Latest news with #governmentCoverup
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jeffrey Epstein-related books and TV shows have exploded amid Trump's case-closed claims
A sudden resurgence of interest in Jeffrey Epstein, and unanswered questions about his crimes, has been measurable this month in book sales, Netflix streams and YouTube searches. The data points to deep public curiosity in Epstein's underage sex trafficking operation, and a possible government coverup, at a time when President Trump is trying to shift attention away from the topic. Old copies of investigative reporter Julie K. Brown's 2021 book 'Perversion of Justice,' about Epstein, have been snapped up by buyers in recent weeks, leaving the book out of stock all across the web, from Amazon and Barnes & Noble to smaller and independent shops. Brown said she has been hearing from interested buyers who can't find any print copies. 'I'm told the publisher is printing more copies,' she wrote on X to people who have been asking. HarperCollins, the publisher, confirmed to CNN that the book is now entering its third printing. 'I hope it reflects that people really want to understand the story from the beginning,' Brown added in an interview with CNN. A 2016 book about Epstein from James Patterson's true crime series, 'Filthy Rich,' has also climbed up Amazon's sales chart in recent days. A Netflix docuseries based on that book, 'Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich,' came out in 2020, and gained new viewers earlier this month when the Trump administration said it would not release any further material from its years-old probe of Epstein. The case-closed message from the FBI and Justice Department fueled an uproar — and a dramatic spike in people searching for more information about the matter. Google Trends showed a sudden uptick in Epstein-related searches when the government statement was released on July 17, and even higher levels of interest after Trump attempted to quell the outrage. Similarly, from the first full week of July to the second week, US viewership of the Netflix docuseries rose 268 percent, as measured by minutes watched, according to Luminate, a streaming data firm. A search of Epstein's name on YouTube, filtered only to show videos uploaded in the past week, found more than 40 videos with more than one million views each. Most of the top clips featured late-night TV hosts roasting Trump and speculated that the president wants certain secrets kept under wraps. Last Friday, Trump sued the Wall Street Journal for libel over the newspaper's account of a birthday letter to Epstein bearing Trump's name and an outline of a naked woman. On CNN's 'NewsNight,' New York Post editor at large Kelly Jane Torrance said the new Journal lawsuit might be a 'bad idea' for Trump because 'it's the Streisand Effect all over again.' 'Donald Trump is bringing so much more attention to this story than if he had just ignored it,' she said. Two recent polls indicate that the public's interest in Epstein and the Epstein-adjacent universe of conspiracy theories does not outrank public policy matters like immigration and inflation. However, when polled on the topic, Americans say the government should disclose more. 'Americans overwhelmingly suspect that the files contain damaging information about powerful and wealthy people,' CBS News pollsters reported Sunday. Brown told CNN that she has been even busier this month — with source calls, TV interviews and the like — than she was when Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019. The reporter remains intrigued by unresolved questions, particularly about the sources of Epstein's riches. 'As they say, 'Follow the money,'' she remarked on 'AC360' last week. Brown also said she believes government officials 'want to put a lid on this,' and that has made some of Epstein's victims even more anxious. 'I spoke to a couple of them over the past few days and, you know, they're afraid,' Brown said. Then Brown paraphrased what the sources had said to her: 'The more our government covers up for Epstein, the more fearful I become because I keep thinking, 'Who is this guy? Who are the people that are in these files?''
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Jeffrey Epstein-related books and TV shows have exploded amid Trump's case-closed claims
A sudden resurgence of interest in Jeffrey Epstein, and unanswered questions about his crimes, has been measurable this month in book sales, Netflix streams and YouTube searches. The data points to deep public curiosity in Epstein's underage sex trafficking operation, and a possible government coverup, at a time when President Trump is trying to shift attention away from the topic. Old copies of investigative reporter Julie K. Brown's 2021 book 'Perversion of Justice,' about Epstein, have been snapped up by buyers in recent weeks, leaving the book out of stock all across the web, from Amazon and Barnes & Noble to smaller and independent shops. Brown said she has been hearing from interested buyers who can't find any print copies. 'I'm told the publisher is printing more copies,' she wrote on X to people who have been asking. HarperCollins, the publisher, confirmed to CNN that the book is now entering its third printing. 'I hope it reflects that people really want to understand the story from the beginning,' Brown added in an interview with CNN. A 2016 book about Epstein from James Patterson's true crime series, 'Filthy Rich,' has also climbed up Amazon's sales chart in recent days. A Netflix docuseries based on that book, 'Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich,' came out in 2020, and gained new viewers earlier this month when the Trump administration said it would not release any further material from its years-old probe of Epstein. The case-closed message from the FBI and Justice Department fueled an uproar — and a dramatic spike in people searching for more information about the matter. Google Trends showed a sudden uptick in Epstein-related searches when the government statement was released on July 17, and even higher levels of interest after Trump attempted to quell the outrage. Similarly, from the first full week of July to the second week, US viewership of the Netflix docuseries rose 268 percent, as measured by minutes watched, according to Luminate, a streaming data firm. A search of Epstein's name on YouTube, filtered only to show videos uploaded in the past week, found more than 40 videos with more than one million views each. Most of the top clips featured late-night TV hosts roasting Trump and speculated that the president wants certain secrets kept under wraps. Last Friday, Trump sued the Wall Street Journal for libel over the newspaper's account of a birthday letter to Epstein bearing Trump's name and an outline of a naked woman. On CNN's 'NewsNight,' New York Post editor at large Kelly Jane Torrance said the new Journal lawsuit might be a 'bad idea' for Trump because 'it's the Streisand Effect all over again.' 'Donald Trump is bringing so much more attention to this story than if he had just ignored it,' she said. Two recent polls indicate that the public's interest in Epstein and the Epstein-adjacent universe of conspiracy theories does not outrank public policy matters like immigration and inflation. However, when polled on the topic, Americans say the government should disclose more. 'Americans overwhelmingly suspect that the files contain damaging information about powerful and wealthy people,' CBS News pollsters reported Sunday. Brown told CNN that she has been even busier this month — with source calls, TV interviews and the like — than she was when Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019. The reporter remains intrigued by unresolved questions, particularly about the sources of Epstein's riches. 'As they say, 'Follow the money,'' she remarked on 'AC360' last week. Brown also said she believes government officials 'want to put a lid on this,' and that has made some of Epstein's victims even more anxious. 'I spoke to a couple of them over the past few days and, you know, they're afraid,' Brown said. Then Brown paraphrased what the sources had said to her: 'The more our government covers up for Epstein, the more fearful I become because I keep thinking, 'Who is this guy? Who are the people that are in these files?''
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Jeffrey Epstein-related books and TV shows have exploded amid Trump's case-closed claims
A sudden resurgence of interest in Jeffrey Epstein, and unanswered questions about his crimes, has been measurable this month in book sales, Netflix streams and YouTube searches. The data points to deep public curiosity in Epstein's underage sex trafficking operation, and a possible government coverup, at a time when President Trump is trying to shift attention away from the topic. Old copies of investigative reporter Julie K. Brown's 2021 book 'Perversion of Justice,' about Epstein, have been snapped up by buyers in recent weeks, leaving the book out of stock all across the web, from Amazon and Barnes & Noble to smaller and independent shops. Brown said she has been hearing from interested buyers who can't find any print copies. 'I'm told the publisher is printing more copies,' she wrote on X to people who have been asking. HarperCollins, the publisher, confirmed to CNN that the book is now entering its third printing. 'I hope it reflects that people really want to understand the story from the beginning,' Brown added in an interview with CNN. A 2016 book about Epstein from James Patterson's true crime series, 'Filthy Rich,' has also climbed up Amazon's sales chart in recent days. A Netflix docuseries based on that book, 'Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich,' came out in 2020, and gained new viewers earlier this month when the Trump administration said it would not release any further material from its years-old probe of Epstein. The case-closed message from the FBI and Justice Department fueled an uproar — and a dramatic spike in people searching for more information about the matter. Google Trends showed a sudden uptick in Epstein-related searches when the government statement was released on July 17, and even higher levels of interest after Trump attempted to quell the outrage. Similarly, from the first full week of July to the second week, US viewership of the Netflix docuseries rose 268 percent, as measured by minutes watched, according to Luminate, a streaming data firm. A search of Epstein's name on YouTube, filtered only to show videos uploaded in the past week, found more than 40 videos with more than one million views each. Most of the top clips featured late-night TV hosts roasting Trump and speculated that the president wants certain secrets kept under wraps. Last Friday, Trump sued the Wall Street Journal for libel over the newspaper's account of a birthday letter to Epstein bearing Trump's name and an outline of a naked woman. On CNN's 'NewsNight,' New York Post editor at large Kelly Jane Torrance said the new Journal lawsuit might be a 'bad idea' for Trump because 'it's the Streisand Effect all over again.' 'Donald Trump is bringing so much more attention to this story than if he had just ignored it,' she said. Two recent polls indicate that the public's interest in Epstein and the Epstein-adjacent universe of conspiracy theories does not outrank public policy matters like immigration and inflation. However, when polled on the topic, Americans say the government should disclose more. 'Americans overwhelmingly suspect that the files contain damaging information about powerful and wealthy people,' CBS News pollsters reported Sunday. Brown told CNN that she has been even busier this month — with source calls, TV interviews and the like — than she was when Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019. The reporter remains intrigued by unresolved questions, particularly about the sources of Epstein's riches. 'As they say, 'Follow the money,'' she remarked on 'AC360' last week. Brown also said she believes government officials 'want to put a lid on this,' and that has made some of Epstein's victims even more anxious. 'I spoke to a couple of them over the past few days and, you know, they're afraid,' Brown said. Then Brown paraphrased what the sources had said to her: 'The more our government covers up for Epstein, the more fearful I become because I keep thinking, 'Who is this guy? Who are the people that are in these files?''
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Jeffrey Epstein-related books and TV shows have exploded amid Trump's case-closed claims
A sudden resurgence of interest in Jeffrey Epstein, and unanswered questions about his crimes, has been measurable this month in book sales, Netflix streams and YouTube searches. The data points to deep public curiosity in Epstein's underage sex trafficking operation, and a possible government coverup, at a time when President Trump is trying to shift attention away from the topic. Old copies of investigative reporter Julie K. Brown's 2021 book 'Perversion of Justice,' about Epstein, have been snapped up by buyers in recent weeks, leaving the book out of stock all across the web, from Amazon and Barnes & Noble to smaller and independent shops. Brown said she has been hearing from interested buyers who can't find any print copies. 'I'm told the publisher is printing more copies,' she wrote on X to people who have been asking. HarperCollins, the publisher, confirmed to CNN that the book is now entering its third printing. 'I hope it reflects that people really want to understand the story from the beginning,' Brown added in an interview with CNN. A 2016 book about Epstein from James Patterson's true crime series, 'Filthy Rich,' has also climbed up Amazon's sales chart in recent days. A Netflix docuseries based on that book, 'Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich,' came out in 2020, and gained new viewers earlier this month when the Trump administration said it would not release any further material from its years-old probe of Epstein. The case-closed message from the FBI and Justice Department fueled an uproar — and a dramatic spike in people searching for more information about the matter. Google Trends showed a sudden uptick in Epstein-related searches when the government statement was released on July 17, and even higher levels of interest after Trump attempted to quell the outrage. Similarly, from the first full week of July to the second week, US viewership of the Netflix docuseries rose 268 percent, as measured by minutes watched, according to Luminate, a streaming data firm. A search of Epstein's name on YouTube, filtered only to show videos uploaded in the past week, found more than 40 videos with more than one million views each. Most of the top clips featured late-night TV hosts roasting Trump and speculated that the president wants certain secrets kept under wraps. Last Friday, Trump sued the Wall Street Journal for libel over the newspaper's account of a birthday letter to Epstein bearing Trump's name and an outline of a naked woman. On CNN's 'NewsNight,' New York Post editor at large Kelly Jane Torrance said the new Journal lawsuit might be a 'bad idea' for Trump because 'it's the Streisand Effect all over again.' 'Donald Trump is bringing so much more attention to this story than if he had just ignored it,' she said. Two recent polls indicate that the public's interest in Epstein and the Epstein-adjacent universe of conspiracy theories does not outrank public policy matters like immigration and inflation. However, when polled on the topic, Americans say the government should disclose more. 'Americans overwhelmingly suspect that the files contain damaging information about powerful and wealthy people,' CBS News pollsters reported Sunday. Brown told CNN that she has been even busier this month — with source calls, TV interviews and the like — than she was when Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019. The reporter remains intrigued by unresolved questions, particularly about the sources of Epstein's riches. 'As they say, 'Follow the money,'' she remarked on 'AC360' last week. Brown also said she believes government officials 'want to put a lid on this,' and that has made some of Epstein's victims even more anxious. 'I spoke to a couple of them over the past few days and, you know, they're afraid,' Brown said. Then Brown paraphrased what the sources had said to her: 'The more our government covers up for Epstein, the more fearful I become because I keep thinking, 'Who is this guy? Who are the people that are in these files?''
Washington Post
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Democrats are right to call for the release of the Epstein files
Pat Dennis is president of American Bridge 21st Century. Everyone in America watched Donald Trump ride back to the presidency on his superpower: the benefit of the doubt. Even voters who didn't approve of him as a person trusted that he was an outsider, that he was telling the truth about shaking up the old system and holding the powerful to account. So why is Trump choosing to throw that trust away to keep information about Jeffrey Epstein secret? That's the question now eating away at even some of his most loyal supporters — and Democrats should not be afraid to ask it alongside them. Trump's repeated calls to sweep the Epstein scandal back under the rug take the story out of the MAGA fringe and into the mainstream discourse. The disgraced financier, who died in federal prison in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking, traveled in powerful circles for many years. The public understandably wants to know why Trump is backtracking on his administration's promises to release material that might shed more light on his crimes. An Economist-YouGov survey conducted July 11 to 14 found that 81 percent of Harris voters and 59 percent of Trump voters believe the government is covering up Epstein evidence; almost no one in either camp disagrees. A CNN-SSRS poll collected July 10 to 13 shows 56 percent of Democrats, 52 percent of independents and even 40 percent of Republicans are dissatisfied with how little information Washington has released. More important, Trump's response raises an issue of trust among those who gave him the benefit of the doubt. That creates a rare opportunity for Democrats to not just mirror his base's skepticism about Epstein but also connect it to other White House positions that polling has shown many Trump voters are quietly uneasy about. If these voters decide Trump will break their trust to protect whatever is in the so-called Epstein files, they might start to wonder whether Trump has been lying to them about other things to protect his powerful and wealthy friends — while their lives get worse each day. Who benefits from massive tax cuts? Who is really paying the cost of Trump's tariffs, and whom does the ever-changing, chaotic timeline of their announcement serve? Who will face the pain of Medicaid cuts? Who is responsible for rising inflation? We need to say, loudly: 'You gave him a shot as an outsider, but he cut your community's health care, took his eye off the ball on prices and focused on tax cuts for billionaires — while he tried to shut up everyone, including his own supporters, who wanted to talk about elite billionaire sexual predators.' Democrats don't need to turn into Blue MAGA to make the case for a clear and honest investigation. They must resist the temptation to 'own the cons' with viral but shaky claims and stick to verifiable facts and legitimate questions. Nothing erodes credibility and trust faster than going out on a limb and then trying to walk it back. Just ask Dan Bongino and Kash Patel. But the case presents real questions that the public needs answered fully and clearly — with evidence — in order to restore confidence. The administration has said its investigations did not connect Epstein's crimes to other powerful figures. Officials need to detail how they reached that conclusion, where Epstein's money came from and the nature of his business relationships. They need to answer why Attorney General Pam Bondi initially claimed to have a 'client list' on her desk only to later say she misspoke. And Trump needs to explain his own relationship with Epstein, whom the president has said he had a falling out with before Epstein's crimes were exposed. In the same vein, we cannot get bogged down in petty legalism over every document that should be released. This issue is about one thing: trust. The government must be transparent in its approach. If it can release relevant material, it should. If there's a compelling, strong and legal reason it can't — if it might compromise a pending case or reveal identifying information about a victim — then the government should be transparent about that reasoning as well. Outrage over Trump's stonewalling is bipartisan, and Democrats have permission, even pressure, to lead. They cannot outsource moral clarity to Laura Loomer's X feed. By treating the Epstein case as an elite-driven corruption scandal rather than a partisan conspiracy theory, they can puncture Trump's outsider myth, champion survivors and remind voters that real populism is about holding power to account — even when that power sits in the Oval Office.
