Final Word from Monday, August 12, 2019

Within hours of the unsealing on Fri. of a court filing in a civil lawsuit against financier Jeffrey Epstein, the accused was dead. Jeffrey Epstein reportedly hanged himself on Sat. while in U.S. federal custody. In the documents released, Virginia Giuffre claimed that one of Epstein's associates had instructed her to have sex with at least a half-dozen prominent men. One of them was retired Democratic Senator George Mitchell. He said in a statement that he had never met Giuffre and never "observed or suspected any inappropriate conduct with underage girls" on the part of Epstein. A decade ago, Mitchell made similar disclaimers when his friend and associate Frederic Bourke was convicted of conspiring with Viktor Kožený to bribe political leaders in Azerbaijan. Mitchell was vice chairman of Kožený's investment company, Oily Rock, but he swore in court to knowing nothing about any bribes. Mitchell is free to do another deal; Kožený is in exile; Epstein is dead. [ Czech Republic offender Bahamas ]