Dead men tell no tales. But could a woman who recently took her own life end up telling the tales that people have wanted for the last decade or more? And will it be just the tales -- without the names?
Earlier this year, Virginia Roberts Giuffre lost her struggle with mental health after decades of dealing with the aftermath of abuse and sex trafficking. Before then, she campaigned hard against Jeffrey Epstein and his extensive sex-trafficking operations, going public to demand more accountability. She exposed Prince Andrew and forced the royal into what amounts to virtual internal exile. Giuffre also pushed hard for the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell. She misstepped in accusing Alan Dershowitz, forcing her to apologize and retreat from accusations that the constitutional-law expert and appellate attorney had participated in Epstein's ring.
That, however, won't be the last word for Giuffre. She had collaborated with Amy Wallace on a tell-all memoir -- and CBS News suggests that Giuffre's new book will name all of the names:
Many Epstein victims have told their stories publicly over the years, but Giuffre always stood apart with her claim to have been "loaned" to Epstein's rich and powerful friends and acquaintances.
Titled "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice," the book is set for release Tuesday. It was co-written by author-journalist Amy Wallace, and was completed before Giuffre died by suicide in April.
Giuffre told her story in interviews and lawsuits for 16 years. The book, which she said enabled her to tell her whole story and "provide context where it has been sorely lacking," revisits her allegations involving the men who socialized with Epstein, but carefully so. In many instances, she has left their names out, writing that she either didn't know them or feared retaliation.
But she has added details and a description of how her alleged experiences with Epstein — after what she said was a traumatic childhood and other instances of sexual abuse — affected her psychologically and left her struggling to cope.
CBS' headline promises more than the story itself does: 'Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre details her claims in posthumous memoir mentioning many famous names.' It sounds like the memoir will expose more than just Prince Andrew, who Giuffre was told "had fun" with her, and for which she claims Epstein paid her $15,000. "He was friendly enough," Giuffre wrote of Andrew in an excerpt published by The Guardian, "but still entitled -- as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright."
The coming memoir reportedly has King Charles and Prince William considering even more drastic measures regarding his brother:
Insiders told Closer, "Charles feels torn. He knows Andrew has disgraced the Crown, but he still sees him as his brother. That instinct to protect runs deep."
They went on to claim: "Charles is cautious, perhaps even weak, when it comes to Andrew. William is the opposite – decisive, ruthless when necessary. He’s thinking about the next 50 years, not the next five."
"For William and Kate, it’s the moment they prove they can lead with clarity. William believes the monarchy cannot afford half-measures. He wants to protect the future, not patch over the past. It sounds ruthless but they see no other way. They have to draw the line now or risk losing control forever," said one source.
All of this is old news, however. How many new names will Giuffre and Wallace expose? And will they have evidence for any new allegations after the fiasco of accusing Dershowitz? That question remains unanswered in the CBS News article, but the long excerpt at The Guardian suggests a more guarded approach than the CBS News headline suggests:
That night I took a taxi to The Breakers. The man – I’ll call him Billionaire Number One – and his wife were staying in an apartment in the residential section of the vast property. When I arrived, they showed me to the master bedroom, where I would work on the woman first. As a joke, Maxwell had warned me that I could induce premature labor if I massaged the woman’s ankles “in the wrong way”. I knew nothing about prenatal massage, but I did my best, avoiding her ankles altogether. After about 45 minutes, the woman said she was going to go to sleep.
The apartment was dark, and I had to tiptoe around a bit before I found Billionaire Number One in a sitting-room area, taking off his clothes. I hoped against hope that a massage was all this stranger was expecting. I was kneading his muscles when he looked up, groaned, and asked me, “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable working in the nude?” ...
The psychologist was only the first of many academics from prestigious universities who I was forced to service sexually. I didn’t know it then, but Epstein had spent years campaigning to keep company with the world’s biggest thinkers. Epstein had convinced himself that he – a college dropout – was on the same level as degree-holding innovators and theoreticians, and because he funded many of their research projects and flew them around on his jets, he was largely welcomed into their fold.
Scientists weren’t the only people Epstein used his vast resources to win access to – which is how I came to be trafficked to a multitude of powerful men. Among them were a gubernatorial candidate who was soon to win election in a western state and a former US senator. Since Epstein usually neglected to introduce me to these men by name, I would only learn who some of them were years later, when I studied photographs of Epstein’s associates and recognised their faces.
One name does appear in the excerpt -- only not in the way that American media wanted:
In the book, she describes meeting Trump once at Mar-a-Lago, where her father worked, but doesn't accuse Trump of wrongdoing.
Trump "couldn't have been friendlier," Giuffre said, adding that he offered to help her find babysitting work.
To be fair, the same is true with Bill Clinton, and Al and Tipper Gore as well. Giuffre name-checks them without any allegation that they participated in Epstein's debauchery.
It seems that the book will let the most speculated potential 'clients' of Epstein's sex trafficking ring off the hook -- and that no other names will get exposed. And while the reticence of Giuffre and Wallace is understandable, given the debacle with Dershowitz, it does mean that these movers and shakers will still escape direct accountability for their participation in the trafficking of minors.
For now, anyway.
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