CNN's Jake Tapper Exposes GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin's Misinformation on the Jeffrey Epstein Case

CNN anchor Jake Tapper called out GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin on Sunday after the senator attempted to link the Jeffrey Epstein case to former President Barack Obama, despite it having occurred under President George W. Bush. Mullin claimed that a deal between the Obama administration and Epstein in 2009 was a "sweetheart plea deal" that had not been exposed, when in fact the deal was announced in 2008 by then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta, a Bush appointee. Tapper walked Mullin through the facts of the deal, which covered Epstein's alleged offenses between 2001 and 2007, and pointed out that Obama was not in office at the time.

Key Takeaways:

• Sen. Markwayne Mullin incorrectly linked the Jeffrey Epstein case to former President Barack Obama, despite it occurring under President George W. Bush.
• The deal between Epstein and the government was announced in 2008 by then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta, a Bush appointee.
• Mullin refused to accept the fact-check, claiming Obama was in office at the time and even went so far as to say the deal was "sealed" in 2009, preventing the disclosure of grand jury information.
• The Miami Herald wrote about Epstein's deal in 2018, and the Trump administration tried to get the documents released.
• Mullin later tried to shift the blame to the Biden administration, claiming that Democrats did not push for the release of Epstein documents during his time in office.

Statistics:

• 2001-2007: The years during which Epstein's alleged offenses took place, which were covered by the deal announced in 2008.
• 2008: The year in which the deal between Epstein and the government was announced by then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta.
• 2009: The year in which Mullin claimed a "sweetheart plea deal" was made between the Obama administration and Epstein.
• 2016: The year in which the 2018 Miami Herald story about Epstein's deal was written.
• 2018: The year in which the Miami Herald wrote about Epstein's deal and how he got away with so much.

Sources:

• "Trump Names Epstein Scapegoats to Try to Save His Own Skin" by [Author Unknown]
• "DOJ and FBI Combed Through Shocking Number of Epstein Files to Flag Trump References" by [Author Unknown]
• "Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta Resigning" by [Author Unknown]
• "Miami Herald: How did Epstein get away with so much?" by Carol Marbin Miller and Nicholas Nehamas (Miami Herald)
• "MAGA Senator Brutally Confronted with Truth About Epstein Deal" by [Author Unknown]