardice of half of Congress, two-thirds of the Supremes, many of our universities, our media, on and on.....
Agreed! I saw the headline, I couldn't read anything more about it. Shipman is the worst of the worst. I figure that she, too, will spend eternity with Trump in Hades!
It's great that someone is continuing the investigation, especially in the face of all the distractions that are being thrown up. It's really amazing, the volume. Just check Fox. Yesterday, the banner story was Gabbard's "investigation" of Obama. Today, it's more "evidence" of Joe Biden's decline, with more follow-up on the Obama "story" and a piece on shiny New York City. No mention of Epstein in the leads.
They must be really worried.
Methinks the Manchurian Cantaloupe doth protest too much.
Thanks! Made me smile!
They're scared to death, and I'm glad they are. Myself, I have less than zero respect for these scared loudmouths.
And they wouldn’t be so scared if there were no truth in the story. Guilty by fright!!!
And yet, Murdoch's WSJ is on this story like a bunch of bloodhounds. Go figure.
Trump kicked the hornet's nest by suing Murdoch. Murdoch has at least 4× as much wealth than Trump and runs Fox. Not a smart move, Donnie.
I think it's the best one can expect from an effing moron, who never thinks before he speaks, if he is capable of thinking!
Well, he probably decided not no be an enabler. A little late, but fear of loss of $$$ is always a motivator.
Distractions, distractions ……
Bravo!
But as we keep uncovering sanctioned racketeering by this administration, a foundation of fiends who are in control keeps solidifying, and referring to prisoner Maxwell as a victim….. Keep protesting, making your voices heard, hitting them in their wallets by boycotting his business supporters and associates which actually gets their attention, and send everyone you know the now famous South Park episode.
The sexual trafficking of girls is reprehensible, as is any form of slavery, and I hope Epstein’s victims come to terms with their past. Andrea Dworkin comes to mind here. (Look her up.) But let’s not forget the millions of women, girls, boys, or men subject to rape and abuse by the untouchables. The malefactors are not only the procurers and debauchers (including relatives, neighbors, teachers, cops, and clergy) but also paying clients. It is rare for pimps (Trump’s grandad) to be held accountable in any significant way (100 plus life sentences?) and even rarer for their clients and freelance molesters to be outed or imprisoned. The Epstein files only spotlight what has been going on openly or behind closed doors for centuries in every country that ever existed. So let’s not forget Equal Rights for women worldwide.
Hooray for Julie Brown and independent news sources such as the Contrarian!
Agent Orange will continue to try to hide everything in his disgusting past -- from his love affair with Jeffrey Epstein to his grades in high school. I have never met anyone in real life with a thinner skin.
or a bigger rap sheet...
Leave it to a woman. God bless, and protect, Julie Brown🙏
Love her 100 Yard Stare with those steely blue eyes!
Hats off to Julie Brown and to the victims and their attorneys who are starting to emerge as I wrote in my Raw Story commentary on Wednesday.
https://www.newsbreak.com/raw-story-2096750/4127683141203-trump-s-rage-threatens-to-unearth-his-biggest-skeletons-opinion.
Check out Joyce Vance this morning. SARs, or Suspicious Activity Reports, can be a treasure trove for prosecutors. Banks flagged more than $1.5 billion in transactions involving Epstein. They included “thousands of wire transfers for the purchase and sale of artwork for rich friends, fees paid to Mr. Epstein by wealthy individuals, and payments to numerous women.”
Kudos to Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, who has been investigating Epstein’s finances for at least three years.
“We felt from the beginning this was a follow-the-money case,” Senator Wyden said in an interview. “This horrific sex-trafficking operation cost Epstein a lot of money, and he had to get that money from somewhere.”
Yep
Yep…ALWAYS follow the money.
Following the money remains an effective method of getting to the truth.
Yep
Makes you wonder if he was embezzling from people like Wexler, on top of everything else he was doing.
He was doing SOMEthing with, for, or to Wexler. There's no other possible explanation.
She might be rising up to the easily-noticible level on the Orange Menace' list of targets. We no longer live in a Democracy and Constitutional Rights have been swept up and placed in the dust bin.
As someone stated above, we're praying she has good surveillance and security. Heck, I'll contribute to that fund if I find there is one - or a need for one.
Julie Brown deserves only commendation. Hopefully mass media will see this and make her and her findings a household name.
Thank you, Jen, for your profiles in courage. They offer a strong glimmer of hope. I used your encomium of Karen Bass in my ESL class last week to light a candle.
But Julie Brown has remained undaunted in her refusal to let this recede from public view. May we all learn from her clear-eyed courage.
Thank you Julie Brown. Courage, ain't it the truth!
Yes, thank God she broke the story and forced a reaction, but how's long will it be till those documents saved recordings are destroyed and another law is broken?
That's a good question, but my concern is how we break up this sex/slavery ring, which is clearly more vast than many of us realized - or wanted to. Not saying it can't be done; I know it can be. But it will have to be done regardless of how much or how little of the files are released. Or destroyed. (I work in the latter field, so I'm aware of that angle as well.)
Honestly, I'd prefer the focus be on better governance and rule of law. How many more people are going to be let down by their representatives?
Nixonian.