Megyn Kelly says Jeffrey Epstein was “not a pedophile”
-Reuters
Megyn Kelly is drawing criticism after suggesting on her podcast that Jeffrey Epstein should not be described as a pedophile, despite his convictions and allegations involving minors.
On the latest episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, the conservative commentator said her view was shaped in part by someone she described as “very, very close to this case” who allegedly had extensive insight into Epstein’s behavior.
“Jeffrey Epstein, in this person’s view, was not a pedophile,” Kelly said. “He was into the barely legal type. He liked 15-year-old girls.” She added, “I realize this is disgusting.”
Megyn Kelly: "I know somebody very close to this case…Jeffrey Epstein, in this person's view, was not a pedophile…He was into the barely legal type, like he liked 15 year old girls…He wasn't into like 8 year olds…There's a difference between a 15 year old and a 5 year old." pic.twitter.com/a7wmT3BRJU
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and was charged in 2019 with sex trafficking minors and conspiracy to sex traffic minors in New York.
He died by apparent suicide in his jail cell before trial. Since his death, documents and communications involving Epstein and his network, including well-known political and public figures, have continued to emerge, outlining an alleged system of organized child sexual abuse.
On her show, Kelly attempted to distinguish between the legal and psychological definitions of pedophilia.
The diagnostic criteria for pedophilia in the DSM include recurrent sexual fantasies involving minors, acting on those impulses or being distressed by them, and an age gap between the adult and the child of at least five years.
Epstein’s known and alleged victims have been overwhelmingly underage, many between 14 and 17.
Kelly said she briefly reconsidered her thinking when Trump's attorney general Pam Bondi publicly claimed the Justice Department had “tens of thousands of videos” of child sexual abuse material found in Epstein’s possession.
Kelly said she now questions that claim and does not “trust Pam Bondi’s word” on the issue.
She argued that no publicly known victim has claimed to have been younger than 14 when first contacted by Epstein, saying, “There’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old… but the whole thing is disgusting.”
Epstein’s connections to prominent figures, among them Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew, remain the subject of public scrutiny.
Disagreements continue in Congress over whether to release remaining records often referred to as the “Epstein files.”