Epstein, Epstein, Epstein . . . but don't give up

[rareboy]

 

[rareboy]

 

[KaraBulut]

Here's another story that we need to stick a pin in.

Scott Bessent, the Secretary of Treasury is sitting on wire transfer records that Congress has requested. The records are for a billion dollars in wire transfers between 58 individuals and Epstein.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/02/bessent-epstein-reports-sars-ron-wyden/

The Oregon senator, who has been investigating Epstein for years, specifically requested in his letter -- which was sent on Tuesday -- "all files related to transactions with Epstein and any co-conspirators," including "suspicious activity reports" (SARs) issued by financial institutions.

The reports flagged concerning payments made to or from Epstein, his convicted co-conspirator Ghislane Maxwell and 58 other people and groups, according to Wyden.

A billion dollars in wire transfers? It might be that this whole cover-up isn't just about sex trafficking. There may also be bribes and money laundering involving the businessmen that Epstein was involved with.

 

[rareboy]

^ This is also the story about why they don't want to release the records.

Meanwhile:

 

[Kulindahr]

 

[rareboy]

 

[Alistair]

 

[Alistair]

 

[Alistair]

 

[rareboy]

 

[rareboy]

So...Johnson was just lying?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/07/trump-epstein-johnson-fbi/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzU3MjE3NjAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzU4NTk5OTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3NTcyMTc2MDAsImp0aSI6IjRiNjE1ZDdhLTZmZTctNGE0OS1hM2E2LWJkZjgzNzhiODBhNCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDI1LzA5LzA3L3RydW1wLWVwc3RlaW4tam9obnNvbi1mYmkvIn0.AnCsHQnMa-CNCso8RZHxk3taNZEhaF4TADr_H9956_k

 

[rareboy]

Appaently the infamous Birthday greeting.

 

[rareboy]

 

[cityboy-stl]

 

[rareboy]

 

[KaraBulut]

And another, compliments of Wikipedia. Leon Black, another ultrawealthy friend of Trump. Note that Sen Wyden was on his trail as part of the investigation into the Epstein money laundering, Russia and Israel connections. Black is Jewish.

Leon Black - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In 1997, he made Epstein one of the original trustees of what is today the Debra and Leon Black Foundation. In his 2020 letter to Apollo investors, Black said that Epstein provided him with "estate planning, tax and philanthropic advice" to his "family partnership and other related family entities". The New York Times reported that Black had paid Epstein at least $50 million for such services from 2012 to 2017. Black did not at the time confirm the $50 million sum reported by The New York Times, but did say that he paid Epstein "millions of dollars annually for his work". In October 2020, Black requested that the Apollo board conduct an independent review of his relationship with Epstein, and it retained the law firm Dechert LLP to do so. Black has said that he "deeply regrets" his relationship with Epstein.

The review conducted by Dechert LLP was released on January 25, 2021. It showed that Black had paid Epstein around $158 million from 2012 through 2017 for financial services. Using Epstein's tax avoidance strategies, Black saved at least $1.3 billion in taxes. Black pledged his intention to donate $200 million to women's initiatives.[44][45] In 2023, Black paid $62.5 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands to be released from claims related to Epstein. In July 2023, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee made public that it was investigating Black's tax strategies and dealings with Epstein.

In March 2021, Guzel Ganieva claimed in a series of tweets that "I was sexually harassed and abused by [Black] for years [and ultimately] forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement under duress". Black stated that he had engaged in a consensual affair with her. The matter has resulted in lawsuits and countersuits. Ganieva further alleged that Black introduced her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and tried to force her to have sex with him. Ganieva's lawsuit against Black was dismissed in May 2023.

The law firm that represented Ganieva also represented another accuser, Cheri Pierson, who accused Black of raping her in 2002 in Jeffrey Epstein's mansion in New York City. Black denied these claims. On July 25, 2023, a lawsuit was filed against Black, alleging that he raped a 16-year-old girl with autism and Down syndrome in Epstein's Manhattan townhouse in 2002. Black's attorney called the accusations "frivolous and sanctionable". Pierson discontinued her lawsuit against Black in February 2024.

Senate Committee Presses Leon Black on Epstein Tax Advice (Published 2023)

The billionaire investor paid Jeffrey Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning services. Lawmakers want to know if the fees should have been taxed as a gift.

www.nytimes.com

A Senate committee is investigating whether $158 million that the billionaire investor Leon Black paid the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein for tax and estate planning services should have been classified as a gift, as part of a broader inquiry into tax-avoidance schemes by ultrawealthy individuals, according to a letter sent by the committee to Mr. Black.

In addition to the fees that Mr. Black said he had paid Mr. Epstein, the Senate Finance Committee is looking into several trusts that Mr. Black used to save on taxes and advice that Mr. Epstein gave on art purchases, according to the letter, which the committee’s chairman, Senator Ron Wyden, sent to the private equity mogul on Monday.

Mr. Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, wrote that the committee was dissatisfied with the information that Mr. Black, a co-founder of Apollo Global Management, had provided it to date and requested his cooperation.

Legendary investor Leon Black has hard time shaking Jeffrey Epstein stigma

He recently opened a branch in Abu Dhabi, but Wall Street executives who spoke to On The Money say he has faced some resistance getting some top people.

nypost.com

Leon Black accompanied Trump on his 1996 visit to Moscow.







And a connection with Musk:

Trump Picks Apollo Co-Founder’s Son for DFC After Firm Shows Interest in X Debt

Apollo eventually purchased the debt at nearly full price, helping to bolster X's flagging valuation.

readsludge.com

Private equity firm Apollo Global Management and its billionaire co-founder Leon Black are poised to gain a direct link to the Trump administration. On January 31, 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Ben Black—Leon’s 40-year-old son and a former Apollo associate—to serve as CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The announcement came three days after Bloomberg reported Apollo’s interest in purchasing debt tied to Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform X.

 

[rareboy]

 

[rareboy]

 

[Alistair]

 

[KaraBulut]

If this doesn't define "complicit", what does?