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Federal investigators examined Jeffrey Epstein’s relationship with a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer who worked at the St Thomas airport to which the late convicted sex offender flew regularly by private plane before traveling by boat or helicopter to his private island, newly released documents reveal.
As part of that investigation, which did not result in any charges, investigators issued subpoenas related to three additional CBP officers working at the Cyril E King airport (STT) on St Thomas, documents show. The Guardian also identified two other CBP officers on St Thomas and in Florida who were in contact with Epstein, based on emails and text messages between Epstein, his staff and the officers. It does not appear the FBI ever investigated those two officers.
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Was anyone ever charged? No CBP officer was ever charged for crimes related to Epstein, and the Guardian has not seen any evidence to suggest that CBP officers had direct knowledge or involvement in Epstein’s crimes.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest prompts calls for justice in the US
The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office in the UK has prompted calls in the US demanding accountability for those linked to the late sex offender.
Yesterday, Kentucky’s Republican representative, Thomas Massie, who co-sponsored legislation with California’s Democratic representative, Ro Khanna, to compel the justice department to release millions of files related to Epstein, called for action in the US. He went on to urge the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, and the FBI director, Kash Patel, “to act”, adding: “Now we need JUSTICE in the United States.”
Responding to the arrest, Skye Roberts, the brother of the late Virginia Giuffre – who alleged she was trafficked to the UK in 2001 at age 17 to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor, an allegation he has repeatedly and strongly denied – said: “The reality is the UK is doing far more.”
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How have Epstein’s survivors reacted? One of them, Marijke Chartouni, said: “If only the US justice department acted as decisively. It took British police less than three weeks from the release of the latest tranche of Epstein files to arrest Andrew, making Pam Bondi and Kash Patel look increasingly inept.”
Iran deal prospects will be clear within 10 days, Trump says, as military buildup grows
Donald Trump has said it will be clear within “probably 10 days” whether he can reach a nuclear deal with Iran, as the US military buildup in the Middle East intensifies with the impending arrival of a second carrier strike group.
The president, speaking at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace in Washington DC, insisted Iran could not have a nuclear weapon and emphasised that “bad things will happen” if the country continued “to threaten regional stability”.
Giving a possible timeline, Trump said: “Maybe we’re going to make a deal, but you’re going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days,” as the US waits for Iran to respond after talks between the two on Tuesday.
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How significant is the US military presence around Iran right now? The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and other warships in a strike group have been in the Arabian Sea for nearly a month. A second carrier strike group, led by the USS Gerald R Ford, was last confirmed to be in the Atlantic west of Morocco on Tuesday.
In other news …
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Eric Dane, an actor in the hit shows Euphoria and Grey’s Anatomy, has died aged 53, less than a year after he publicly revealed he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
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An amateur mountaineer has been found guilty of gross negligent manslaughter over the death of his girlfriend, whom he left behind on Austria’s highest peak after they got into difficulty on a climb.
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Donald Trump has announced he is directing the defense department and other agencies to release whatever files they have on the search for alien life. Comments from Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, went viral last weekend after podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen asked the former president if aliens were “real”.
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Six of the eight people who died after a huge avalanche swept through the Castle Peak area of the Sierra Nevada this week have been identified, according to multiple reports. They were part of a close-knit group who frequently went on ski trips together.
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A large banner featuring Donald Trump’s face was hung on the exterior of justice department headquarters yesterday in a physical display of the president’s efforts to exert power over the law enforcement agency that once investigated him.
Stat of the day: ‘Al-Aqsa is a detonator’ – six-decade agreement on prayer at Jerusalem holy site collapses
A six-decade agreement governing Muslim and Jewish prayer at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site has “collapsed” under pressure from Jewish extremists backed by the Israeli government, experts have warned.
Culture pick: We Are All Strangers review – two weddings and a baby in marvellously addictive family drama
The warmth, richness and approachability of this lovely film from Singaporean director Anthony Chen, a graduate of Britain’s National Film and Television School, returns him to the family drama style of his 2013 debut, Ilo Ilo, with care and connoisseurship.
Don’t miss this: How the anxiety over AI could fuel a new workers’ movement
Amid a worsening affordability crisis and geopolitical instability, the specter of artificial intelligence looms over the workplace. This new technology has workers particularly spooked, but is it also creating an opening for a resurgence in worker power?
Climate check: Avalanche risks remain high in California as climate crisis increases threat
Avalanche risks remain high in the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern California this week following the deaths of at least eight people. The climate crisis has set the stage for more dangerous conditions, with sharper swings between dry periods and severe storms, according to experts.
Last Thing: Kyiv zoo resorts to wood-burning stoves to keep animals warm amid energy blackout
Kyiv residents have been battling a particularly harsh winter with limited access to electricity as Russia targets energy facilities supplying the city. Staff at Kyiv zoo are using stoves and generators to keep lions, camels and Ukraine’s lone gorilla safe from winter and war.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
