FBI PUBLIC AFFAIRS - DIRECTOR'S AM NEWS BRIEFING

FBI PUBLIC AFFAIRS - DIRECTOR'S AM NEWS BRIEFING WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 5:00 AM EDT EFTA00161007 EFTA00161008 Epstein's Attorneys Say Evidence Is "Far More Consistent" With Murder Than Suicide. Newsweek (8/27, 1.53M) reports, -Federal prosecutors on Tuesday took one of their final steps in winding down the sprawling criminal case against Jeffrey E. Epstein, the Manhattan financier and alleged sex trafficker who died by apparent suicide earlier this month," but Epstein's defense attorneys "sought to prolong the case's remaining proceedings, asking U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman to use the court's 'inherent authority' to probe the death of their former client." The defense "also threw already rampant suspicion surrounding Epstein's untimely death into further uncertainty when they alleged that they have evidence suggestive of an incident 'far more consistent with assault' than suicide," and "they told the judge they could provide the court with this evidence to support their assertion." The Washington Post (8/26, Merle, Zapotosky, 14.2M) reports, "Reid H. Weingarten, one of Epstein's attorneys, asked" Judge Berman "to conduct an independent inquiry into Epstein's death." Defense attorneys said that they were skeptical of the New York City medical examiner's conclusion that Epstein died by suicide and that their own medical examiner believed there was some evidence to suggest otherwise," and 'They said that their medical examiner believed Epstein was dead for 45 minutes before he was found - raising questions about efforts to resuscitate him - and that his injuries could suggest homicide." Jeffrey Epstein's Accusers Call For Justice In Court Testimony. The CBS Evening News (8/27, story 3, 2:15, Dickerson, 4M) reported prosecutors are "dropping the case" against Jeffrey Epstein, who "had been charged with sex trafficking," but the judge on Tuesday "allowed some of Epstein's alleged victims to tell their stories: CBS' Mola Lenghi reported that some named Ghislaine Maxwell and Sarah Kellen as recruiters for Epstein and called for them to be held accountable. They have not been charged with any crimes, and both have denied any wrongdoing." ABC World News Tonight (8/27, story 5, 1:55, Muir, 6.62M) reported, that "more than a dozen accusers" spoke out. Virginia Guiffre was "among the women who went in front of the cameras today, escalating her fight, and she is now demanding answers from Prince Andrew." ABC's Tom Llamas reported Guiffre "claimed Epstein ordered her to have sex with some of his powerful friends, including Prince Andrew, something the Prince has denied." NBC Nightly News' (8/27, story 5, 2:10, Snow, 5.89M) Stephanie Gosk reported Epstein's attorneys were also in court Tuesday, raising questions about the timing of Epstein's death. Gosk added that "they raised the theory that he was strangled," and "even though a medical examiner has determined that Epstein died by suicide, they asked the federal judge directly to look into this matter personally." Reuters (8/27, Pierson, Layne) reports, "A succession of women who said Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused them at a young age voiced anger and defiance in a packed New York courtroom on Tuesday, some lamenting that the financier's suicide deprived them of the opportunity to obtain justice. 'The fact that I will never have a chance to face my predator in court eats away at my soul,' accuser Jennifer Araoz said during a 2-1/2 hour hearing before U.S. District Judge Richard Berman, who let the women testify despite the fact that Epstein's death meant he would never face a trial. 'I will not let him win in death,' another woman, Chauntae Davies, told the court." The Washington Post (8/27, Merle, Paul, 14.2M) reports, "For more than an hour, the women, some of whose voices cracked the moment they began to speak, walked to a microphone at the front of the room; many identified themselves by name, EFTA00161009 but some wanted to remain anonymous." Their testimony "was at times graphic as they described alleged rape and manipulation by Epstein, who had pleaded not guilty to the sex trafficking charges before he died." EFTA00161010 EFTA00161011 EFTA00161012 Copyright 2019 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social•media platforms and additional forms of open•source data. Sources for Buietin Intelligence audience•size estimates include Scarborough. 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