Kamala Harris railed against the law firm defending accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in a statement released last Tuesday.
But just hours before the statement was issued, Harris’ husband headlined a fundraiser for the California Democrat hosted by six partners at Kirkland & Ellis, the law firm defending Epstein, according to The Associated Press.
“In our democracy, no one – no matter how powerful or well-connected – is above the law,” Harris said in the statement. “Yet Epstein’s deal, secured by his lawyers at Kirkland and Ellis, calls into question the integrity of our legal system and undermines the public’s confidence that justice will be served.”
MORE: Bill Maher’s 2015 Comments About Epstein Resurface – And It Looks Really Bad for Bill Clinton
An attorney for government watchdog Common Cause questioned Harris’ links to the firm.
“If any connection with Kirkland and Ellis is a stain on (senior Justice Department officials), why isn’t a connection with the law firm for the receipt of campaign contributions a stain on her own campaign?” Paul S. Ryan told The AP.
But a spokesman for Harris denied that his boss’ stance was problematic.
“The people involved in that case have not supported her campaign, and she wouldn’t want that support anyway,” Ian Sams said.
The Jeffrey Epstein scandal
Epstein, a wealthy hedge fund manager, was arrested last Saturday, and he pleaded not guilty last Monday to charges that, between 2002 and 2005, he sexually abused dozens of girls as young as 14 at his mansions in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida. Soon thereafter, it was revealed that agents discovered an “extraordinary volume of photographs of nude and partially-nude young women or girls” during a weekend search of Epstein’s Manhattan mansion.
Several politicians have issued statements publicly condemning the enigmatic financier. Meanwhile, the press has zeroed in on Epstein’s ties to high-profile politicos on both sides of the aisle.
Former President Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump both associated with Epstein in the past.
Last week, the New York Post revealed that Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer accepted thousands of dollars in donations from the convicted sex offender.
MORE: Schumer Accepted Thousands in Donations From Convicted Sex Offender Jeffrey Epstein
Records obtained by Fox News in 2016 showed that Clinton took at least 26 trips aboard Epstein’s private jet, which the media has nicknamed the “Lolita Express.”
In 2002, Trump, who has also reportedly flown on Epstein’s jet, told New York Magazine that Epstein was a “terrific guy.”
“He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it – Jeffrey enjoys his social life,” Trump added.
Bradley Edwards, an attorney for one of Epstein’s accusers, said in 2018 that Trump was particularly cooperative when Edwards was contacting individuals connected to Epstein in building his client’s case.
According to Edwards, Trump was “the only person who picked up the phone and said, ‘let’s just talk. I’ll give you as much time as you want.’”
Edwards added that Trump “gave no indication whatsoever that he was involved in anything untoward whatsoever, but had good information.”
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