In
October 2017, a yoga instructor emailed Jeffrey Epstein with a delicate
question: When might she receive the tens of thousands of dollars she’d
been promised by the billionaire Leon Black?
She
and Mr. Black had been in a sexual relationship, and since at least
2009, hundreds of thousands of dollars had flowed to her from Mr.
Black’s bank accounts. But in 2017, the setup changed. Now Mr. Epstein
would wire the money — in this case, $100,000.
“He said that now he does it through you,” the woman wrote to Mr. Epstein in an email that the Justice Department released this year. Mr. Epstein wrote back, confirming the arrangement.
Matthew Goldstein is a Times reporter who covers Wall Street and white-collar crime and housing issues.
Jessica Silver-Greenberg
is a Times investigative reporter writing about big business with a
focus on health care. She has been a reporter for more than a decade.
Steve Eder has been an investigative reporter for The Times for more than a decade.
David Enrich is a deputy investigations editor for The Times. He writes about law and business.
New York Academy of Art: The school, where a former student was among the first to complain to authorities about the behavior of Jeffrey Epstein, announced that it was giving away money that Epstein had donated after new revelations about his involvement there were made public.
Epstein’s Networking Dinners: In
the years after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution,
Epstein rebuilt his reputation by hosting gatherings with leaders in all
sorts of trades, including comedy.
Wasserman’s Name Is Erased: Casey Wasserman’s name was dropped from
the sports and marketing agency he founded, as company officials
continued to distance it from Wasserman’s appearance in the Epstein
files.
Dr. Bernard Kruger: Dr. Kruger, a Manhattan doctor who once arranged a private E.R. membership for Epstein and unnamed “girls,” has stepped away from roles at two concierge medicine practices after the public disclosure of his relationship with Epstein.
As the transformations at the DOJ mounted, she concluded the nation's top law enforcement official wasn't fit to serve.
"This
is an administration that is out of control and that is completely
lawless," Rep. Summer Lee, D–Pennsylvania, told USA TODAY March 18, as
she explained her decision to introduce articles of impeachment against Attorney General Pam Bondi a day earlier.
"When
we think about the authoritarianism that the Trump administration is
actively pursuing, this is what we will look at in the end. These are
the actions that we will, in history, look back on and say that that was
a glaring red flag," she said.
She
faces an uphill battle. A majority of the House of Representatives –
currently controlled by Republicans – would need to vote for
impeachment. An actual conviction in the Senate to oust Bondi from
office would require a two-thirds majority in the upper chamber.
This
might make observers wonder why Lee even bothered to introduce the
measure. But she says that there is a growing appetite for
accountability and that building more pressure matters.
The articles essentially accuse Bondi of allowing her department to become a personal law firm to serve President Donald Trump's political interests and carry out his vendettas.
"The real overarching message is that the train is flying off the rails right now," she said.
The articles also accuse Bondi of breaking the law by failing to turn over files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Lee sees those parts of the articles as a potential avenue for helping bring in Republican support.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee voted March 4 to subpoena Bondi for testimony on the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files.
"There
is a growing appetite here for some sort of accountability,
particularly where it comes to the part of this that is the handling of
the Epstein files and the Epstein investigation," Lee said. "We're going
to have to build on that momentum."
Trump indicated earlier in March that he plans to stick by his attorney general.
Bondi is a "terrific person," Trump said at a March 5 White House event
celebrating the 2025 Major League Soccer Champions. "And she's proving
how tough she is and I think the next three years she's going to really
prove it."
The Justice Department didn't respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
“Attorney General Pam Bondi
has worked tirelessly to successfully implement the President’s law and
order agenda. Attorney General Bondi is doing a great job.” White House
spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told USA TODAY in a statement.
Earlier in March, Rep. Shri Thanedar, D–Michigan, introduced his own impeachment articles
against Bondi, without any cosponsors. Those articles separately accuse
Bondi of weaponizing the Justice Department against political opponents
and obstructing Congress' investigation into Epstein's circle.
Politicizing the DOJ?
The
impeachment articles lay out a host of ways that Lee says Bondi has
abused her powers by targeting Trump's critics for investigations and
prosecutions.
The impeachment articles note other investigations of people disfavored by Trump, such as Sen. Adam Schiff, D–California, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Federal Reserve Board Member Lisa Cook and six members of Congress who urged military service members not to obey illegal orders, without saying what those might be.
"This
is something that we cannot accept in our political system," Lee said.
"It sets a precedent that our systems, our agencies, our departments are
all political footballs."
In a March 11 court opinion, a federal judge blocked subpoenas
that are part of a DOJ investigation into Powell's handling of building
renovations, writing that the government "produced essentially zero
evidence to suspect Chair Powell of a crime; indeed, its justifications
are so thin and unsubstantiated that the Court can only conclude that
they are pretextual."
"It
is not the job of the DOJ to protect or to in any other way run cover
for the president of the United States, or run cover for any of [the
Trump administration's] friends," Lee said.
The White House has sometimes suggested that the Justice Department was weaponized for political purposes under President Joe Biden and that the current administration is reversing that course.
However, those prosecutions against Trump were brought by a special counsel, Jack Smith,
in a role designed to establish greater-than-normal independence from
DOJ leadership, and special counsels were also appointed to handle
sensitive investigations into Biden, the Democratic president at the time, as well as into his son, Hunter Biden.
The
cases against Comey and James were brought by Halligan after the
previous official responsible for deciding whether to prosecute reportedly expressed skepticism about both cases.
But just four months later, Bondi's DOJ released a memo
saying a systematic internal review of the files failed to turn up any
incriminating list of clients of Epstein and "no further disclosure
would be appropriate or warranted."
Since then, both Republican
and Democratic members of Congress have accused the DOJ of illegally
withholding documents in the face of, first, a congressional subpoena,
and later, a bipartisan transparency law.
Bondi
has defended the department's actions, saying it missed a legal
deadline for releasing documents because reviewing and redacting the
files was a monumental task.
"We had 30 days to redact and release, under the law that was passed, 3 million documents," Bondi told reporters March 18. "If you stack those up, that's the height of the Eiffel Tower."
Bondi's
deputy, Todd Blanche, has said many documents have been withheld in
order to protect victim privacy, which is permitted under the
transparency law. However, he has also said the DOJ withheld documents for some reasons the law didn't permit, such as to shield internal DOJ deliberations related to Epstein.
"People in America are tired of seeing that two-tiered system of justice," Lee said.
"If we had information ... about men who abused women, we would prosecute them," Blanche said Jan. 30.
'The attacks are coming from every angle'
Bondi
isn't the only Trump official accused of defying the law and weakening
ethical norms within government. Democrats in Congress have also sought to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem,
accusing her of directing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to
violate the public's constitutional rights in its enforcement actions.
Judges have sometimes backed claims that administration officials are defying the law, and even defying direct court orders.
Minnesota federal Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, wrote in a Feb. 26 court order,
for instance, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had violated 210
orders in 143 separate cases, describing the "continued violation" of
orders as "beyond the pale."
Lee believes the administration is
demonstrating a pattern of dismissing the checks and balances that are
imposed by Congress and the court system under the Constitution.
"The
attacks are coming from every angle," Lee said. "And that is a
fundamental and inherent existential threat to our democracy and to our
democratic institutions."
• Iran responds: Iran’s foreign ministry said there was “no dialogue”
between Tehran and Washington, according to state affiliated media.
Multiple nations have been passing messages between the US and Iran over
the last several days to de-escalate the mounting tensions, sources
have told CNN.
• Latest strikes: The number of people reported killed in Iran and Lebanon since the start of the conflict is now in the thousands. Several locations across Tehran have been targeted in the latest wave of Israeli attacks, according to Iranian state media.
• Markets react: Oil prices dropped
following Trump’s statement. The global oil benchmark tumbled more than
7% to trade below $99 a barrel, having climbed to $114 a barrel earlier
in the day.
59 Posts
See how the closure of Strait of Hormuz threatens global supply chains
By CNN staff
While the Strait of Hormuz is vital to the global energy supply, its closure also threatens Gulf countries that rely heavily on imported food.
CNN’s Nic Robertson got exclusive access to Jeddah Islamic Port on the
Red Sea where officials say cargo could increase by 50% over the next
month as shippers are forced to reroute.
Supply chain disruptions loom amid Iran conflict
01:31
Iran says it will not mine the Persian Gulf, warns foreign powers not to interfere
Iran’s military spokesperson said Iran has “full” control
over the Persian Gulf region, the Strait of Hormuz and waters off Oman,
arguing that Tehran does not need to lay mines in the gulf to assert its
position.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has full and powerful control
over the Persian Gulf region, the territorial waters of Oman and the
Strait of Hormuz,” the spokesperson, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, said in remarks
carried by Iranian media.
“Therefore, due to sufficient dominance and power, there
will be no need for mine-laying in the Persian Gulf, and we will use
every possible means to ensure security as necessary,” Zolfaghari added.
He said Iran’s armed forces are capable of ensuring security
in the Persian Gulf and warned that countries outside the region “have
no right to interfere in this area.”
Earlier this month, CNN reported that Iran had begun laying mines in
the Strait of Hormuz, citing two people familiar with US intelligence
reporting on the issue. The strait is a key global energy chokepoint
through which about one-fifth of the world’s crude oil passes.
US Embassy in Oman issues shelter in place warning
The US Embassy in Muscat, Oman, has issued a shelter in place warning for the entire country because of “ongoing activity,” without elaborating.
In the security alert, the embassy urged people in Oman to
find a secure location in their residence or another building and “have a
supply of food, water, medication, and other essential items.”
“In case of an attack, stay away from any debris, and monitor news outlets for official guidance,” it said.
Days after the US-Israeli war with Iran began, the US
Department of State ordered non-emergency US government employees their
family members to leave Oman, the alert said.
“Special plans” for Tel Aviv and regional allies tonight, Fars news says
Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported Monday,
citing what it described as informed Iranian sources, that plans are
being prepared for potential actions targeting Tel Aviv and some
regional allies of the United States and Israel.
Fars said the threat is in response to US President Donald
Trump’s claim that the US is engaged in direct talks with Iran, but it
did not provide further details about the nature of the alleged “plans.”
According to the same report, Iranian sources also suggested
that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz may not return to its
pre-war status even if the conflict eventually ends.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one
of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, through which roughly
20% of global petroleum liquids consumption passes, making stability in
the waterway vital for global energy markets.
Israel says it has struck IRGC headquarters and other military infrastructure in Tehran
The Israeli military has said that it struck one of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ main headquarters today, alongside
several other military buildings in the capital city of Tehran.
The Israeli Air Force carried out “a wide-scale wave of
strikes on Iranian regime infrastructure,” the Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) said in a statement.
Earlier today, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said that several locations across Tehran
were targeted in Israeli strikes. Meanwhile, the Iranian Red Crescent
Society said it was “searching beneath the debris of a residential
building in Tehran to find a child.”
The IDF said that Iranian security organization headquarters
and “key weapons manufacturing sites” were among the facilities
targeted, as well as “additional manufacturing sites and research
facilities related to electronics, ballistic missiles, and warheads.”
In a separate statement about the IRGC headquarters it said
it struck, the IDF said that the facility was used by the Iranian
military “to synchronize unit activities and to conduct situational
assessments,” as well as direct the Basij paramilitary force.
“The strike on the headquarters is part of the current
operational phase aimed at further degrading core Iranian terror regime
systems and security capabilities,” the IDF said, adding that “steps
were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise
munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.”
UK summons Iran ambassador over pair charged with helping "foreign intelligence service"
London has summoned the Iranian ambassador to the United
Kingdom in relation to two people charged “on suspicion of providing
assistance to a foreign intelligence service,” a spokesperson for the
British Foreign Office said in a statement shared with CNN.
Those charged are an Iranian national and an British-Iranian
dual national, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
spokesperson said.
Last week, Nematollah Shahsavani, a dual Iranian/British
national, and Alireza Farasati, an Iranian national, were charged with
“engaging in conduct that is likely to assist a foreign intelligence
service,” according to London’s Metropolitan Police.
