As House Republicans flee D.C. to avoid voting to release the FBI’s files on Jeffrey Epstein, let’s revisit evidence from his previous arrest in 2005 which led to a guilty plea on charges of soliciting prostitution from a minor. At that time, Palm Beach police raided Epstein’s home and videotaped the lavish but poorly decorated premises.
The tape subsequently found its way into the closing arguments of the trial of Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. She was found guilty in 2021 of five sex trafficking charges, including the sex trafficking of a minor and the transportation of a minor to participate in illegal sex acts. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Epstein died by suicide while in jail in 2019. His Palm Beach home, where so many girls were abused and assaulted, no longer stands today. Even its address has been changed. But the almost half-hour recording of the police walkthrough remains viewable courtesy of The Palm Beach Post.
The grainy footage offers a sense of Epstein’s daily life: his taste for Evian bottled water, art featuring the female form and framed photographs of himself and those in his social circle. (Sadly, the faces of his companions in those photos have been blurred.) Many have noted the sex toys and naked photographs found in the residence, but a rewatch offered a few revelations based on recent findings.
1. Shhhhh.
Sticks of ‘Secret’ brand deodorant can be seen peeking out from trays of toiletries in two bathrooms, including one off the master suite. Maybe that’s what Donald Trump meant when he signed a page in Epstein’s 50th birthday book: “And may every day be another wonderful secret.”
2. A page from the birthday book?
The Wall Street Journal has reported that, in 2003, Maxwell pulled together a birthday book for Epstein—filled with celebratory notes from his pals. Trump allegedly contributed a drawing of a naked woman, and used his signature to connote pubic hair.
The framed drawing above hangs in the master suite’s walk-in closet—could it also be a birthday gift? The police video doesn’t include a static shot of the piece as a whole, but the bottom half appears to feature a sketch of a baby on one side and a skull on the other with a slash between them signaling the midpoint of life, which could be a 50th birthday? “Tempus fugit” (time flies) is written below, along with two quotes: “A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson and “Live long and prosper,” attributed to Star Trek character Spoock (sic).
Above the drawing is a long note that is illegible. A few words can be made out, however, including “remember when….” The note appears to be signed, but that signature is also unclear.
3. Another mystery?
Why did Epstein have professional dentist equipment in his home? Well, Prince Andrew reportedly spent weeks at the Palm Beach mansion where he received massages… and perhaps some much-needed dental care?
4. One’s a saint, the other’s in hell.
Despite the blurring, there’s no mistaking who Epstein and Maxwell are greeting in this photo in the blue frame:
It’s Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005 and was sainted in 2014. Later, two priests came forward to claim that when John Paul II was an archbishop in Poland, he concealed the sexual abuse of children by priests. Only Maxwell could spill what these three discussed that day, but will she do so? Cutting a deal with a saint would be even more beneficial than cutting a deal with a president.
5. A tragic guest room tableau.
The saddest still-life on a beside table features a TV remote, a teddy bear, some sort of ornamental obelisk and a box of tissues.
6. And a tragic lack of cake.
On the counter in the pantry off the kitchen stood an empty cake plate.
7. Here’s the view from Epstein’s toilet.
If you were hoping to purchase the piece of art that Jeffrey Epstein stared at when sitting on the toilet in the master bath, well tough luck. It sold last year at auction for $8,500, with no care taken to hide its provenance.
8. And a room with a (fake) view.
A guest room facing the back of the house’s lot still gets a window with an ocean view. Two windows, in fact, courtesy of these twee beachside scenes. Similar pieces can be purchased at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
9. A cute area rug can really cheer up a room.
If this little fish rug in a guest bedroom could talk… it would probably scream.
