Anti-Trump outlets the Huffington Post and The National Review both published articles claiming that Jeffrey Epstein was a “Selfless and forward-thinking philanthropist”.
NYT:
After Jeffrey Epstein got out of the Palm Beach County jail in 2009, having served 13 months of an 18-month sentence resulting from a plea deal that has been widely criticized, he began a media campaign to remake his public image.
The effort led to the publication of articles describing him as a selfless and forward-thinking philanthropist with an interest in science on websites like Forbes, National Review and HuffPost.
The Forbes.com article, posted in 2013, praised him as “one of the largest backers of cutting-edge science around the world†while making no mention of his criminal past. The National Review piece, from the same year, called him “a smart businessman†with a “passion for cutting-edge science.†The HuffPost article, from 2017, credited Mr. Epstein for “taking action to help a number of scientists thrive during the ‘Trump Era’,†a time of “anti-science policies and budget cuts.â€
All three articles have been removed from their sites in recent days, after inquiries from The New York Times.
Mr. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution, a deal that he and his legal team negotiated after he was accused of sexually abusing dozens of young women and girls. Under its terms, he faced no federal charges and was made to register as a sex offender.
The Huffington Post:
HuffPost discontinuedthe model of allowing outside writers to post freelylast year. Before the system ended, contributors “could post their content with no editorial review,†HuffPost said in a statement. Its 2017 article on Mr. Epstein appeared under the former setup.
The byline belonged to Rachel Wolfson, once a frequent contributor to the site who described herself in her author bio as a digital marketer. On Friday, HuffPost said in a statement that it had removed the piece “at the author’s request.†Ms. Wolfson did not respond to requests for comment.
Between 2005 and 2018, more than 100,000 contributors took advantage of HuffPost’s open-door model. At the time it was shut down, the HuffPost editor in chief Lydia Polgreen wrote, “Open platforms that once seemed radically democratizing now threaten, with the tsunami of false information we all face daily, to undermine democracy. When everyone has a megaphone, no one can be heard.â€
The National Review:
The article on Mr. Epstein published by National Review, the conservative publication founded in 1955 by William F. Buckley Jr., was also removed on Friday. It was credited to Christina Galbraith, who identified herself in her bio as a science writer who had published at Forbes and HuffPost.
Ms. Galbraith was also a publicist for Mr. Epstein, according to several news releases promoting Mr. Epstein’s foundations and initiatives in 2012, 2013 and 2014 that included her as a contact. Ms. Galbraith did not respond to requests for comment. In the article that appeared on the National Review site, she described him as having “given thoughtfully to countless organizations that help educate underprivileged children.â€
“We took down the piece, and regret publishing it,†Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review since 1997, said in an email. He added that the publication had “had a process in place for a while now to weed out such commercially self-interested pieces from lobbyists and PR flacks.â€
Isn’t it crazy that News Outlets that constantly deride the character of Donald Trump would allow this garbage to be published? It is amazing how the Huffington Post who tried to tie President Trump to Epstein actually supported him more than President Trump ever has.
The Palmieri Report is a Pro-America News Outlet founded by Jacob Palmieri two years ago at the age of 19. Since its founding, it has gotten over 200k pages views and over 20k followers. The Palmieri Report is dedicated to debunking the lies spread by the left-wing Mainstream Media.
