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Sorry, Jeffrey Epstein truthers, the pedophile was no spy — here's why
Sorry, Jeffrey Epstein truthers, the pedophile was no spy — here's why

New York Post

time10 hours ago

  • Politics
  • New York Post

Sorry, Jeffrey Epstein truthers, the pedophile was no spy — here's why

It's almost conventional wisdom in certain quarters that Jeffrey Epstein must have been working for the Israeli intelligence service Mossad. 'It's extremely obvious to anyone who watches that this guy,' Tucker Carlson said of Epstein the other day, 'had direct connections to a foreign government. No one is allowed to say that that foreign government is Israel because we've been somehow cowed into thinking that that's naughty.' Steve Bannon, covering all his bases, says Epstein was working for Mossad, MI6, Saudi intelligence and the CIA, while Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA only says that Epstein may have been working for Mossad. Advertisement The first question to ask about this purported relationship is, why would Mossad want to associate itself with Epstein? He was under investigation for his sexual crimes going back to 2005 and convicted of a few of them (as part of a sweetheart plea deal) in 2008, and would be under federal investigation again about a decade later. Clearly, it would risk an enormous black eye for the state of Israel to connect itself to a known sex offender whose lifestyle was a flamboyant and ongoing crime scene. Advertisement What would be the supposed upside? Compromising information on the rich and powerful? Presumably there'd be much easier ways to honey-trap men with untoward sexual appetites than hope they become friendly with Jeffrey Epstein and compromise themselves on his private island. If the notion of Epstein as Israeli spy seems implausible, if not farcical, it's gotten some superficial plausibility from parts of the record that have been exaggerated or misinterpreted. Advertisement Perhaps most important, the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida who worked out the plea deal with Epstein, Alex Acosta, supposedly said that he was told to go easy on Epstein by higher-ups in the Bush administration at the time because Epstein was with intelligence. Acosta allegedly said this as part of his vetting process to become President Donald Trump's first-term secretary of labor. But this didn't come directly from Acosta; rather, an unnamed source told the story to a reporter. Advertisement Acosta denies he ever said it. Asked about the matter at a press conference as labor secretary when the Epstein story reemerged, Acosta seemed to deny it — admittedly, in a halting and indirect fashion. As part of an extensive 2020 Justice Department Office of Professional Responsibility report into the handling of the case by Acosta and the Southern District, Acosta told investigators that he had no information about Epstein being an intelligence asset, and that his answer at the press conference was meant to be a 'no.' The report related that OPR 'found no evidence suggesting that Epstein' was an ''intelligence asset,' or that anyone — including any of the subjects of OPR's investigation — believed that to be the case.' What about Epstein's well-documented relationship with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak? One assumes that a Mossad asset wouldn't spend inordinate time with a former high-ranking Israeli official. Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Alan Dershowitz, who represented Epstein, maintains that he asked his client if he had contacts with intelligence agencies, and Epstein said 'no,' even though it would have been in his legal interest to disclose any relationships. Advertisement Regarding Epstein's death, which many believe was really a murder, the Mossad accusations get more fantastic. Israeli intelligence had to clean up after itself by killing an American citizen on US soil — in fact, while he was held in an American jail? By the way, if Mossad killed Epstein, and was capable of pulling off a no-fingerprints operation in extremely difficult circumstances on US soil, surely its agents would have killed his close associate Ghislaine Maxwell before she went to trial with an incentive to spill her guts. Advertisement All of this so beggars belief it's almost not worth addressing — except that influential voices on the right believe Israel might be behind one of the most hideous scandals in recent American life. Twitter: @RichLowry

NYPD Officer Charged With Stealing $87K From Elderly Wells Fargo Customers
NYPD Officer Charged With Stealing $87K From Elderly Wells Fargo Customers

Black America Web

time2 days ago

  • Black America Web

NYPD Officer Charged With Stealing $87K From Elderly Wells Fargo Customers

Source: UCG / Getty Just when you thought you ran out of reasons to hate on the NYPD, a rookie cop just gave everyone more grounds to give NYPD officers the side-eye, as he's just been bagged making unauthorized withdrawals from numerous bank accounts while he was working as a branch operations manager at Wells Fargo. According to CBS News , Officer Yeison Rodriguez Acosta has just been charged with identity theft and grand larceny by the Westchester County District Attorney's Office after he allegedly stole a whopping $87,000 from 14 different bank accounts, which belonged to customers who were mostly in their 70s and above. Taking advantage of the kind of customers who probably wouldn't be checking their bank accounts regularly either in person or via mobile apps, Acosta would regular make withdrawals from said accounts while working at the Wells Fargo branch in Rye Brook between May 2024 and June 2025. Using their money to live a lavish lifestyle including luxury cars, vacations and even fitness programs, such as Booty by Jacks (health is wealth, y'all), Acosta's luck ultimately ran out and he is now facing a 30-count complaint as a employee of the NYPD. CBS News reports: 'Some of the victims didn't know that their accounts were compromised until the detectives went and told them,' Rye Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy said. Kopy said detectives spent months working the case against Rodriguez Acosta, who is assigned to the NYPD's 48th Precinct. CBS News New York saw him leave the Bronx stationhouse after cleaning out his locker Thursday afternoon. 'It's a black eye on the profession, but just one individual. There are tens of thousands of police officers across the country who do a good job every day,' Kopy said. Though Acosta is now facing the full force of the law, prosecutors are already looking at the suspect, well, suspect as he's given them multiple addresses he can be reached at including one that even the NYPD wasn't aware of. Something like that never bolds well for anyone involved in such legal proceedings. 'The defendant's brazen conduct, as alleged, does a disservice to his colleagues in law enforcement, who wear the badge honorably and took the same oath to protect and serve,' District Attorney Susan Cacace said in an earlier statement. 'My administration will work to ensure that Mr. Rodriguez Acosta is held accountable for his alleged crimes and that the victims in this case are made whole.' Though the judge didn't order a monitoring device be placed on Acosta, he did have him surrender his passport in case he decided to try to flee the country. That man is running off on the plug, b. He's about to put that Booty by Jacks fitness program to work! SEE ALSO NYPD Officer Charged With Stealing $87K From Elderly Wells Fargo Customers was originally published on

Ducati's Marquez wins Czech GP sprint after penalty scare
Ducati's Marquez wins Czech GP sprint after penalty scare

Straits Times

time3 days ago

  • Automotive
  • Straits Times

Ducati's Marquez wins Czech GP sprint after penalty scare

Find out what's new on ST website and app. Ducati's Marc Marquez took a record-extending 11th sprint win of the MotoGP season at the Czech Grand Prix on Saturday, but the Spaniard's celebrations were briefly put on hold during an investigation for tyre pressure infringements. Marquez and factory Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia were both forced to slow down during the race and surrender first and second place due to low tyre pressure, or risk incurring an eight-second penalty. Six-times champion Marquez relinquished his lead but was able to overtake KTM's Pedro Acosta with two laps remaining and cross the finish line first. Asked if he had done enough to avoid a penalty, Marquez said: "Yeah, we did it. For that reason, I'm smiling. So it's true that it was super towards the limit. And yeah, we're riding comfortable. "Then I saw that the pressure was not enough. I tried to push some laps on the brakes, but I saw that was too much risk to get on that correct pressure. And then I decided to wait. "I just stayed super close to Acosta to increase the temperature. And then when I saw the temperature was already inside the rules, pressure was inside the rules, then I pushed in the last few laps." MotoGP confirmed that no further action would be taken against Marquez. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise Singapore Bukit Panjang LRT disruptions in July both linked to newly installed power system: SMRT Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Asia Johor Bahru collision claims lives of e-hailing driver and Singapore passenger Sport Arsenal arrive in Singapore for pre-season matches with AC Milan and Newcastle Business Crypto exchange Tokenize to shut down Singapore operations Singapore More initiatives and support for migrant community announced at Racial Harmony Day event Singapore ComfortDelGro to discipline driver who flung relative's wheelchair out of taxi MARC MARQUEZ LEADS BROTHER ALEX He leads the riders' championship table with 356 points, with his second-placed younger brother Alex, who finished 17th after a disastrous start, 95 points behind on 261. KTM-Tech3's Enea Bastiani, who missed the previous round with appendicitis, ended in third at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic. For Acosta, it was a first sprint podium since Aragon 2024. "Well, this is a season where we were struggling so much. And now I see all these people celebrating. You know, it was super tough," the 21-year-old said. "It was the darkest beginning of a season in my life. Being on the podium again is super nice. Thanks to all of KTM, all the guys that are at home supporting me." Pole-sitter Bagnaia finished seventh after he was overtaken by Trackhouse Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez in the final lap. Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin ended 11th on his return to competition after suffering a collapsed lung and bruised ribs in a crash in Qatar in April. REUTERS

Under-pressure Marquez wins sprint after penalty scare
Under-pressure Marquez wins sprint after penalty scare

Perth Now

time4 days ago

  • Automotive
  • Perth Now

Under-pressure Marquez wins sprint after penalty scare

Ducati's Marc Marquez took a record-extending 11th sprint win of the season at the Czech Grand Prix, but the Spaniard's celebrations were briefly put on hold during an investigation into tyre pressure infringements. Marquez and factory Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia were both forced to slow down during Saturday's race and surrender first and second place due to low tyre pressure, or risk incurring an eight-second penalty. Six-times champion Marquez relinquished his lead but was able to overtake KTM's Pedro Acosta with two laps remaining and cross the finish line first. Asked if he had done enough to avoid a penalty, Marquez said: "Yes, we did it. For that reason, I'm smiling. So it's true that it was super towards the limit. And yeah, we're riding comfortable. "Then I saw that the pressure was not enough. I tried to push some laps on the brakes, but I saw that was too much risk to get on that correct pressure. And then I decided to wait. "I just stayed super close to Acosta to increase the temperature. And then when I saw the temperature was already inside the rules, pressure was inside the rules, then I pushed in the last few laps." MotoGP confirmed that no further action would be taken against Marquez, who leads the riders' championship table with 356 points. His younger brother Alex, who finished 17th after a disastrous start, is in second place, 95 points behind on 261. KTM-Tech3's Enea Bastiani, who missed the previous round with appendicitis, ended third at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic. For Acosta, it was a first sprint podium since Aragon 2024. The 21-year-old said: "It was the darkest beginning of a season in my life. Being on the podium again is super nice." Pole-sitter Bagnaia finished seventh after he was overtaken by Trackhouse Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez in the final lap. Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin ended 11th on his return to competition after suffering a collapsed lung and bruised ribs in a crash in Qatar in April. Australia's Jack Miller finished 12th, having started 10th.

Czech MotoGP 2025: Marc Marquez wins sprint after penalty scare
Czech MotoGP 2025: Marc Marquez wins sprint after penalty scare

The Hindu

time4 days ago

  • Sport
  • The Hindu

Czech MotoGP 2025: Marc Marquez wins sprint after penalty scare

Ducati's Marc Marquez took a record-extending 11th sprint win of the MotoGP season at the Czech Grand Prix on Saturday, but the Spaniard's celebrations were briefly put on hold during an investigation for tyre pressure infringements. Marquez and factory Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia were both forced to slow down during the race and surrender first and second place due to low tyre pressure, or risk incurring an eight-second penalty. Six-time champion Marquez relinquished his lead but was able to overtake KTM's Pedro Acosta with two laps remaining and cross the finish line first. Asked if he had done enough to avoid a penalty, Marquez said: 'Yeah, we did it. For that reason, I'm smiling. So it's true that it was super towards the limit. And yeah, we're riding comfortable. 'Then I saw that the pressure was not enough. I tried to push some laps on the brakes, but I saw that was too much risk to get on that correct pressure. And then I decided to wait. 'I just stayed super close to Acosta to increase the temperature. And then when I saw the temperature was already inside the rules, pressure was inside the rules, then I pushed in the last few laps.' MotoGP confirmed that no further action would be taken against Marquez. He leads the riders' championship table with 356 points, with his second-placed younger brother Alex, who finished 17th after a disastrous start, 95 points behind on 261. KTM-Tech3's Enea Bastiani, who missed the previous round with appendicitis, ended in third at the Brno circuit in the Czech Republic. For Acosta, it was a first sprint podium since Aragon 2024. 'Well, this is a season where we were struggling so much. And now I see all these people celebrating. You know, it was super tough,' the 21-year-old said. 'It was the darkest beginning of a season in my life. Being on the podium again is super nice. Thanks to all of KTM, all the guys that are at home supporting me.' Pole-sitter Bagnaia finished seventh after he was overtaken by Trackhouse Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez in the final lap. Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin ended 11th on his return to competition after suffering a collapsed lung and bruised ribs in a crash in Qatar in April.

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