Dem
51
GOP
49
Ever since the Jeffrey Epstein story became a matter of public interest, roughly 5 years ago (he was arrested July 6, 2019; that jail stay culminated in his suicide), there has been much whispering about secrets related to high-profile American politicians, particularly Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. Both men certainly knew and associated with Epstein and, it was supposed, they might also have joined him in some of his illegal sexual practices.
This week, two sets of Epstein-related documents, totaling over 1,000 pages, were were released. And when it comes to political figures, the documents show that... Donald Trump and Bill Clinton both knew and associated with Epstein, to the point of having conversations (Trump) or flying on Epstein's plane (Clinton). There is nothing salacious in there about any notable figure, excepting those whose names rhyme with "Brince Trandrew."
So, perhaps that is the end of this story, at least when it comes to political figures. That said, the release of the documents triggered a new sub-plot that, while it doesn't involve a political figure, does have a political dimension. Jimmy Kimmel is, of course, a late-night TV host, and is openly lefty, particularly when it comes to things like universal healthcare and vaccination. This has made him unpopular with those on the right, and with those who are anti-vaxx.
One such anti-vaxxer is NFL quarterback and well-known jerk Aaron Rodgers, who appears weekly on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show, and who often uses the occasion to shoot barbs at pro-vaxx people, including Kimmel. This week, just hours before the first set of Epstein documents was released, Rodgers snottily remarked: "There's a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that doesn't come out. I'll tell you what, if that list comes out, I definitely will be popping some sort of bottle."
The very clear implication is that Kimmel is a sexual predator, or a pedophile, or both. Kimmel has never been linked to Epstein, and there's never been any suggestion his name might be in the documents (and it wasn't). Naturally, the late-night host was not pleased by Rodgers' remark, and took to Ex-Twitter with the following:
Dear Aasshole: for the record, I've not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any "list" other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself can't seem to distinguish from reality. Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.
McAfee, recognizing that he's on the cusp of being party to a defamation suit, offered a weak apology on his show. Rodgers has yet to say anything.
Whether Kimmel sues or not, the damage is done. Henceforth, his name is going to show up in Google searches related to the Epstein case. And it goes beyond that. Everyone knows the old line that "A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can put its shoes on." Well, a guy on Ex-Twitter who likes to get attention by stirring the pot, used Photoshop to cook up the "evidence" that Kimmel is indeed named in the Epstein documents:
It's not too hard to figure out this is fake. Among other things, this was posted to Ex-Twitter about an hour after the first group of documents was released. That first group is about 900 pages. There is no "Page 1375."
Naturally, right-wingers who dislike Kimmel aren't going to let the truth get in the way of a good smear opportunity. So, countless right-wing pundits, bloggers, tweeters, etc., took this "proof" and ran with it. Consequently, the Internet is now chock-full of: (1) assertions that Kimmel was part of Epstein's circle, and (2) "proof" to back those assertions up.
It's hardly news that right-wingers are going to use fake evidence, created using computer tools, very liberally this cycle. This story just happened to afford an opportunity to watch the process play out, in real time and in short order, right in front of our faces.
Note, incidentally, that it is possible that left-wingers are going to use the same sorts of dirty tricks. That said, we are not as confident in that as we are that it will happen on the right. In general, today's lefty voters are less credulous than today's righty voters, so it's harder to get them to buy into total falsehoods. Plus, let's be honest, is there really any need to make stuff up about Donald Trump? (Z)