Under-fire Trump commerce secretary confirms he visited Epstein’s island
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed today that he visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ross stated that he made the trip several times but emphasized that he had not seen any inappropriate behavior during his visits. Epstein, a wealthy financier, was arrested on federal charges of sex trafficking minors in 2019 and died by suicide in jail awaiting trial.
Ross clarified that his visits to the island were purely work-related, as he was invited by Epstein to discuss philanthropy and other business matters. The Commerce Secretary asserted that he had not socialized with Epstein outside of the professional context.
This confirmation comes as Ross faces criticism for his ties to Epstein, with many questioning the appropriateness of his interactions with the convicted sex offender. Ross’s spokesperson defended the visits as part of his official duties, stating that he was not aware of any illegal activities taking place on the island.
The revelation of Ross’s visits to Epstein’s island has reignited the controversy surrounding Epstein’s extensive network of powerful individuals from the business, political, and social spheres.
Sources Analysis:
Wilbur Ross – Ross has a vested interest in downplaying his association with Epstein due to potential damage to his reputation and career.
Commerce Secretary’s spokesperson – The spokesperson’s statements are likely aimed at mitigating the negative impact of Ross’s connection to Epstein and maintaining his credibility.
Fact Check:
Ross confirmed visiting Epstein’s island – Verified fact. Ross publicly acknowledged his visits to the island during the specified timeframe.
Ross claimed his visits were work-related – Unconfirmed claim. There is no independent verification of the nature of Ross’s interactions with Epstein on the island.
Allegations of inappropriate behavior during Ross’s visits – Unconfirmed claim. No concrete evidence has been presented to support or refute these allegations.
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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.