Under-fire Trump commerce secretary confirms he visited Epstein’s island
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has confirmed that he visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean island, Little St. James, several times. Ross acknowledged his visits during an interview with CNBC but denied any inappropriate behavior during his interactions with Epstein. The visits reportedly took place before Epstein’s conviction on sex trafficking charges in 2008.
Ross stated that his dealings with Epstein were strictly related to philanthropy and that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s illegal activities. He emphasized that he had not seen any indication of wrongdoing during his time on the island. The acknowledgment of his visits comes amidst increased scrutiny of Epstein’s connections to powerful figures in business and politics.
Epstein, a wealthy financier, was known for his connections to numerous high-profile individuals, including politicians, celebrities, and business moguls. His arrest in 2019 and subsequent death in prison fueled speculation and conspiracy theories regarding the extent of his network and the activities that took place on his private island.
Ross’s confirmation of his visits to Epstein’s island has sparked further debate about the nature of relationships between influential figures and individuals involved in criminal activities. Critics have called for more transparency and accountability from public officials regarding their associations.
The Commerce Department has not provided any additional comments on the matter, and Ross has not elaborated further on the specifics of his visits to Little St. James.
Sources Analysis:
CNBC: CNBC is a reputable financial news source with a generally reliable track record. While it has a focus on business news, its reporting on political matters is known to be relatively balanced.
Wilbur Ross: As the subject of the article, Wilbur Ross may have a vested interest in providing a specific narrative to protect his reputation and political standing. His statements should be considered in light of this potential bias.
Fact Check:
Ross confirmed visiting Epstein’s island – Verified fact. Ross’s statement on visiting Epstein’s island has been acknowledged by himself in a public interview.
Ross denied any inappropriate behavior – Unconfirmed claim. It is challenging to independently verify the specifics of the interactions between Ross and Epstein during the visits.
—
Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “Under-fire Trump commerce secretary confirms he visited Epstein’s island”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.