A Democratic lawmaker kept insisting Donald Trump may be guilty of wrongdoing during his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and CNN anchor John Berman kept replying with disclaimers on Tuesday. (Watch the video below.)
Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.), a member of the House Oversight Committee, and Berman were discussing Monday’s release of Epstein records that included a photo of Epstein and a Mar-a-Lago club member with an oversize check that had an obviously fake Trump signature on it. The caption joked that Trump bought a “fully depreciated” woman. The entry was part of the “birthday book” made for Epstein in 2003 that Epstein’s estate handed over to the committee.
The committee has been investigating the Justice Department’s handling of the human sex-trafficking case against Epstein (which was dropped after he died in prison in 2019), while Trump has backed off from his promise to release documents connected to his former friend.
Min noted how Epstein’s victims, ranging in age from 12 to 22, said in testimony to the committee that they felt “commodified” and “disrespected.” He also asserted that Trump was part of Epstein’s inner circle.
Berman offered one of many statements to clarify matters and perhaps steer CNN clear of legal exposure. “Again, I do want to say we have no reason to think that he was in any way involved with that check itself, ” the journalist said. “Also, no reason to think he’s conducted any wrongdoing involving Jeffrey Epstein.”
