Big media's delusional conceit about uncovering Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell conviction

Jake Tapper credits "incredible" journalism that was 10 years late

With the guilty verdict against pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell issued Wednesday, tune into CNN to watch the orgy of self congratulation on the Miami Herald’s role in this story.

From the New York Times:

LIVE

Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty of Helping Jeffrey Epstein Abuse Girls

Ms. Maxwell was convicted of conspiring with the disgraced financier over a decade to sexually abuse underage girls. Here’s the latest.

There’s one problem with Jake Tapper’s description of Julie K. Brown’s reporting as “incredible” — the story was 10 years late.

Jake Tapper @jaketapper

Who knows if any of this would have happened without the incredible @jkbjournalist's reporting!

julie k. brown @jkbjournalist

BREAKING: GUILTY on five of six counts including sex trafficking of a minor which is punishable by up to 40 years. https://t.co/64ZK9iBa2c

Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting an underage prostitute in 2008. In a plea agreement, Epstein agreed to serve 18 months — which evolved into 13 months with 12 hour visits six days a week to his private office. That’s why the press called the plea agreement a “sweetheart deal.”

The plea deal was not a secret — it was reported in the New York Post.

Brown did not pay any attention to the story until former President Donald Trump named Alex Acosta to be his Labor Secretary. Acosta was the U.S. Attorney from the Southern District of Florida who oversaw the deal. So 10 years after Epstein pleaded guilty, the Miami Herald realized that maybe there was a problem with a sexual predator of underage girls living large after the sentence was served.

The plea deal was no law-and-order coup, but the fact remains that Acosta was the only lawman to put Epstein behind bars at all — and force him to register as a sex offender.

What’s more, the plea deal spared Epstein’s victims from having to testify and risk being torn apart on the stand by Epstein’s cadre of high-paid attorneys, a roster that included Alan Dershowitz, Roy Black and Ken Starr.

So good for Brown for reporting the story, but let’s not act like this was an act of “incredible” journalism from a reporter with her nose to the ground. If Trump had not appointed Acosta, Epstein easily could be enjoying the high life today and the Miami Herald and Brown probably wouldn’t have noticed. They certainly didn’t notice before 2017.

Debra J. Saunders is a fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Chapman Center for Citizen Leadership. Contact her at dsaunders@discovery.org.

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