Gage Skidmore
Audio By Carbonatix
On the first night back after Congress’ August recess, Rep. Thomas Massie, sporting a tan suit and a navy blue tie, stood on the House floor andcalled on the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecutethe “perpetrators” of crimes tied to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
It’s been nine months since December, when the DOJ released the Epstein files, but little has changed. No individuals have been prosecuted in the U.S. in connection with the files. But the Republican Kentucky congressman named names. Twelve in total.
“Jes Staley,” Massie began. “Leon Black. Les Wexner. David Copperfield. Lapo Elkum. Tom Pritzker. Glenn Dudin. Frederic Fekkai.”
That last name, Frederic Fekkai, is a celebrity hairstylist who is accused in a lawsuit of grooming Epstein’s victims to make them look as young as possible. He also engaged in the sexual abuse of these girls himself, according to the lawsuit. In the run-up to the release of the Epstein files — after President Donald Trump was re-elected — Fekkai also made a series of donations to one active congressman:Arizona’s Rep. Eli Crane.
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Crane represents Congressional District 2. It covers large chunks of northern Arizona, including the Navajo Nation, Flagstaff and Sedona. It also stretches into parts of Pinal and Maricopa Counties. Crane grew up in Yuma and joined the U.S. Navy, later becoming a Navy SEAL, a week after the September 11 attacks. He co-founded Bottle Breacher, a company that sells bottle openers made from used bullets. In Congress, he’s a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus and sits on the Homeland Security Committee.
In an email to Phoenix New Times, Crane’s chief of staff, Greg Smith, denied that Crane ever met Fekkai or knew his affiliation with Epstein. In response, Smith wrote that Crane donated $2,800, twice the total of Fekkai’s donation, to Destiny House Restoration Center, a non-profit organization focused on combating human trafficking based in Prescott.
