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We interrupt your regularly scheduled Iran posts with more Epstein posts.
Melania Trump says rumors linking her to Epstein need to stop
For reference: This document, a proffer by one of Epstein's assistants, claims that Epstein introduced Melania to Donald; the assistant also worked for Paolo Zampolli, the man who hosted the party at which Trump and Melania met. Another piece of correspondence by a redacted author to Epstein claims that "I remember flying back with Donald on his plane the first weekend I went to visit you in Florida was the weekend he met Melania and he kept on coming out of the bedroom saying 'wow what a hot piece of ass'". So at the least, her claim that "My name has never appeared in court documents, depositions, victim statements, or FBI interviews surrounding the Epstein matter" is incorrect.
Michael Wolff, who become a sort of Epstein confidant while researching Trump, said Epstein claimed that the first time Trump and Melania banged was on the infamous Lolita Express.
This appears to be the referenced correspondence with Maxwell. Seems a little bit friendlier than "casual".
There are so many legitimate reasons why the Orange Man is Bad that it's a bit depressing that so many people feel the need to make up fake reasons too. Like, the corruption, incompetence, and blatant buffoonery aren't enough? We have to pretend Trump is a pedophile too?
Let's split the three possibilities from maximalist to minimalist.
A) Trump is a serial predator who raped kids with his buddy (as documented in some of the more ridiculously lurid accusations)
B) Trump fooled around with some of Epstein's models who may have happened to be slightly under 18
C) Trump liked hanging out with Epstein because he knew people and was wealthy
The third seems to be the most likely. Trump wasn't happy about Epstein stealing his girls (Mar-a-Lago workers like Virginia). When the Palm Beach police chief arrested Epstein, Trump called thanking him because everyone knew Epstein liked em young. Trump is an adulterer and harasser of women (reminder that he has been successfully sued, in civil court, of sexual assault) but not an out and out pedo.
That said, his links with Epstein go beyond the mere appearance of impropriety, as do those of several of his advisors. And when the files get slow-walked and redacted, it increases suspicion. And when his wife who was barely mentioned in the files and barely discussed suddenly makes a big public announcement begging everyone to STOP TALKING about her and Epstein, well.
I'd like to go into a little more detail about C. C can be broken up into C1 and C2.
C1: Trump knew that Epstein was a pedophile and was unbothered by this fact.
C2: Trump may have suspected something, but wasn't sure.
With a crime as emotionally charged as pedophilia, there's a legal aspect and a moral aspect. People aren't just interested in whether he has legal culpability. This is something that both left and right would generally expect you to stop associating with that person.
There's a middle ground theory where everyone knew he was a pedophile but neither participated nor reported him. Or facilitated him in tiny ways that technically aren't illegal so long as they can plausibly claim "they looked like adults to me."
Maybe pedophilia or ephebophilia or whatever just wasn't seen as that serious back then. (My only reference for this is a House episode where the doctors all make comments on how hot the 15 year old patient is)
Remember that you're talking about the Groupie Generation here. They're '70s people. And House is kind of peak liberal (as in, not progressive) media anyway so it's natural that people who aren't tied into knots about the fact sex exists are going to treat hangups about that as a punchline.
The gynosupremacist "every female teenager who has sex was raped" angle ramped up later, in the '80s.
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