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Donald Trump spreads conspiracy theory suggesting the Clintons were involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s death

While the rest of America reacted with shock to Jeffrey Epstein’s death, Donald Trump spread an utterly insane conspiracy theory.

Sam ClenchSam Clench
@SamClench
3 min read
August 11, 2019 - 12:54PM
Jeffrey Epstein found dead in jail

Donald Trump has responded to Jeffrey Epstein’s shock death in prison by spreading a conspiracy theory implying the Clintons were involved.

Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell at Manhattan Correctional Centre about 6:30am on Saturday morning local time. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The billionaire financier was facing up to 45 years behind bars for sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls as young as 14.

Most of the reaction to Epstein’s death has focused on the failure of prison staff to keep him alive.

Two investigations, run by the FBI and the Justice Department’s Solicitor General, will examine why Epstein was taken off suicide watch, and how he managed to take his own life without being noticed.

RELATED: ‘Shocking’ decision before Epstein’s death

The circumstances are extraordinary. Manhattan Correctional Centre is one of the most secure prisons in the United States, and has previously held other high profile inmates such as the drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and mob boss John Gotti.

There are genuine questions to be answered.

But parts of social media are using Epstein’s death to spread conspiracy theories. Foremost among them is the idea that Bill and Hillary Clinton were somehow involved.

President Trump retweeted two of tweets implying exactly that.

The first one featured a two-minute video by Terrence Williams, a conservative commentator and comedian.

“Somebody got paid not to do their job, so somebody can get knocked off, so information don’t come out,” Williams said in the clip, suggesting the Clintons had arranged for Epstein to be killed.

It of course goes without saying that there is no evidence to support that claim.

Hillary and Bill Clinton. Picture: AFP
Hillary and Bill Clinton. Picture: AFP

But Mr Trump has a history of spreading conspiracy theories without evidence.

During Barack Obama’s presidency, he was a leading proponent of the theory that Mr Obama was not an American citizen. He claimed to have hired private investigators to look into the matter, and at one point said they “could not believe what they’re finding”.

Mr Obama eventually released his long-form birth certificate to put the theory to bed. Mr Trump reacted by questioning its authenticity.

When he was competing for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, Mr Trump suggested the father of one of his opponents, Ted Cruz, had been involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

The Cruz campaign denounced the claim as “garbage”.

During the general election campaign, Mr Trump fomented false rumours the Democratic nominee, Ms Clinton, was suffering from a debilitating illness.

And he rehashed an old conspiracy theory about the death of former Clinton aide Vince Foster, who took his own life in 1993, saying it was “very fishy”.

“He had intimate knowledge of what was going on,” Mr Trump told the Washington Post.

“He knew everything that was going on, and then all of a sudden he committed suicide.

“I don’t bring it up because I don’t know enough to really discuss it. I will say there people who continue to bring it up because they think it was absolutely a murder. I don’t do that because I don’t think it’s fair.”

This is a recurring habit of Mr Trump’s — claiming he doesn’t want to bring up an unsavoury subject, and in so doing, bringing up that exact subject.

In any case, the fact that he has previously spread the Foster conspiracy theory makes his behaviour today less surprising.

That theory is closely linked to the one about Epstein.

Donald Trump has a history of spreading conspiracy theories. Picture: AFP
Donald Trump has a history of spreading conspiracy theories. Picture: AFP

The conspiracy theorists suggesting the Clintons are responsible for Epstein’s death are tweeting using the hashtag #ClintonBodyCount.

What does that mean?

It’s a reference to a long-running theory that claims Bill Clinton quietly killed off several dozen people, who supposedly had evidence incriminating him.

According to Snopes, which comprehensively debunked that theory all the way back in 1998, the “body count” wording was first used in 1993. Activist Linda Thompson compiled a list of 34 people connected to the Clintons who had died, and titled it: “The Clinton Body Count: Coincidence or the Kiss of Death”.

Snopes investigated each death on the list and found “no direct evidence” that the Clintons were responsible for any of them. Most were easily explained.

Which brings us back to the tragic death of Vince Foster.

Mr Foster was a colleague of Ms Clinton’s when she worked at a law firm in Arkansas. He joined the Clinton administration when Mr Clinton won the presidency, but became embroiled in a Washington scandal.

Suffering from depression, he killed himself in July of 1993. Five official investigations found no evidence it was anything other than suicide.

Nevertheless, the conspiracy theory has persisted, with Mr Foster’s name the most prominent on the list of supposed Clinton victims.

Mr Trump has been widely slammed on Twitter for spreading the Epstein theory today.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/donald-trump-spreads-conspiracy-theory-suggesting-the-clintons-were-involved-in-jeffrey-epsteins-death/news-story/21d87606b0609bbdb70926efcd03899f