Trump amplifies Epstein conspiracy theories on social media
In his first public response to the death of financier and accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, President Donald Trump retweeted baseless conspiracy theories around his death and a news alert citing former President Bill Clinton's previous involvement with Epstein.
Trump first retweeted a post from @BreakingNLive, "Documents were unsealed yesterday revealing that top Democrats, including Bill Clinton, took private trips to Jeffrey Epstein’s “pedophilia island."
Trump then retweeted a conspiracy theory from comedian Terrence K. Williams around Epstein's death that used some of the day's top trending hashtags on Twitter, such as #EpsteinSuicide, #ClintonBodyCount, #JefferyEpstein, and #TrumpBodyCount.
"Died of SUICIDE on 24/7 SUICIDE WATCH ? Yeah right! How does that happen#JefferyEpstein had information on Bill Clinton & now he’s dead. I see #TrumpBodyCount trending but we know who did this! RT if you’re not Surprised#EpsteinSuicide #ClintonBodyCount #ClintonCrimeFamily," Williams wrote.
Epstein was reported dead Saturday morning in an apparent suicide while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges over his alleged abuse of underage girls, officials said.
Late Friday night, unsealed court documents that included logs of Epstein's pilots revealed that Clinton used the financier's planes to travel for the Clinton Foundation and to make paid speeches.
“President Clinton knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York,” Clinton spokesman Angel Urena said last month. "He’s not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade, and has never been to Little St. James Island, Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico, or his residence in Florida.”
The logs also show that Trump made at least one trip in 1997 from Palm Beach to Newark in Epstein's plane.
Epstein used to be a regular at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's resort in Palm beach, but later was banned after allegedly sexually assaulting a worker there.
"I had a falling out a long time ago, I’d say maybe 15 years. … I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you," Trump said when Epstein was first arrested in early July.
Trump has frequently publicly trafficked in conspiracy theories surrounding his political opponents, including 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Sen. Ted Cruz and former President Barack Obama.
Trump was an early public proponent of the debunked conspiracy theory that Obama was not an American citizen. During the Republican presidential debates in 2016, Trump baselessly accused Sen. Ted Cruz’s father of playing a role in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. During the 2016 campaign, Trump also amplified without evidence rumors that Hillary Clinton was suffering from debilitating illnesses.
