Through these documents, we have a chronicle of the first months of the Epstein scandal in 2006.

It consists mainly of newspaper articles, but they are useful for understanding the man and the defense he presented.

We learn who Epstein was and how the media perceived him. They portrayed him as a financier with a murky past, who became known for his support of Bill Clinton and his donations to the Democratic Party, as well as through his network of acquaintances such as Donald Trump, Andrew Mountbatten, and others. They also provide a good description of these donations to the city of Palm Beach, to universities, and to humanitarian organizations.



They also provide a good description of these donations to the city of Palm Beach, to universities, and to humanitarian organizations. The newspaper articles explain one of the methods used by the defense, led by Dershowitz, to discredit the victims' testimony by highlighting some of their criminal pasts (alcohol, drugs) or tracing them online through MySpace, where some were involved in prostitution (one of the victims, Haley Robson, had the username "Pimpin' Made EZ"). To influence public opinion, they claim that Epstein took a lie detector test to determine whether or not he knew the girls were minors. They also attack the local police, saying they waged a smear campaign against the media, dissatisfied with the conviction on only one count, even though there was enough evidence to imprison him for more.



This provides perfect context for understanding the situation in Palm Beach during the scandal.

This FBI archive document provides context for the 2006 scandal.