The name of a broadcaster once known as the ‘most trusted man in America’ has appeared in flight logs from Jeffrey Epstein's private plane.
Many high-profile individuals have associated themselves with Epstein over the years, with many of them now under fire after it was revealed their former friend was a paedophile and sex trafficker.
It's worth pointing out, however, that being named on Epstein's flight logs does not imply any wrongdoing or knowledge of his crimes.
The Trump administration has been criticised for taking so long to release all of the federal documents about the disgraced financier who died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019.
Advert
Meanwhile, his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell is continuing to serve a 20-year-prison sentence for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls.
On Friday (17 October), the House Oversight Committee released more documents relating to the convicted sex offender.
And in those documents were flight logs from Epstein's personal plane from 12 January 2007.
Out of the seven people who joined Epstein on the plane was legendary broadcaster Walter Cronkite, often referred to as one of the most trustworthy journalists in the US.
It appears Cronkite boarded a flight from Newark, New Jersey to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, according to the document.
Importantly, the documents do not suggest any wrongdoing. Cronkite was the anchorman for the CBS Evening News between 1962 to 1981, earning him the moniker of 'the most trusted man in America' following his coverage of the Vietnam War and Kennedy assassination. He died at the age of 92 in 2009.
Also on Friday, Prince Andrew announced that he would be giving up all of his Royal titles, including Duke of York, due to further reports of his relationship with Epstein.
"As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me," he said having settling a sexual lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre. She died from suicide in April at the age of 41.
Previously, the likes of Maxwell, Andrew, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Elon Musk are some of the names that have appeared in flight logs without any suggestions of wrongdoing.
The committee also released a transcript of US attorney Alex Acosta, who had helped Epstein secure a plea deal in 2008.
That year, he pleaded guilty in Florida state court to solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution with a minor.
The American financier was sentenced to 18 months in jail, but only served 13.
He was arrested again in 2019 for the sex trafficking of minors and died aged 66 by suicide in prison while awaiting trial.
Acosta defended his decision and said: "Every attorney that looked at the case, from the prosecuting attorney, again, through the entire chain, looked at the evidence, and there were evidentiary issues with the victims.
"Many victims refused to testify. Many victims had changing stories.
"All of us understood why they had changing stories, but they did.
"And defence counsel would have – cross-examination would have been withering."
Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, Crime
Anish Vij