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From public embraces to campaign denials, the full Trump-Epstein story...
It was a friendship that spanned three different decades. To Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein was a “great guy.” Epstein believed he was Trump’s “closest friend” and praised the future president as “charming.”
The relationship would eventually fall apart over a bidding war over a Florida property. And after Epstein was convicted of child sex crimes in 2008, Trump distanced himself from the financier, claiming he was "not a fan" of him.
But the photos, videos and anecdotes paint a picture of a close friendship, of the two middle-aged men partying together constantly, both alone and with their partners, including Melania Knauss, who would later become Trump's third wife.
" I've known Jeff for 15 years. Great guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. They even say he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and a lot of them are younger, " Trump told the New York Times in 2002.
Trump’s knowledge of Epstein’s proclivities would be grisly proven when Epstein was found guilty in 2008 of sexually abusing girls aged 14 to 17. When Epstein was charged with sex trafficking minors in 2019, Trump tried to downplay their relationship, insisting: “I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him .” Trump said the pair had fallen out years earlier and claimed: “ I wasn’t a fan of his .”
But during the 15 years they were friends, there were many incidents that showed the closeness between Trump and Epstein.
The New York Times reported that in 1992, George Houraney, a Florida-based businessman, had organized the "calendar girl" contest at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's private members' club, where he would later live full-time.
Houraney flew more than two dozen girls to Mar-a-Lago, but there was a surprise when they arrived.
“ At the first party, I said, ‘Who’s coming tonight? I have 28 girls coming.’ It was him and Epstein ,” Houraney told the Times.
Houraney said he was surprised. “ I said, ‘Donald, this is supposed to be a VIP party. Are you telling me it’s you and Epstein?’ ” In the end, it was just Trump and Epstein.
At the time, Trump made no secret of the friendship. He was photographed with Epstein at events and parties from New York to Florida.
Një video nga një festë në Mar-a-Lago në vitin 1992 tregon çiftin në bisedë ndërsa një këngë vallëzimi dëgjohet me zë të lartë nëpër altoparlantë. Trump i pëshpërit diçka në vesh Epstein-it, duke e bërë Epstein-in të përkulet duke qeshur.
Kaseta u transmetua nga NBC News gjatë mandatit të parë të Trump si president, dhe kanali i lajmeve raportoi se tregonte si Trumpin ashtu edhe Epsteinin duke treguar me gisht gratë, ndërsa në një moment Trump i bën shenjë një grua dhe i thotë: "Shikoje mbrapa... është seksi".
Në vitin 1993, Stacey Williams, atëherë një modele profesioniste, vizitoi Trump në Trump Tower me Epstein. Me të mbërritur, ajo do t'i thoshte më vonë "The Guardian", se Trump i vuri duart në gjoks, bel dhe të pasmet, ndërsa Trump dhe Epstein i buzëqeshën njëri-tjetrit, në atë që ajo besonte se ishte një "lojë e shëmtuar" midis dy burrave.
“Atëherë u bë shumë e qartë se ai dhe Donaldi ishin miq vërtet, vërtet të mirë dhe kalonin shumë kohë së bashku”, tha Williams në vitin 2024. Karoline Leavitt, atëherë zëdhënëse e fushatës zgjedhore të Trump, i përshkroi akuzat e Williams si “padyshim të rreme. Është e qartë se kjo histori e rreme u sajua nga fushata e Harris”.
Ajo që është e pamohueshme është se burrat e ruajtën marrëdhënien e tyre gjatë viteve 1990. Ata u fotografuan në Mar-a-Lago dhe po atë vit u fotografuan së bashku në një event të Victoria's Secret Angels në New York. Marrëdhënia zgjati. Fotot tregojnë Trump dhe Epstein me Melania Trump dhe Ghislaine Maxwell në një event në vitin 2000. Maxwell do të dënohej me 20 vjet burg në vitin 2022 për sigurimin e vajzave adoleshente për Jeffrey Epstein që ai të abuzonte, kur ajo u akuzua për krimet, Trump u përgjigj : "Thjesht i uroj gjithë të mirat, sinqerisht."
Wall Street Journal raportoi gjithashtu të enjten se Trump dyshohet se i shkroi Epstein një kartolinë ditëlindjeje si pjesë e një albumi për 50-vjetorin e organizuar nga Ghislaine Maxwell në vitin 2003. Letra ishte modeluar në formën e trupit të një gruaje dhe përbëhej nga një dialog imagjinar midis të dyve, tha Journal.
Trump dikur besonte se Epstein ishte një djalë i mrekullueshëm, por ai nuk ishte i vetmi që foli për këtë miqësi. Vite më vonë, Epstein do t'i thoshte gazetarit Michael Wolff se kishte qenë "miku më i ngushtë i Trump për 10 vjet", në kasetat audio të publikuara në podkastin e Wolff-it "Fire and Fury" vitin e kaluar. Epstein gjithashtu i tha Wolff-it se Trump-it i pëlqente të "shkonte me gratë e miqve të tij më të mirë" dhe tha se hera e parë që fjeti me Melania Trump ishte në aeroplanin e Epstein-it. Kampi i Trump-it pretendoi se Wolff po merrej me "shpifje të rreme" dhe "ndërhyrje në zgjedhje".
The close friendship would not last. The relationship broke down in 2004, reportedly after the pair became embroiled in a bidding war over a Palm Beach estate. In 2019, after Epstein was arrested, he said he had not spoken to Trump in 15 years. And despite his close relationship with Epstein, Trump would continue to criticize others for the same thing, with Bill Clinton a particular source of scorn. Trump even shared a conspiracy theory that the former president was involved in Epstein’s death, ironically fueling more intrigue in the case. Trump told reporters a few days after Epstein died:
“ The question you have to ask is, did Bill Clinton go to the island? Because Epstein had an island. It was not a good place, as I understand it, and I have never been there .” Trump adds: “ So you have to ask, did Bill Clinton go to the island? That is the question. If you find out, you will learn a lot. ”
Clinton has denied going to Little St James Island, which Epstein owned and later became synonymous with his crimes.
Trump now finds himself in a mess that is partly of his own making. The “Epstein didn’t commit suicide” conspiracy theory, which he has espoused, quickly spread among right-wing commentators and media figures, many of whom demanded that documents related to Epstein’s associates be released. When the Justice Department failed to do so last week, it caused a rare rift between Trump and his supporters, with Trump trying to cover up the saga, and his supporters angered by a perceived lack of transparency. /Adapted from “The Guardian”
Lini një Përgjigje