Topline
Seventy-five percent of Americans say the federal government is hiding information about Jeffrey Epstein’s clients and just 10% believe the Trump administration has helped efforts to hold Epstein associates accountable, according to a new poll.
A protest group called “Hot Mess” hold up signs of Jeffrey Epstein in front of the federal courthouse on July 8, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Doubts about the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein probe spans the political spectrum—66% of Republicans, 88% of Democrats and 73% of independents say they believe the federal government is hiding information about Epstein’s clients, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday.
The poll found 84% said the Epstein files showed that powerful people in America are rarely held accountable (the poll of 4,531 adults was conducted June 3-8 and has a margin of error of 2).
The survey was released as Bill Gates testifies before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday about his ties to Epstein.
Key Background
The Trump administration has faced ongoing scrutiny about its handling of the investigation into Epstein after initially refusing to release millions of pages of documents related to the probe, despite Trump’s promises on the campaign trail to do so. The files were only released after multiple Republicans broke with Trump in calling for them to be made public and Congress passed legislation requiring their disclosure. Multiple high-powered individuals, including Gates, billionaire Les Wexner, former President Bill Clinton, Elon Musk, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, billionaire Richard Branson, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, billionaire Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Trump ally Steve Bannon, were linked to Epstein in the files. Only one co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been convicted in the probe. Trump and his top officials have said repeatedly the probe into Epstein is closed and Trump has urged the country to move on.
Tangent
The House Oversight Committee has continued its probe into Epstein and has interviewed Lutnick, Wexner, billionaire Leon Black, Clinton, Maxwell, and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, among others. Gates’ interview will take place behind closed doors, but the transcript is expected to be released to the public. Gates has called his relationship with Epstein, which spanned from 2011-204, a “huge mistake” in a town hall with Gates Foundation employees earlier this year, according to the Wall Street Journal. He admitted to affairs with women who knew him, but said he never saw any illegal activity or was around victims.
further reading
Bill Gates Was Warned By Epstein Ally To Stay Away, Reported Email Says (Forbes)
Billionaire Bill Gates Says He’s ‘Glad’ To Testify To Congress About Epstein (Forbes)
Bill Gates Was Warned By Epstein Ally To Stay Away, Reported Email Says (Forbes)