The Epstein web: Return of the man who knew too much

New Indian Express

16 hours ago

Robert Maxwell's mysterious death at sea in 1991—with his body found floating near the Canary Islands—and later revelations of his cooperation with Israeli intelligence are part of the shadow legacy Ghislaine inherited. That she embedded herself so deeply into the Anglo-American elite without scrutiny for so long speaks not only to privilege, but to protection.
Prince Andrew's entanglement is no longer a matter of speculation. His now-settled civil case with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of abusing her as a minor, came with a multi-million-dollar payout and a permanently-damaged reputation. The photograph of him with Giuffre, Maxwell in the background, remains iconic—not just for what it shows, but for how it was denied.
The prince's association with Epstein, even after Epstein's first conviction, and the disastrous BBC interview that followed, confirmed what many already feared: that the British establishment had, at best, turned a blind eye. At worst, it was complicit.
Numerous observers, including former intelligence professionals, have long speculated that Epstein was a facilitator—creating honeypots, filming the powerful, and quietly handing over the results to interested parties. Former Israeli officer Ari Ben-Menashe and American whistleblowers have suggested Epstein's operation bore the hallmarks of classic compromat used for control or blackmail. Why else would such a man be funded, protected, and even after conviction be welcomed by the world's most influential people?
Epstein's death in a high-security New York prison in 2019, officially ruled a suicide, though surveillance footage vanished and the guards reportedly slept through it, only deepened suspicions. It was the perfect ending for a man who knew too much.
At first glance, Trump appears as just another name in Epstein's contact list who famously called Epstein 'a terrific guy' in 2002. But since Epstein's death, many within Trump's base have seized on the scandal as proof of a global elite network rotten to its core—a real-world echo of what the QAnon, the far-right conspiracy movement, claims about a secret cabal of child-abusing elites that Trump was chosen to expose. While neither Clinton nor Trump has faced charges over Epstein's activities, their documented ties continue to raise uncomfortable questions.
To many on the right, Epstein became symbolic of a decadent ruling class—jet-setting, untouchable and predatory. The fact that Epstein's ties to Clinton were longer and deeper than to Trump has not gone unnoticed. Nor has the fact that Epstein's prosecution accelerated under the Trump-era department of justice.