“We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and demand a thorough investigation,” Barr said.
But perhaps most importantly, Barr assures the audience that the case will not end, that co-conspirators will be pursued.
Attorney General Bill Barr on the suicide of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein: "Let me assure you that this case will continue on against anyone who was complicit with Epstein. Any co-conspirators should not rest easy" https://abcn.ws/2MX6rUv
ABC News has a pretty thorough story here: Jail protocols for checking on Jeffrey Epstein were not followed in hours before he died by suicide: Sources.
UPDATE: Here's the full text of Barr's remarks:
Before I begin, I would like to briefly address the news from the Manhattan Correctional Center over the weekend regarding Jeffrey Epstein. This case was very important to the Department. It was important to the dedicated prosecutors and agents who investigated the case and were preparing it for trial. Most importantly, this case was important to the victims who had the courage to come forward and deserved the opportunity to confront the accused in court.
I was appalled – indeed, the entire Department was – and frankly angry, to learn of the MCC’s failure to adequately secure this prisoner. We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and that demand a thorough investigation. The FBI and the Office of Inspector General are already doing just that. We will get to the bottom of what happened at the MCC and we will hold people accountable for this failure.
Let me assure you that this case will continue on against anyone who was complicit with Epstein. Any co-conspirators should not rest easy. The victims deserve justice, and we will ensure they get it.
I'm sure most here will agree the whole 'deep stategate' issue is en even bigger fish to fry than the gigantic, enormous, massive whale shark that is the Jeffrey Epstein issue. (Or perhaps 'octupus' is the better metaphor, given all the tentacles reaching all around the world in the Epstein case.) And since Bill Barr is the horse we're riding here, I have no intentions of going off on him regarding Epstein's death.
ReplyDeleteI'll therefore just make this one point, this one time, and leave it alone from there: eventually the AG will be asked what steps, if any, the DOJ took to ensure Epstein would be kept unharmed. As things stand now, it seems the answer to that question, whatever the specifics, will be of a sort that will give friends and enemies alike a lot of ammunition to smack the AG around pretty good. I'm not talking death blows or anything like that - it's probably just one more round in a boxing match with many more rounds to come. But still, it would be a round lost 10-9 or maybe even 10-8.
I very much want to be wrong here - and since I so very often am (LOL), I've by no means lost hope. But it will be very helpful to have the tailwind of a public that has faith in both the integrity and the competence of William Barr and the DOJ he heads, and if he ends up looking less of either of those after all this, it won't be good for the larger project of keeping the Deep State elements out of power - especially out of the White House - in 2020 and beyond.
I'll say again that I'm not at all freaking out here. The above is just a small point for the consumption of all of us who like to get into the weeds in this stuff. But there it is all the same.
I think he understands that, too. And if he didn't understand the full extent of what he was facing, he certainly does now.
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