memeorandum: Conspiracy Theories Erupt After Jeffrey Epstein's Death (Kelly Weill/The Daily Beast)

9:55 PM ET, August 10, 2019

Top Items:

Jeffrey Epstein Dead in Suicide at Jail, Spurring Inquiries — Mr. Epstein, the financier accused of sex trafficking, was not under suicide watch at the Manhattan jail at the time of his death. — Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who was long dogged by accusations of sexual abuse of girls …

NBC News:

Trump retweets Epstein conspiracy theory, claiming Clinton connection — The president retweeted a conspiracy theory on Saturday that suggested a connection between former President Bill Clinton and the death of the wealthy financier and accused sex trafficker.

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, Bloomberg, Vox and Political Wire

Rachel Frazin / The Hill:

Sasse tells AG that ‘heads must roll’ over Epstein treatment in federal custody — Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) on Saturday wrote a letter to Attorney General William Barr that “heads must roll” regarding Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide after his body was found and it was reported that he had been take off suicide watch.

Discussion: NBC News, Townhall, The Independent, New York Times, Breitbart and Mediaite

Harry Litman / Washington Post:

Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide is unfathomable — For anyone familiar with Bureau of Prisons standard operating procedures, Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide is more than mysterious; it is unfathomable. — The 66-year-old accused sex trafficker was found dead in his prison cell …

Discussion: USA Today, NBC New York, Hullabaloo and Instapundit

NBC News:

Prison experts are stunned and angry that Jeffrey Epstein was taken off suicide watch — “For them to pull him off suicide watch is shocking,” one former federal prison warden told NBC News. — Questions raised after Epstein dies after being taken off suicide watch

Discussion: WTVR-TV, Vox, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit and Breitbart

U.S. Department of Justice:

Statement from Attorney General William P. Barr on the Death of Jeffrey Epstein — Attorney General William P. Barr issued the following statement: — “I was appalled to learn that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead early this morning from an apparent suicide while in federal custody.

Discussion: Human Events, The Gateway Pundit, Axios, Politico, FITSNews, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, Rolling Stone, New York Post, Tennessee Star, TheBlaze and CBS Pittsburgh

Dan Spinelli / Mother Jones:

A Trump Official Just Posted on Instagram That Jeffrey Epstein Was “Hillary'd” — Jeffrey Epstein, the multimillionaire accused of sex trafficking, was found dead in his New York jail cell Saturday morning in an apparent suicide. Details of his death emerged first through ABC News …

Discussion: Hullabaloo and The Week

Ben Conarck / Miami Herald:

How was Jeffrey Epstein able to kill himself so soon after earlier reported incident? — Accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's death by apparent suicide in a Manhattan jail cell on Saturday raised significant questions about whether detention officials made appropriate decisions …

Discussion: New York Times and CNN

Kelly Weill / The Daily Beast:

Conspiracy Theories Erupt After Jeffrey Epstein's Death — The hashtags were out in force Saturday morning, and President Trump had joined in to retweet the theories by the evening. — Moments after billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was announced dead in what law enforcement sources described …

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Atlantic, CNBC, Slate and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

New York Times:
Why Wasn't Jeffrey Epstein on Suicide Watch When He Died?

Discussion: Mother Jones, Slate, RedState, Progress Pond, Mercury News, WhoWhatWhy, The Mahablog, The New Neo, Big League Politics, Florida Politics, Breitbart, Rolling Stone, BizPac Review and twitchy.com

Washington Post:
Jeffrey Epstein dead after apparent suicide in New York jail

Discussion: Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, PJ Media Home, Washington Free Beacon, Slate, Vox, The Daily Beast and Associated Press

Ella Torres / ABC News:
Jeffrey Epstein, accused sex trafficker, dies by suicide: Officials

Rolling Stone: Trump Official Promotes Clinton Conspiracy Theory About Epstein's Death

NBC News:
Jeffrey Epstein, accused sex trafficker, is dead by apparent suicide, found in his Manhattan jail cell

Discussion: Fox News, The Guardian, The Hill, New York Post, Slate, CBS New York, BizPac Review, The Gateway Pundit, VICE, Bangor Daily News, Breitbart, Ordinary Times, Daily Kos, Little Green Footballs, The Week, UPI, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Towleroad Gay News

New York Post:
Jeffrey Epstein dead in apparent suicide

Discussion: Fox News, Financial Times, Talking Points Memo, RedState, The Resurgent, BizPac Review, Politico, TMZ.com, UPI, Jezebel, Townhall and PJ Media Home

Julie K. Brown / Miami Herald:
Accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein kills himself in New York jail

Discussion: New York Times, PJ Media Home and TheBlaze

Reuters:
Disgraced money manager Jeffrey Epstein dead in apparent suicide

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Unsealed documents detail alleged Epstein victim's recruitment at Mar-a-Lago

Discussion: New York Post, Refinery29, POLITICUSUSA, The Daily Beast, The Verge, East Bay Times and Jezebel

Emma Kinery / Bloomberg:

Biden Says He Was Vice President During Parkland Shooting — Latest gaffe on campaign trail by Democrats' 2020 front-runner — Deadly attack at school in 2018, after Biden had left office — Joe Biden said he was vice president when the deadly high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, took place.

Discussion: Fox News, Breitbart, Washington Free Beacon, Viking Pundit and Balloon Juice

Bonchie / RedState:
Biden Says There Are “At Least Three” Genders, Confuses Everyone

Discussion: New York Post, Diamond & Silk and BizPac Review

New York Post:

Trump cracks jokes about Equinox scandal, kamikaze pilots at Hamptons fundraiser — President Trump cracked jokes about the Equinox scandal, the old days of rent-controlled New York and his dealings with North and South Korea among deep-pocketed pals in the Hamptons on Friday.

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, POLITICUSUSA, Fox News and Splinter

Washington Post:
Trump again appears to take North Korea's side against his own military, allies

Discussion: Axios, American Military News, PJ Media Home, POLITICUSUSA, Hullabaloo, The Week, New York Times, The Daily Caller and Bloomberg

David Jackson / USA Today: Trump threatens to retaliate against countries like Japan, Canada, Uruguay that issued travel warnings

Hollywood Reporter:

Universal Scraps ‘The Hunt’ Release Following Gun Violence Uproar — The studio's decision came a day after President Trump took aim at the film, saying it was “made to inflame and cause chaos.” The story follows a group of elites hunting “deplorables” for sport.

Discussion: Hollywood in Toto, Vox, Reason, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, BizPac Review, Breitbart, Daily Wire, IndieWire, Bloomberg, KTLA, The Last Refuge, The Guardian, TheBlaze, Hullabaloo, Boston Globe, UPI, Hot Air and Mediaite

Nate Nickolai / Variety:

Universal Cancels ‘The Hunt’ Release — Universal Pictures has canceled the release of its upcoming thriller “The Hunt.” The film was previously set to hit theaters Sept. 27. — “While Universal Pictures had already paused the marketing campaign for The Hunt, after thoughtful consideration …

Discussion: Slate, PJ Media Home, Polygon, RedState, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone

KCNA Watch:

Press Statement by Director-General of DPRK Foreign Ministry — Pyongyang, August 11 (KCNA) — Kwon Jong Gun, Director-General of the Department of American Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, issued the following press statement on Sunday:

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Scoop: Trump tells advisers Israel should bar entry to Reps. Omar and Tlaib — President Trump has told advisers he thinks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should use Israel's anti-boycott law to bar Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) from entering Israel …

Discussion: RedState and Talking Points Memo

Elizabeth Warren / Team Warren:

Protecting Our Communities from Gun Violence — Columbine. — Sandy Hook. — Charleston. — Pulse. — Las Vegas. — Parkland. — Pittsburgh. — Now El Paso. Dayton. — These are just a few of the names etched into the American consciousness, synonymous with senseless loss and enduring grief.

Discussion: Daily Wire, Mother Jones, Daily Kos, Bearing Arms, Refinery29, Fox News, Vox, Axios, NPR, UPI and New York Times

Kevin Robillard / HuffPost: Elizabeth Warren Wants To Raise Taxes On Guns And Ammunition

Caroline JacksonSmyrk / FOX News Radio:

Former DNC Chairwoman, Donna Brazile, on El Paso & Dayton Mass Shootings: The President Of The United States Should Not Be Blamed For Murderers — Former DNC Chairwoman, Donna Brazile, sat down with Guy Benson to discuss the El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH mass shootings, and how gun violence has affected her family recently.