{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/b2fb5f0b-0ce7-4e5c-b6e0-9b1febd06aea/698cce015d2bf63a6d50d64d?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Inside Jeffrey Epstein's weird fascination with magicians","description":"<p>The Jeffrey Epstein files reveal the convicted child sex offender was fascinated by magicians, and detail a years-long relationship between Epstein and David Blaine as well as an FBI investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by David Copperfield.</p><p><br></p><p>Since the files were released by the US department of justice two weeks ago, Irish Times journalist Naomi O’Leary has been combing through the documents.</p><p><br></p><p>It is not, she says, an easy cache to navigate, with a clunky search function and opaque filing system.</p><p><br></p><p>However she has been able to find multiple emails which reveal a relationship between Epstein and several famous magicians including Blaine and Copperfield – after the disgraced financier had been convicted and served prison time for soliciting sex with children.</p><p><br></p><p>O’Leary came into studio to detail her experience of searching the consistently disturbing files – so big that only a fraction of them have been excavated by journalists worldwide. She explains how sex trafficker Epstein, collector of powerful people and expert at developing transactional relationships with them, had a weird fascination with magicians.</p><p><br></p><p>Being mentioned in the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing.</p><p><br></p><p>Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair. </p>","author_name":"The Irish Times"}