Donald Trump really screwed up this time.
We’re not sure he realized how sus it was going to make him look deciding he’d never release the Jeffrey Epstein files — not to mention loudly announcing that none of the evidence pointed to anyone else. But he definitely wasn’t ready to actually answer direct questions about his friendship with the infamous sex trafficking billionaire!
He was asked on Monday about why they really fell out, something Trump had never really been forthcoming about before. He said it was because Epstein was poaching his employees. Huh. But during an Air Force One gaggle on Tuesday, the President was asked if the employees Epstein took were “young women” — and he ultimately said, “the answer is yes, they were.”
Naturally, the journalists thought — as we did — of Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre. After all, her longstanding claim was that Ghislaine Maxwell found her working a summer job at the Mar-a-Lago spa and recruited her to come *work for* Epstein. Her *job* was as an on-call masseuse, who would travel the world on Epstein’s jet and give him massages whenever he wanted. Even though she was only 16 years old and had zero massage training.
Surprisingly, Trump confirmed this was exactly what he was talking about. He told the reporters:
“I think that was one of the people, yeah. He stole her.”
So… Trump is admitting here to knowing Epstein was taking young girls from his clubs? Knowing Epstein was using Mar-a-Lago as a hunting ground for his sex trafficking? Knowing in particular that he took this 16-year-old girl?? But he did nothing about it? Just ended the friendship, if we even believe that. Seems pretty dubious, considering he was still publicly declaring Jeff “a terrific guy” in print two years later. And allegedly sending him that “we have certain things in common, Jeffrey” note for his birthday after that.
Related: Trump Was Accused Of Tying 13-Year-Old Girl To Bed & Raping Her At Epstein’s Apartment
But importantly… he didn’t contact the authorities? He didn’t try to protect this young girl? If he knew, like he now says he did, he let his pal get away with horrific behavior.
If he didn’t know? If he thought it was totally fine for a 16-year-old to be his billionaire pal’s personal massage girl? And he was only annoyed at the personal slight of poaching his girls? That says something else…
Either way, it looks terrible for Trump. Like we said, pretty clear he isn’t ready to answer these questions.
Sadly, we feel like MAGA is getting quieter on this — or even turning back to Trump’s side. Are they buying into the denials? Just willing to turn a blind eye because they don’t want to admit to themselves their hero is culpable? We don’t know… We hope we’re wrong…
But one group who won’t let it go? Virginia’s family. They’d still like answers following her suspicious death. And now, after Trump’s accidental (??) admission, the Giuffres have something to say:
“We would like to clarify that it was convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell who targeted and preyed upon our then 16-year-old sister, Virginia, from Mar-a-Lago, where she was working in 2000, several years before Epstein and President Trump had their falling out.”
They’re right. Epstein didn’t actually lose his Mar-a-Lago membership until 2007. And the falling out was reported in like 2004 — with local Palm Beach outlets claiming it was over Trump stabbing Epstein in the back over some real estate.
Her family said Trump admitting to knowing about Virginia being taken from Mar-a-Lago — even characterizing it by saying “he stole her” — was “shocking.” Her family now wants the President to reveal exactly what he knew and when, writing in their statement, per ABC News:
“It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal actions, especially given his statement two years later that his good friend Jeffrey ‘likes women on the younger side . . . no doubt about it.’”
Yeah, that quote always coming back to bite Trump. He really was caught in a lie here, wasn’t he? If he wants everyone to think now that he was being virtuous, cutting ties with a pedo… That would mean he knew about the pedo thing! And did nothing! In any case, he didn’t end his friendship then if he gave that quote to New York magazine in 2002! The family ended their statement by demanding:
“We and the public are asking for answers; survivors deserve this.”
Damn straight. If only everyone was still demanding answers.
[Image via Fox News/YouTube/DOJ/BBC/MEGA/WENN.]
The post Donald Trump Admitted He Knew Epstein 'Stole' 16-Year-Old Virginia Giuffre But Did Nothing — Now Her Shocked Family Want Answers! appeared first on Perez Hilton.