Why “Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself” Became a Populist Battle Cry
Conspiracies about the ruling class function as a way to out-sophisticate the elites
Conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide preceded its actual occurrence. The extent of his sex crimes was matched only by his connections to an array of world leaders, from the current U.S. president to the British royal family. When he was finally imprisoned in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center this summer, even normally sober-minded voices whispered of his impending demise.
By all appearances, Epstein hanged himself in his cell in mid-August, abandoned by dithering guards in one of the country’s most notoriously dank and inhumane jails. But forget the medical examiner’s report, the MCC’s long history of grisly suicides, and the high statistical likelihood of someone in Epstein’s position committing the act. None of these have quelled the rise of what’s not just a meme or conspiratorial catchphrase, but an article of faith among skeptics across the ideological spectrum: Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself.
The axiom is rooted in the belief that a sinister cabal of figures with personal or professional connections to Epstein, such as former President Bill Clinton and England’s Prince Andrew, had the financier assassinated to silence…
