What Trump Knew About Jeffrey Epstein

The Post-#MeToo Weapon • Remembering Ross Perot • Democrats' McConnell Fight [View this email in your browser]( [Advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [AdChoices]( What Trump Knew About Jeffrey Epstein Good morning! It was another wild day in the Hive newsroom, dear reader: William D. Cohan investigated the [billion-dollar Trump trade]( mystifying Wall Street, and Chris Smith examined the [continued Trumpification of the DOJ](. But who wants to talk about yesterday’s news, anyway? Today, we take a double-barreled approach to the Epstein saga: Emily Jane Fox reports on how Donald Trump worked with National Enquirer publisher David Pecker to keep tabs on the convicted pedophile—and to weaponize his scandals against the Clintons. And Vanessa Grigoriadis reveals how trafficking became the go-to criminal charge for prosecutors in the post-#MeToo era. Plus: T.A. Frank eulogizes Ross Perot, America’s complicated proto-Trump. We hope that you’re enjoying what you’re reading. Have a great day! [Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 1997.]( [“He Said Not to Tell Anyone”: How Trump Kept Tabs on Jeffrey Epstein]( By [Emily Jane Fox]( [In the months before he ran for president, Donald Trump was in conversation with National Enquirer owner David Pecker about his old acquaintance Jeffrey Epstein and how his sexual abuse scandal might affect the Clintons.]( [“There’s Huge Pressure to Bring Trafficking Cases”: Jeffrey Epstein, Keith Raniere, and the Most Potent Post-#MeToo Weapon Against Bad Men]( By [Vanessa Grigoriadis]( [Trafficking, often carrying harsher penalties than assault, is being repurposed by prosecutors to pursue Epstein and his ilk.]( [What Ross Perot Got Right About America]( By [T.A. Frank]( [Perot, who ran the most successful third-party presidential campaign in 80 years, stayed independent-minded until the end. To flout prevailing opinion carries a high price, and he endured a lot of abuse for standing alone. But Perot looks a good deal better in hindsight than many of his critics.]( [Trump Is Facing Pressure to Dump Acosta From Democrats—And Mick Mulvaney]( By [Alison Durkee]( [Mulvaney may be using the political scandal as a way to get Acosta out of the Trump administration.]( [Democrats Aim a 2020 Bazooka at Mitch McConnell]( By [Eric Lutz]( [After years of letting the “grim reaper” of the Senate fly under the radar, Democrats want to drag McConnell out of the shadows, put his name in ads nationwide, and vote him out of office.]( [Advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [AdChoices]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2019. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.