Opinion: Fountains of sleaze and ‘elite’ trash — Epstein files show the reality
By Paul Wallis
EDITOR AT LARGE
DIGITAL JOURNAL
February 7, 2026
Several photographs in the newly released trove of so-called Epstein files show former US president Bill Clinton, as well as Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson and convicted child sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell - Copyright AFP Mandel NGAN
The Epstein saga, now in its seventh year, has shown a scale of criminality beyond caricatures. A seemingly endless parade of untouchable sleazebags infests the news like a much longer pandemic.
Let’s clarify – This isn’t about the rich geriatrics having a good time. These allegations all relate to extremely serious crimes against a lot of people. They all carry heavy-duty jail time. There’s no “immunity”.
God’s gift to scatology, sometimes known as Donald Trump, isn’t anything like the whole story; he’s just hogging the headlines as usual. Anyone else with a name worth mentioning is popping up monotonously as the story goes on.
I’ve never understood why these people were ever called ‘elite’. Elite means something. It means top professionals.
That definitely does not describe the vast majority of these guys. Even at top levels, they’re mainly business, media, and political networkers, insiders in the boys’ clubs. Not heavy hitters. Not standalone tough guys. Just rich brat nothings as people.
It’s a procession of personal mediocrity that has led to this unsightly horror story.
Epstein got his start in finance. At the soon-to-fail Bear Stearns, he made contacts and eventually became a “limited partner”. Bear Stearns was one of the first big crashes in the subprime disaster that destroyed the US middle class and caused the Great Recession.
Epstein sailed serenely through the crisis. At some point, he formed J. Epstein & Company, managing financial assets. He was still very much involved in the finance sector. This sector is effectively a mega-network, connecting with big money and big names.
A well-known, long, and turgid list of criminal cases related to sex trafficking began in 2008. After he died in 2019, the flood of details emerged of his other activities, soon dragging in names like a fishing trawler scraping the bottom of the sea.
It’s almost pointless to recite the names involved. Suffice to say it’s a picture of the ‘leadership’ of this catastrophically mismanaged world. Epstein is a common factor.
Pretty cute so far, isn’t it?
A few questions at this point:
How do so many underage kids get so easily involved with the ‘elite’ for so long?
Who does the physical trafficking and moves people from A to B?
How does a guy who started barely one step up from an office boy suddenly become best friends with the richest of the rich and political powerbrokers?
You need connections. You need introductions. You need traffickers. You need direct communications. That’s exactly what’s coming out of the Epstein files.
These people don’t communicate with just anyone. They filter out just about everybody. They routinely delegate almost all contacts. The entire Epstein operation was clearly based on an almost incredible range of inside contacts. Who has so many contacts that just spring to life when required?
How was it all funded? By Epstein? There’d be vast records of housekeeping at least. Even the catering for parties should have generated at least some information. Anyone trace the money? There’s no noticeable mention of how any money and so many people moved around in this operation. Enforcement doesn’t seem to be looking.
Enforcement has also mysteriously failed systematically and infallibly missed every shot on the board. That’s been pretty common in corrupt governments at all levels in the US since Prohibition and Tammany Hall. Sound familiar? It’s folklore in the US. Does the expression ‘organized crime’ ring a bell? How and to what extent are they involved?
The most basic example of failure of enforcement is indicative. There are famous laws in the US about transporting minors over state lines and related laws. It looks like most of that enforcement simply never tried to happen, and if it did, it did nothing.
Other countries are now getting conspicuously involved in investigations. That’s tricky, because jurisdictions matter. Whoever is charged with what will reverberate through other jurisdictions. Justice may come from outside the US.
Says a lot about the state of America, doesn’t it?
The fountains of sleaze are overflowing. The pipelines can’t handle it.
__________________________________________________
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
Several photographs in the newly released trove of so-called Epstein files show former US president Bill Clinton, as well as Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson and convicted child sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell - Copyright AFP Mandel NGAN
The Epstein saga, now in its seventh year, has shown a scale of criminality beyond caricatures. A seemingly endless parade of untouchable sleazebags infests the news like a much longer pandemic.
Let’s clarify – This isn’t about the rich geriatrics having a good time. These allegations all relate to extremely serious crimes against a lot of people. They all carry heavy-duty jail time. There’s no “immunity”.
God’s gift to scatology, sometimes known as Donald Trump, isn’t anything like the whole story; he’s just hogging the headlines as usual. Anyone else with a name worth mentioning is popping up monotonously as the story goes on.
I’ve never understood why these people were ever called ‘elite’. Elite means something. It means top professionals.
That definitely does not describe the vast majority of these guys. Even at top levels, they’re mainly business, media, and political networkers, insiders in the boys’ clubs. Not heavy hitters. Not standalone tough guys. Just rich brat nothings as people.
It’s a procession of personal mediocrity that has led to this unsightly horror story.
Epstein got his start in finance. At the soon-to-fail Bear Stearns, he made contacts and eventually became a “limited partner”. Bear Stearns was one of the first big crashes in the subprime disaster that destroyed the US middle class and caused the Great Recession.
Epstein sailed serenely through the crisis. At some point, he formed J. Epstein & Company, managing financial assets. He was still very much involved in the finance sector. This sector is effectively a mega-network, connecting with big money and big names.
A well-known, long, and turgid list of criminal cases related to sex trafficking began in 2008. After he died in 2019, the flood of details emerged of his other activities, soon dragging in names like a fishing trawler scraping the bottom of the sea.
It’s almost pointless to recite the names involved. Suffice to say it’s a picture of the ‘leadership’ of this catastrophically mismanaged world. Epstein is a common factor.
Pretty cute so far, isn’t it?
A few questions at this point:
How do so many underage kids get so easily involved with the ‘elite’ for so long?
Who does the physical trafficking and moves people from A to B?
How does a guy who started barely one step up from an office boy suddenly become best friends with the richest of the rich and political powerbrokers?
You need connections. You need introductions. You need traffickers. You need direct communications. That’s exactly what’s coming out of the Epstein files.
These people don’t communicate with just anyone. They filter out just about everybody. They routinely delegate almost all contacts. The entire Epstein operation was clearly based on an almost incredible range of inside contacts. Who has so many contacts that just spring to life when required?
How was it all funded? By Epstein? There’d be vast records of housekeeping at least. Even the catering for parties should have generated at least some information. Anyone trace the money? There’s no noticeable mention of how any money and so many people moved around in this operation. Enforcement doesn’t seem to be looking.
Enforcement has also mysteriously failed systematically and infallibly missed every shot on the board. That’s been pretty common in corrupt governments at all levels in the US since Prohibition and Tammany Hall. Sound familiar? It’s folklore in the US. Does the expression ‘organized crime’ ring a bell? How and to what extent are they involved?
The most basic example of failure of enforcement is indicative. There are famous laws in the US about transporting minors over state lines and related laws. It looks like most of that enforcement simply never tried to happen, and if it did, it did nothing.
Other countries are now getting conspicuously involved in investigations. That’s tricky, because jurisdictions matter. Whoever is charged with what will reverberate through other jurisdictions. Justice may come from outside the US.
Says a lot about the state of America, doesn’t it?
The fountains of sleaze are overflowing. The pipelines can’t handle it.
__________________________________________________
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
Davos forum opens probe into CEO Brende’s Epstein links
By AFP
February 5, 2026
World Economic Forum president and chief executive Borge Brende at the annual summit in Davos, eastern Switzerland - Copyright AFP Fabrice COFFRINI
The World Economic Forum, which organises the Davos summit, said Thursday that it would conduct an independent review into its chief executive’s interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Former Norwegian foreign minister Borge Brende, 60, has since 2017 been president of the WEF, which organises the annual gathering of the super-rich and powerful in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.
“The WEF seeks to clarify recent disclosures regarding its president and CEO, Borge Brende, and his participating in three business dinners with Jeffrey Epstein, along with subsequent email and SMS communications,” the forum said.
“In light of these interactions, the governing board requested the audit and risk committee to look into the matter, which subsequently decided to initiate an independent review.”
The forum said it was committed to transparency and aimed to handle the matter thoughtfully and efficiently.
The Geneva-based organisation said Brende would continue to fulfil his roles at the WEF, without involvement in the review process.
Brende was mentioned more than 60 times in the millions of new Epstein documents released last week by the US Justice Department.
Appearing in the released Epstein files does not in itself imply wrongdoing.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a child for prostitution and served 13 months of an 18-month sentence.
Epstein was facing charges of alleged sex trafficking when he killed himself in detention in 2019.
Brende said in a statement that during a visit to New York in 2018, he received an invitation for former Norwegian deputy prime minister Terje Rod-Larsen to join him for dinner with several other leaders, plus “someone who was presented to me as an American investor, Jeffrey Epstein”.
“The following year, I attended two similar dinners with Epstein, alongside other diplomats and business leaders. These dinners, and a few emails and SMS messages, were the extent of my interactions with him,” he said.
“I was completely unaware of Epstein’s past and criminal activities.”
He said that had he known about Epstein’s background, he would have declined the initial invitation for dinner and any other subsequent invitations or communications.
Brende said he recognised that he could have conducted a more thorough investigation into Epstein’s history, and regretted not doing so.
He welcomed the independent review, “which I indeed requested”.
France detects Russia-linked Epstein smear attempt against Macron: govt source
By AFP
February 6, 2026
Much of the Jeffrey Epstein document trove released by the US Justice Department has been blacked out - Copyright AFP Mandel NGAN
By AFP
February 5, 2026
World Economic Forum president and chief executive Borge Brende at the annual summit in Davos, eastern Switzerland - Copyright AFP Fabrice COFFRINI
The World Economic Forum, which organises the Davos summit, said Thursday that it would conduct an independent review into its chief executive’s interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Former Norwegian foreign minister Borge Brende, 60, has since 2017 been president of the WEF, which organises the annual gathering of the super-rich and powerful in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.
“The WEF seeks to clarify recent disclosures regarding its president and CEO, Borge Brende, and his participating in three business dinners with Jeffrey Epstein, along with subsequent email and SMS communications,” the forum said.
“In light of these interactions, the governing board requested the audit and risk committee to look into the matter, which subsequently decided to initiate an independent review.”
The forum said it was committed to transparency and aimed to handle the matter thoughtfully and efficiently.
The Geneva-based organisation said Brende would continue to fulfil his roles at the WEF, without involvement in the review process.
Brende was mentioned more than 60 times in the millions of new Epstein documents released last week by the US Justice Department.
Appearing in the released Epstein files does not in itself imply wrongdoing.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a child for prostitution and served 13 months of an 18-month sentence.
Epstein was facing charges of alleged sex trafficking when he killed himself in detention in 2019.
Brende said in a statement that during a visit to New York in 2018, he received an invitation for former Norwegian deputy prime minister Terje Rod-Larsen to join him for dinner with several other leaders, plus “someone who was presented to me as an American investor, Jeffrey Epstein”.
“The following year, I attended two similar dinners with Epstein, alongside other diplomats and business leaders. These dinners, and a few emails and SMS messages, were the extent of my interactions with him,” he said.
“I was completely unaware of Epstein’s past and criminal activities.”
He said that had he known about Epstein’s background, he would have declined the initial invitation for dinner and any other subsequent invitations or communications.
Brende said he recognised that he could have conducted a more thorough investigation into Epstein’s history, and regretted not doing so.
He welcomed the independent review, “which I indeed requested”.
France detects Russia-linked Epstein smear attempt against Macron: govt source
By AFP
February 6, 2026
Much of the Jeffrey Epstein document trove released by the US Justice Department has been blacked out - Copyright AFP Mandel NGAN
Pierre MOUTOT, Tiphaine LE LIBOUX
France has detected a Russia-linked disinformation effort alleging President Emmanuel Macron’s involvement with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a government source told AFP on Friday.
Politicians, celebrities and royals have been caught up in the turmoil after the US Justice Department last week published a new cache of nearly three million documents related to the investigation of Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
France’s Viginum agency, which counters foreign disinformation campaigns, detected Wednesday the operation involving a fabricated video report “accusing President Emmanuel Macron of being involved in the ‘Epstein affair'”, the source said.
The fake report was posted on a site fraudulently using the identity of a French media organisation, France-Soir, said the source, adding that the Storm-1516 project spreading fabricated content was behind the operation.
The fake report, allegedly by Le Parisien journalist Victor Cousin, claims to reveal “documents” incriminating Macron.
The Department of Justice’s files about Epstein do not contain the alleged documents.
Writing for Le Parisien, Cousin, 26, said he went to a police station to file a complaint.
“I had to explain how pro-Russian individuals had stolen my identity to attack the French president,” he wrote.
“The police officer in front of me stared at me with wide eyes, unable to comprehend what I was saying.”
– ‘Brand theft’ –
On Wednesday, France-Soir sought to distance itself from the fabricated report.
“Warning: brand and content theft,” it said. “The website http://france-soir.net has no connection with France-Soir.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned the public over Russian disinformation campaigns in Europe – Copyright POOL/AFP Ludovic MARIN
According to the government source, the site was linked “with a high degree of confidence to the CopyCop information operation.”
CopyCop is linked to John Mark Dougan, an American fugitive living in Russia. The latter “maintains part of the digital infrastructure of the Storm-1516 information operation,” the source added.
On X, the first account to share the fake video report was “@LoetitiaH, a frequent relay for Storm-1516 information operations,” the source added.
The video content was then “picked up and amplified by numerous other accounts monitored by Viginum,” said the source.
The source said that “this operation is very similar” to other Storm-1516 campaigns targeting political figures.
The posts targeting Macron began appearing online on Wednesday, shared simultaneously by several social media accounts identified as regular sources of pro-Russian disinformation. The accounts have a following of several thousand internet users.
The posts cite an alleged email exchange between Epstein and the controversial French modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who was found dead in his cell in a Paris prison in 2022 after being charged with raping minors. The alleged email does not exist in the files.
According to the false narrative, Brunel allegedly told Epstein in May 2017 that he would take “a few boys” to a party that Macron was organising.
Like previous disinformation operations on social media, they rely on a video with audio dubbed by artificial intelligence, screenshots of altered documents, and links to a website impersonating another media outlet to lend credibility to their narrative.
The posts share a link to the clone of the France-Soir media site, launched on Sunday, whose domain name is registered as .net instead of the .fr of the authentic site.
The French government has repeatedly warned the public over Russian disinformation campaigns in Europe that have grown in intensity since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.
– Missing link –
According to Antibot4Navalny, a collective that monitors pro-Kremlin bot networks, Storm-1516 and Matryoshka launched simultaneous campaigns targeting Macron in early February.
However, the group said there was no proven “direct link beyond the timing and topics” between the two operations.
“No strong connections between sites or distribution accounts can give us grounds to make that claim,” Antibot4Navalny told AFP.
According to Viginum, Storm-1516 was behind at least 77 disinformation operations targeting Western countries between late 2023 and March 2025.
After the publication of the Epstein files, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was also targeted by false posts.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this week the Epstein files demonstrate “how the Western elite treats children” and such officials “stand behind the Kyiv regime”.
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