Part of the orientation of any intelligence officer is a warning about being sexually compromised.  This should be a matter of common sense.  However, due to the youth or inexperience of the target the perpetrators may be successful.  It is a technique that has been used for centuries.  In the 1940s Congressman Martin Dies called it the “badger game.”  Defector Walter Kravchenko referred to its practitioners as “Liubyanka ladies.”  Entice an indiviual into a sexually compromising situation and photograph it.

This presidential campaign appears at times to be a race to the gutter.  Both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton have been accused of having sexual relations with minors.  These allegations of sexual impropriety have raised some disturbing questions about the level of corruption in our society.  Perhaps more serious than the possible sexual perversion is the undermining or our judicial system.  The case of Jeffrey Epstein, billionaire financier and convicted pedophile, illustrates this point.

In 2003 reporter Vicky Ward wrote an article for Vanity Fair about the financier.  Epstein became newsworthy after he flew Bill Clinton to Africa on his private jet, the 'Lolita Express,' for a charity event. Ward included allegations that Epstein may have engaged in illicit sexual activity with a 16 year old.  Her editor at Vanity Fair decided to delete this from the published article after a call from Epstein.  Her article dealt mainly on the hidden source of Epstein’s wealth and his unorthodox lifestyle.

In 2006 Epstein was arrested by the Palm Beach, Florida police.  He faced dozens of counts of paying for sex with underage girls.  Federal charges included trafficking them across state lines.  The probable cause affidavit asserted that Epstein had sexual intercourse with four minors in violation of the Florida State Statute 794.05(1).  Federal prosecutors identified 40 women who may have been procured by Epstein.  In 2008 he pled guilty to a single state charge of soliciting prostitution. He was sentenced to 18 months confinement.  He served less than 13 months and was also granted immunity from prosecution on a series of other underage sex charges.  The police involved in the investigation were shocked.

Epstein’s lenient sentence purportedly was the result of Department of Justice intervention.  Of course his team of experts lawyers played an important part.  The team included Alan Dershowitz, Ken Starr, Martin Weinberg, Roy Black, and Jay Lefkowitz.  Dershowitz stated that Ken Starr played a crucial role in the case and claimed he was, “proud of the role I played in getting Jeffrey Epstein the deal.”  Still, Epstein was unhappy with the verdict.  Epstein’s attorneys have been fighting to keep the negotiations around the plea deal hidden from the public.  Four women are suing the US prosecutors for violating their rights by concluding a plea deal without consulting them.

In 2011 Epstein paid “millions of dollars in civil settlements to seven girls who allege that he paid them to perform erotic massages and demeaning sexual acts when they were underage.”  They were among 40 victims identified by the FBI.  A court exhibit claims Epstein sexually assaulted a 13 and 14 year old.  His 2011 settlement brings into question Katie Johnson’s claim that she was raped by Donald Trump in 1994.  Where was she when Epstein was handing out millions?  In 2015 Prince Andrew became involved in a “‘sex slave’ case” against Epstein.

Jeffrey Epstein is a shrewd businessman.  He would not let an opportunity slip through his fingers.  The 2008 Florida lawsuit clearly mentioned the fact that his properties were filled with hidden cameras.  This raises the question: What would be the value of a library composed of home videos revealing prominent politicians and media people engaged in sexual acts with young children?

A frequent guest of Epstein, Alan Dershowitz, denied that he had sex with minors and claimed,  “I was never in the presence of a single underage woman.  I never saw [Epstein] doing anything improper. I was not a witness. I was not a participant. And I will prove it.”  Dershowitz publicly said his wife accompanies him nearly everywhere he goes.  Yet there are numerous flight logs where she is not included.  He insisted that his relationship with Epstein was entirely academic.

Some of Epstein’s guests include Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Alan Dershowitz, Donald Trump, Katie Couric, George Stephanopoulos, Woody Allen, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Charlie Rose, Kevin Spacey, Mort Zuckerman, and former Senator George Mitchell.  A complete list of his guests would be very interesting.  It would also be interesting to know how many more Jeffrey Epsteins are out there?

John Dietrich is a freelance writer and the author of The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy, Algora Publishing, 2013.