Louisiana Senator John Kennedy brought up the conspiracy theory that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday and implored Kathleen Sawyer, the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, to get to the bottom of what happened in the death of the late sex trafficker.
“Christmas ornaments, drywall, and Jerry Epstein,” Kennedy said, misstating the notorious financier’s first name. “Name three things that don’t hang themselves. That’s what the American people think, and they deserve some answers.”
Kennedy’s comments came during a Capitol Hill hearing in which Sawyer was pressed for answers about Epstein, who was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August. Sawyer said she’s seen no reason to believe that his death was anything but a suicide, which is the same conclusion a medical examiner reached. The FBI and the inspector general of the Justice Department are both investigating Epstein’s death.
On Tuesday, two prison guards were indicted by a grand jury for falsifying prison records to suggest they had done their normal rounds on the night Epstein died. But they hadn’t. Instead, according to the indictment, they spent time at their desks surfing the web for furniture sales and sports scores, and sleeping. They found Epstein dead in his cell at 6:30 a.m. on August 10.
The conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s death began immediately, but they’ve picked up more steam in recent weeks. Last week, a U.S. congressman jumped on board, suggesting in a series of tweets that “Epstein didn’t kill himself.” Sounds as if he may have some allies in the Senate.
