Overview
- On a Nov. 12 episode of her show, Megyn Kelly relayed a claim from an unnamed person close to the case that Jeffrey Epstein was “not a pedophile” because he preferred 15-year-old girls.
- Meghan McCain called the comments “obviously insane,” questioning why anyone would debate what is acceptable regarding sexual attraction to minors, while cohost Miranda Wilkins stressed that 15 is a child.
- Entertainment Weekly sought comment from Kelly after the backlash, and no substantive retraction has been reported.
- Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three emails in which Epstein referenced President Donald Trump, who denies wrongdoing and recently urged House Republicans to vote to release the files.
- White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Entertainment Weekly that the fixation on the Epstein files is a “Democrat distraction” tied to partisan messaging over the recent shutdown fight.