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Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, US News, Celebrity, Crime
Liv Bridge
Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, US News, Celebrity, Crime
Newly released Epstein flight logs name a notable news anchor known as 'the most trusted man in America.'
The so-called Jeffrey Epstein files, relating to the late convicted sex offender, are gradually being released into the public domain.
While the files list several high-profile names amid theories that Epstein had a 'client list' of the rich and famous, whom he invited to his notorious Little St James island, those named are not directly implicated in any wrongdoing.
General Attorney Pam Bondi has also stressed a 'client list' never existed, but there are logs of his private jet.
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Now, in the latest files drop released by the House Oversight committee on Friday (October 17), iconic broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite featured in the alleged flight list.
The legendary reporter, who died at the age of 92 in 2009, enjoyed a lengthy career as the anchorman for the CBS Evening News between 1962 to 1981.
Cronkite was considered the 'most trusted man in America', covering major historic events like the moon landing, the Vietnam war and the Kennedy assassination.
He received several accolades for his service to journalism, including an Emmy award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The flight details reveal the then 90-year-old traveled from Newark, New Jersey, to St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands on January 12, 2007.
Cronkite was listed as a passenger on the jet alongside seven others, including Epstein himself who was likely hosting people at his private islands, situated just off the coast of St. Thomas.
The latest comes as part of a broader package, including a detailed transcript of the committee's interview with former US attorney Alex Acosta, who had helped Epstein secure a plea deal in 2008.
Under the agreement, Epstein was to avoid federal charges by serving 13 months in jail and pleading guilty to state charges.
He was also registered as a sex offender and pay a settlement to his victims.
During the testimony to the committee, Acosta defended his decision, stating there were numerous challenges at the time of the case that would have likely jeopardised a conviction.
He said: "And so in part it was influenced by that, and in large part it was also influenced by the viability of the case.
"Every attorney that looked at the case, from the prosecuting attorney, again, through the entire chain, looked at the evidence, and there were evidentiary issues with the victims.
"Many victims refused to testify. Many victims had changing stories. All of us understood why they had changing stories, but they did. And defense counsel would have – cross-examination would have been withering."
He further explained Epstein was offered the deal out of concerns he might have been able to dodge jail time entirely.
Acosta said: "Our judgment in this case, based on the evidence known at the time, was that it was better to have a billionaire serve time in jail, register as a sex offender and pay his victims restitution than risk a trial with a reduced likelihood of success.
"I supported that judgment then, and based on the state of the law as it then stood and the evidence known at that time, I would support that judgment again."
Cronkite's name has appeared in the lump of flight logs from the 1990s to 2019 alongside the likes of other high-profile names, like Prince Andrew, former President Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Richard Branson.
President Donald Trump also appears in the logs several times.
However, appearing in the files does not imply complicity or any knowledge of Epstein's crimes at the time.
According to the Daily Mail, Cronkite's estate or archivists may now be called to examine personal notes, calendars or prior correspondence to explain a possible connection to the former financier.
Epstein was found dead in his cell in August 2019 at the age of 66.