The Epstein Files: A Convenient Amnesia for Certain Associates
Let's follow the trail: CASE A: Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem & the Disappearing Scandal Newsweek reported (2019) that Bin Sulayem, a prominent Emirati businessman and head of DP World, was named in an email from Ghislaine Maxwell concerning a 'torture video' involving Jeffrey Epstein. The framing of the reporting is, shall we say, delicate. It acknowledges the mention but largely acts as a news
aggregator, presenting the facts without delving deeply into the implications for his state-backed enterprises or the broader UAE-US relationship. The article, while factually correct, lacks the vigorous pursuit one might expect for a Western figure embroiled in such a grotesque affair. DP World, a global port operator, is a critical component of UAE's strategic influence, operating terminals
across five continents (DP World, 2023 Annual Report). CASE B: Any 'Adversary' Accused of Lesser Sins Curiously, when an official from a state deemed an 'adversary'—say, a Venezuelan minister or a Chinese executive—is even tangentially linked to illicit activities, the framing is typically far more aggressive. News outlets often leap to connect the individual's alleged misdeeds directly to the
state itself, implying systemic corruption or complicity. For example, when the US Treasury Department sanctioned Venezuelan officials in 2017, reports frequently linked financial crimes to the 'authoritarian regime' of Nicolás Maduro, often citing significantly less lurid details than a 'torture video' (US Treasury Department, 2017). The language employed would be replete with descriptors like