Here’s why conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein keep flourishing – NPR
Posted By admin on September 9, 2022
Protesters with signs linking the late Jeffrey Epstein to conspiracy theories at the sex trafficking trial of his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell , in November 2021 in New York City. David Dee Delgado/Getty Images hide caption
Protesters with signs linking the late Jeffrey Epstein to conspiracy theories at the sex trafficking trial of his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell , in November 2021 in New York City.
Jeffrey Epstein has been dead for three years, but his ghost still wanders the dark halls of the internet.
In life, Epstein was a secretive financier, arrested for a series of sexual crimes with underaged girls. In death, speculation about his suicide in jail formed an additional layer of conspiratorial fog around his legacy.
When the FBI searched former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in early August, it took less than a day for far-right internet personality Jack Posobiec to summon Epstein's ghost. "We now know the judge who signed off on the Mar-a-Lago raid was Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer. Don't question it!" Posobiec posted to his 185,000 Telegram followers.
The claim, repeated across fringe threads and deceiving "headlines," is misleading. While in private practice, federal magistrate judge Bruce Reinhart had previously represented some of Epstein's employees who had also been accused of facilitating sex trafficking. In the case of the Mar-a-Lago search, the Miami Herald reported any magistrate judge would have signed off on the warrant when presented with probable cause from the FBI. Reinhart just happened to be available that night.
Within days, the false claim took off in far-right circles, drawing the attention of Fox News, which later had to issue a clarification for airing an edited picture that falsely showed Reinhart next to Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted as an accomplice to many of Epstein's crimes.
This is just the latest spike of Epstein-related yarn-spinning, but Epstein is likely to remain a narrative for some on the right for years to come.
One clear reason for the staying power of conspiracy theories involving Epstein is his frequent socializing with the world's rich and famous. He hobnobbed with Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Donald Trump. Britain's Prince Andrew lost his royal privileges over sexual assault allegations involving Epstein. Those relationships are potent examples for conspiracists to cast all nearly all political events as driven by hidden, sex-fueled abuses and coverups.
Epstein's death by suicide in jail under Bureau of Prisons custody also fueled a popular wave of theories and memes. But it's the established facts of his crimes that make him a useful character in an extended universe of fringe bogeymen.
A protester outside of the Maxwell trial wearing a hat claiming that Epstein's death was not a suicide. Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A protester outside of the Maxwell trial wearing a hat claiming that Epstein's death was not a suicide.
Systematic child abuse and exploitation is real. Reporting by news organizations has uncovered major abuses in churches, among celebrities, the foster care system and so on. But these revelations can also easily be plucked and reassembled to form the backbone of conspiratorial narratives.
Before his 2018 arrest, the Miami Herald, which broke many of the stories about Epstein, saw the most online engagement with stories about him. An NPR analysis of data compiled by the media intelligence company NewsWhip found that today, online engagement with these stories has migrated almost entirely to conservative sites such as The Daily Wire and Western Journal, both outlets with massive social media audiences that mostly repackage professional journalism into narratives of conservative victimization and other right-wing themes.
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones invoked Epstein's life and death repeatedly as he defended himself in the course of a recent defamation trial brought by parents of children murdered at the Sandy Hook elementary school. Jones' courtroom mentions of Epstein blurred the lines between established facts and popular speculation, framing Jones' lies about the parents of Sandy Hook shooting victims as reasonable.
"It's effective because lots of these things that are said about Epstein's life are, in fact, true. And actually do kind of plug into a pre-existing kind of narrative about what our elites get up to," says Quassim Cassam, a philosophy professor at Warwick University in the United Kingdom and the author of a book titled "Conspiracy Theories."
Each detail of Epstein's real, elaborate predation of young girls serves as a factual toehold for believers of the Pizzagate and QAnon conspiracy theories. Both are unfounded, interlocking narratives about powerful cabal of elites sex-trafficking children. In turn, they feed into fanciful depictions of Trump as a mythic hero, unfairly maligned and cheated out of a second term as he takes on an imagined satanic cabal. (Anti-trafficking organizations in fact sent President Trump an open letter saying "Anybody...who lends any credibility to QAnon conspiracies related to human trafficking actively harms the fight against [it].")
Epstein's ties to Trump himself are generally left unspoken in extremist, fringe communities according to Michael Hayden of the Southern Poverty Law Center, because the goal of an Epstein reference in these circles, he says, is to discredit anyone seen as attacking Trump. When unfavorable news breaks, any reference to Epstein is a quick way for his supporters to frame a debate as a false choice between Trump's side or Epstein's. It provides validation for fellow believers, Hayden says, and serves to diminish criticism about Trump. However bad a news event may look for Trump, by citing Epstein, the other side looks worse and more depraved.
"These are tools in the shed of people who are, for lack of a better word, fascist propagandists who understand how to use this friend versus enemy binary," he says.
Within the current right wing media ecosystem, Hayden says whatever cultural barriers that once existed between the furthest fringes and mainstream commentators have eroded badly. The way disparate corners of the pro-Trump world come together in agreement over Epstein theories reminds him of the blend of crowds drawn to the January 6th capital riots.
"It's a combination of people who are of a harder-edged variety and people who you would not expect to be mingling with them," says Hayden, potentially leading to ever-deeper radicalization.
He says pro-Trump audiences have been exposed to years of tropes and hateful stereotypes anti-Semites want associated with Jews.
"We're talking about explicit anti-Semites here who...like to portray Jewish people as being sexually deviant...or being predatory, particularly with young women. This is propaganda that goes back decades and decades. It's very old," says Hayden.
With that groundwork laid, "all you need is somebody like Posobiec, just need a big influencer to say 'Epstein judge' and ...you yourself don't even have to be dirtied with anti-Semitism," says Hayden.
After Posobiec and a choir of right-wing publications promoted the "Epstein judge" idea, the real Judge Reinhart was inducted into the growing club of people whose home addresses have appeared in internet message boards alongside calls for execution and anti-Semitic slurs. He probably won't be the last.
Hayden says to expect a very extended haunting from Epstein's ghost. "It's like - what is the opposite of a piece of classic literature?"
View post:
Here's why conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein keep flourishing - NPR
- Anti-Israel Groups Push White House To Weaken Recognized Anti-Semitism Definition - Washington Free Beacon - May 20th, 2023
- Jewish Students at Yale Law School Invited an Israeli Politician To Speak About Anti-Semitism. Then They Caved to Pressure. - Washington Free Beacon - April 22nd, 2023
- History of antisemitism in the United States - Wikipedia - April 16th, 2023
- History of antisemitism - Wikipedia - April 8th, 2023
- Anti-Defamation League reports dramatic rise in antisemitism - PBS NewsHour - March 25th, 2023
- Houston ranked among worst offenders for anti-Semitism - KTRK-TV - March 24th, 2023
- Anti-Semitism - Nazi anti-Semitism and the Holocaust | Britannica - February 7th, 2023
- Anti-Semitism | History, Facts, & Examples | Britannica - February 2nd, 2023
- Antisemitism - Wikipedia - February 2nd, 2023
- Origins and concept of anti-Semitism | Britannica - February 2nd, 2023
- Lizzy Savetsky exits RHONY reboot over anti-Semitism - January 6th, 2023
- Benjamin Netanyahu: Anti-Semitism Is The Oldest Disease, Given Extra ... - December 31st, 2022
- Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Anti-Semitism Protections Bill CS/CS/HB 741 - December 31st, 2022
- Kanye West: I've been 'beat to a pulp' amid anti-Semitism scandal - December 21st, 2022
- Don Lemon Critiques Dave Chappelle Monologue on SNL - December 21st, 2022
- Anti-Semitic incidents in US hit all-time high, according to new ADL ... - December 21st, 2022
- Dave Chappelle Sets Hair Aflame, Now Being Accused of Anti-Semitism ... - November 26th, 2022
- Between Kanye and the Midterms, the Unsettling Stream of Antisemitism - The New York Times - November 6th, 2022
- Kyrie Irving will begin suspension of at least 5 games Friday over antisemitism controversy. The NBA star has since apologized - CNN - November 6th, 2022
- New opinion poll illuminates growing challenges of polarization and ... - October 19th, 2022
- Meng, Fitzpatrick, Manning, Weber, Veasey, Granger, Lieu And Smith Call For Update From State Department On Its Investigation Into Instances Of... - October 19th, 2022
- Anti-Semitism and the Socialist Workers Party - World Socialist Web Site - WSWS - October 19th, 2022
- Where Kanye Wests brand deals stand amid anti-Semitism, WLM controversies - Page Six - October 19th, 2022
- Kanye West reaches out to Donald Trump amid anti-Semitic backlash - The News International - October 19th, 2022
- Partisan bias created a toxic media culture that tolerates anti-Semitism - JNS.org - October 19th, 2022
- CUNY Union President Blames White Christian Nationalism for Anti ... - October 1st, 2022
- Anselm Franke on the Future of documenta: Were witnessing old structures not wanting to die - Notes - E-Flux - October 1st, 2022
- Hill TV Segment on Rashida Tlaib and Israel Is Censored - The Intercept - October 1st, 2022
- The past echoes in the present: A review of Ken Burns' 'The U.S. and the Holocaust - Idaho Capital Sun - October 1st, 2022
- Toronto launches awareness campaign to combat anti-Semitism - September 18th, 2022
- Investigation underway into antisemitism at U of Vermont - The Associated Press - en Espaol - September 18th, 2022
- 'The number 6 million is impenetrable': Burns discusses new film, 'The U.S. and the Holocaust' New Hampshire Bulletin - New Hampshire Bulletin - September 9th, 2022
- Ben & Jerry's will amend lawsuit against Unilever over Israel ice cream sale - Reuters.com - September 9th, 2022
- Will Viktor Orbn Bring His Racist Rhetoric to the United States this Week? - Center For American Progress - August 4th, 2022
- Macron decries anti-Semitism on 80th anniversary of Jewish deportations - Reuters.com - July 19th, 2022
- Former Oath Keeper reveals racist, antisemitic beliefs of white nationalist group and their plans to start a civil war - The Conversation Indonesia - July 14th, 2022
- What to Stream: The Sorrow and the Pity, a Historical Documentary That Transformed Frances National Identity - The New Yorker - July 14th, 2022
- 53 Percent Blame Fox News for Spread of Extremist Ideologies Like ... - July 8th, 2022
- Was the Patriot Front March in Boston a Sign of the New KKK? - Boston University - July 8th, 2022
- New UK-Led Initiative to Enhance Kentucky K-12 Holocaust Education - UKNow - June 4th, 2022
- No, Ann Coulter, I Am Not Responsible for the 'Great Replacement' Theory - The Atlantic - June 4th, 2022
- Statement from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland and Lake Catholic High School May 25, 2022 - Catholic Diocese of Cleveland - May 27th, 2022
- Slavery, Anti-Semitism and Harvards Missing Moral Compass - The Wall Street Journal - May 20th, 2022
- The Intersectionality of Hate - The Atlantic - May 20th, 2022
- Philadelphias Jewish history museum reopens after bankruptcy and a 2-year shutdown - The Philadelphia Inquirer - May 20th, 2022
- Israel Observes Holocaust Remembrance Day Amid a Global Rise of Anti ... - May 8th, 2022
- Governor Abbott Appoints Parker, Names Goldberg Chair Of Texas Holocaust, Genocide, And Anti-Semitism Advisory Commission - Office of the Texas... - April 30th, 2022
- University of Maryland's Anti-Semitism Task Force Chief ... - April 27th, 2022
- Rabbi Calls for Education and Leadership to Combat Hate Crimes in New Jersey - wbgo.org - April 18th, 2022
- Are Global Autocracies Here to Stay? - Northeastern University - April 18th, 2022
- The return of the anti-Dreyfusards is possible - The Hindu - April 18th, 2022
- Learning from the past to effectively fight anti-Semitism today - Al Jazeera English - March 16th, 2022
- Russia-Ukraine: Ugly truths in the time of war - Al Jazeera English - March 16th, 2022
- Ukraine's Only Woman Rabbi Among the Many Jews Fleeing War - Voice of America - VOA News - March 16th, 2022
- The law-flouting, truth-denying, science-deriding Trumpian Republican extremists are the real RINOs - Ohio Capital Journal - March 16th, 2022
- Colleyville hostage scene triggers calls for action ... - February 21st, 2022
- Colleyville Neighborhood Wakes Up to Flyers with Hate-filled Messages Tossed onto Lawns - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth - February 21st, 2022
- Envisioning Justice: The Campus Voice This Week With Speakers and Workshops - University of Arkansas Newswire - February 21st, 2022
- Rosen, Texas Senators Lead and Pass Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Antisemitic Attack on Congregation Beth Israel - Jacky Rosen - February 19th, 2022
- 'It's part of a larger pattern': Texas synagogue hostage ... - January 20th, 2022
- Was Luther Anti-Semitic? | Christian History ... - January 20th, 2022
- Why So Many People Still Don't Understand Anti-Semitism - The Atlantic - January 20th, 2022
- Documenta Responds to Allegations of Anti-Semitic Connections to BDS Movement - ARTnews - January 20th, 2022
- Rep. Houlahan: My father survived the Holocaust by a miracle. It shouldnt take a miracle to be Jewish and alive. | Opinion - The Philadelphia Inquirer - January 20th, 2022
- Governor Abbott Appoints Five to the Texas Holocaust, Genocide and Anti-Semitism Advisory Commission - Office of the Texas Governor - January 9th, 2022
- Condemning anti-semitism, governor and Jewish leaders ... - January 4th, 2022
- Helena's Jewish community is raising funds to buy the state's oldest synagogue - MTPR - January 4th, 2022
- Jordanian TV rejects German stations anti-Semitism accusation - January 1st, 2022
- Poland is the land of anti-Semitism - January 1st, 2022
- Was Martin Luther Guilty of Anti-Semitism? - December 22nd, 2021
- Is Donald Trump an Anti-Semite? - The New Yorker - December 22nd, 2021
- 'It's trivializing the lives who so greatly suffered': Outrage continues after Holocaust imagery used in anti-mandate rally - CTV News Atlantic - December 22nd, 2021
- Trump Goes Full Anti-Semite, Unloads on American Jews in Wildly Bigoted Rant - Vanity Fair - December 18th, 2021
- Changing How You Spell 'Anti-Semitism' Won't Stop Anti-Semitism - The Atlantic - December 16th, 2021
- Dutch MP found guilty of creating a breeding ground for anti-Semitism - POLITICO Europe - December 16th, 2021
- Danvers High School Dealing With Another Investigation After Swastika Found in Bathroom - NBC10 Boston - December 16th, 2021
- Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Renewed... - November 30th, 2021
- An Archive Traces the History of Anti-Semitism Across Europe - Hyperallergic - November 23rd, 2021
- Azeem Rafiq's anti-Semitism does not undermine his claim that cricket is racist - it just proves he is part of the problem - Telegraph.co.uk - November 23rd, 2021
- Darlings of the freedom movement must denounce the anti-Semites in their wings - The Sydney Morning Herald - November 23rd, 2021
Comments