revelations

After some initial resistance, CBS News has cut ties with contributor Peter Attia, whose name appears more than 1,700 times in the files of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Attia, a physician who specializes in longevity medicine, was among the 19 contributors named last month by CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss. A CBS News executive confirmed Attia’s departure Monday.

Attia’s resignation was agreed upon after discussions with Weiss, according to one of her associates. He had not appeared on the network since the announcement of his hiring in January.

Once Attia’s name showed up in the cache of Epstein files released by the Department of Justice earlier this month, it seemed as though cutting him loose would be a no-brainer for the news division.

But Weiss, who came to CBS News when parent company Paramount acquired her contrarian digital site the Free Press last fall, is highly skeptical of cancel culture and resisted immediate action, according to people familiar with her thinking.

A representative for Attia said he quit because “he wanted to ensure his involvement didn’t become a distraction from the important work being done at CBS.”

Any appearance on the network probably would have generated a spate of negative stories.

Attia’s email exchanges with Epstein included a crude discussion about female genitalia.

Another message showed Attia expressing dismay that he could not discuss Epstein’s activities. “You [know] the biggest problem with becoming friends with you? The life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can’t tell a soul …,” Attia wrote.

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution, including from a minor. He was found dead in his jail cell in 2019, about a month after being arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges

From a business standpoint, keeping Attia at CBS was untenable. Health-related segments are attractive to advertisers and it’s highly unlikely that any sponsor would want their commercials adjacent to him.

Attia had already been dropped by AGI, a company that makes powdered supplements,where he was a scientific advisor. He also stepped away from his role as chief science officer for David, a protein bar maker.

CBS News pulled an October “60 Minutes” profile of Attia that was scheduled to re-air this month.

Attia apologized for his interactions with Epstein. He said he had not been involved in any criminal activity and had never visited Epstein’s island.

“I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails, some of them embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible, are now public, and that is on me,” Attia wrote. “I accept that reality and the humiliation that comes with it.”

Attia wrote the bestselling book “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity” and hosts a popular podcast. His company, Early Medical, offers a program that teaches people to live healthier as they age.

LONDON — A prince, an ambassador, senior diplomats, top politicians and other government officials. All brought down by the Jeffrey Epstein files. And all in Europe, rather than the United States.

The huge trove of Epstein documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice has sent shock waves through Europe’s political, economic and social elites — dominating headlines, ending careers and spurring political and criminal investigations.

Former U.K. Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson was fired and could go to prison. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces a leadership crisis over the Mandelson appointment, and on Sunday, his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned over having advised Starmer to appoint Mandelson.

Senior figures have fallen in Norway, Sweden and Slovakia. And, even before the latest batch of files, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of King Charles III, lost his honors, princely title and taxpayer-funded mansion.

Apart from the former Prince Andrew, none of them faces claims of sexual wrongdoing. They have been toppled for maintaining friendly relationships with Epstein after he became a convicted sex offender.

“Epstein collected powerful people the way others collect frequent flier points,” said Mark Stephens, a specialist in international and human rights law at Howard Kennedy in London. “But the receipts are now in public, and some might wish they’d traveled less.”

The documents were published after a public frenzy over Epstein became a crisis for President Trump’s administration and led to a rare bipartisan effort to force the government to open its investigative files. But in the U.S., the long-sought publication has not brought the same public reckoning with Epstein’s associates — at least so far.

Rob Ford, a professor of political science at the University of Manchester, said that in Britain, “if you’re in those files, it’s immediately a big story.”

“It suggests to me we have a more functional media, we have a more functional accountability structure, that there is still a degree of shame in politics, in terms of people will say: ‘This is just not acceptable, this is just not done,’” he said.

British repercussions

U.K. figures felled by their ties to Epstein include the former Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, whose charity shut down last week. The former prince paid millions to settle a lawsuit with late Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, who said she was forced to have sex with Andrew beginning when she was 17, and he is facing pressure to testify in the U.S.

Like others now ensnared, veteran politician Mandelson long downplayed his relationship with Epstein, despite calling him “my best pal” in 2003. The new files reveal contact continued for years after the financier’s 2008 prison term for sexual offenses involving a minor. In a July 2009 message, Mandelson appeared to refer to Epstein’s release from prison as “liberation day.”

Starmer fired Mandelson in September over earlier revelations about his Epstein ties. Now British police are investigating whether Mandelson committed misconduct in public office by passing on sensitive government information to Epstein.

Starmer has apologized to Epstein’s victims and pledged to release public documents that will show Mandelson lied when he was being vetted for the ambassador’s job. That may not be enough to stop furious lawmakers trying to eject the prime minister from office over his failure of judgment, and it has already claimed his top advisor in McSweeney.

American associates

Experts caution that Britain shouldn’t be too quick to pat itself on the back over its rapid reckoning with Mandelson. The U.S. has a better record than the U.K. when it comes to declassifying and publishing information.

But Alex Thomas, executive director of the Institute for Government think tank, said that “there is something about parliamentary democracy,” with its need for a prime minister to retain the confidence of Parliament to stay in office, “that I think does help drive accountability.”

A few high-profile Americans have faced repercussions over their friendly ties with Epstein. Most prominent is former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, who went on leave from academic positions at Harvard University late last year.

Brad Karp quit last month as chair of top U.S. law firm Paul Weiss after revelations in the latest batch of documents, and the National Football League said it would investigate Epstein’s relationship with New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, who exchanged sometimes crude emails with Epstein about potential dates with adult women.

Other U.S. Epstein associates have not yet faced severe sanction, including former Trump strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who exchanged hundreds of texts with Epstein; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who accepted an invitation to visit Epstein’s private island; and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who discussed visiting the island in emails, but says he never made the trip.

Former President Clinton has been compelled by Republicans to testify before Congress about his friendship with Epstein, and Trump has repeatedly faced scrutiny over his own long friendship with the financier. A New York Times review identified more than 5,300 files in the Epstein documents containing over 38,000 references to Trump, his family or his properties. Neither Trump nor Clinton has ever been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s victims.

European investigations

The Epstein files reveal the global network of royals, political leaders, billionaires, bankers and academics that the wealthy financier built around him.

Across Europe, officials have had to resign or face censure after the Epstein files revealed relationships that were more extensive than previously disclosed.

Joanna Rubinstein, a Swedish United Nations official, quit after the revelation of a 2012 visit to Epstein’s Caribbean island. Miroslav Lajcak, national security advisor to Slovakia’s prime minister, quit over his communications with Epstein, which included the pair discussing “gorgeous” girls.

Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have set up wide-ranging official investigations into the documents. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a team would scour the files for potential Polish victims and any links between Epstein and Russian secret services.

Epstein took an interest in European politics, in one email exchange with billionaire Peter Thiel calling Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union “just the beginning” and part of a return to “tribalism.”

Grégoire Roos, director of the Europe program at the think tank Chatham House, said the files uncover Epstein’s “far-reaching” network of contacts in Europe, “and the level of access among not just those who were already in power, but those who were getting there.”

“It will be interesting to see whether in the correspondence he had an influence in policymaking,” Roos said.

Norwegian revelations

Few countries have been as roiled by the Epstein revelations as Norway, a Scandinavian nation with a population of less than 6 million.

The country’s economic crimes unit has opened a corruption investigation into former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland — who also once headed the committee that hands out the Nobel Peace Prize — over his ties with Epstein. His lawyer said Jagland would cooperate with the probe.

Also ensnared are high-profile Norwegian diplomat couple Terje Rod-Larsen and Mona Juul, key players in the 1990s Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. Juul has been suspended as Norway’s ambassador to Jordan after revelations including the fact that Epstein left the couple’s children $10 million in a will drawn up shortly before his death by suicide in a New York prison in 2019.

Norwegians’ respect for their royal family has been dented by new details about Epstein’s friendship with Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who is married to the heir to the throne, Prince Haakon. The files include jokey exchanges and emails planning visits to Epstein properties, teeth-whitening appointments and shopping trips.

The princess apologized Friday “to all of you whom I have disappointed.”

The disclosures came as her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, stands trial in Oslo on rape charges, which he denies.

Lawless writes for the Associated Press. AP writers David B. Caruso in New York and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.

New Netflix documentary, The Investigation of Lucy Letby, airs unseen footage of the former nurse’s arrest before she was charged with the murder of seven infants

An explosive new Lucy Letby documentary by Netflix features unseen police footage and new evidence which will make some viewers question her conviction.

The former nurse, 36, has been dubbed the Angel of Death, after she was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016. But not everyone is convinced of her guilt and there will be more debate with the release of this film. Here are the most shocking moments of the film…

READ MORE: Lucy Letby’s parents who stand by daughter and warn Netflix doc will ‘kill them’READ MORE: Lucy Letby Netflix documentary – when it’s out and everything we know so far

Lucy Letby’s six-word comment to crying parents on arrest

The documentary starts with a hugely emotional scene showing Letty’s arrest by police as she tells her parents: “You know I didn’t do it.”

Letby’s mum Susan wailed in pain as police entered the family home in Hereford in June 2019. It is Letty’s second arrest and her mum says: “Please no, not again no!”

Police ignore her though and continue up the stairs to arrest Letby in her bedroom where she is in a dressing gown.

Letby then walks down the stairs with officers and begs “Please can I see my cat?” and is allowed to stroke the cat before she is handcuffed.

Off camera Letby is picked up by a mic and tells her parents: “You know I didn’t do it.”

And her mum replies: “I know you didn’t. We know that!” Her dad John’s voice can also be heard agreeing.

Letby then refers to her cats when she walks out the front door and says: “It’s alright, look after the boys.”

As Letby leaves the house in a dressing gown her mum can be heard starting to sob at the front door again.

“Just go in mum,” Letby tells her. “Don’t look mum just go. Mum just go in.” The car then drives her to the police station where she faced further questioning.

Parents have criticised the decision for footage of their home to be given to Netflix by Cheshire police, calling it a “complete invasion of privacy”.

The couple raised concerns the documentary might make their home “become a tourist attraction”.

In a statement to The Sunday Times, the couple said: “The previous programmes made about Lucy, including Panorama and the almost nightly news showing her being brought out handcuffed in a blue tracksuit are heartbreaking for us.

“However, this Netflix documentary is on another level. We had no idea they were using footage in our house. We will not watch it – it would likely kill us if we did.

“We have, however, stumbled on pictures of her being arrested in her bedroom in our house and her saying goodbye to one of her beloved cats, which are even more distressing.

“Heaven knows how much more they have to show. All this taking place in the home where we have lived for 40 years. It is in a small cul-de-sac in a small town where everyone knows everyone.

“It is a complete invasion of privacy of which we would have known nothing if Lucy’s barrister had not told us.”

Letby speaks out on Post It note “confession”

For much of the documentary when Letby is shown in police custody she is seen saying “no comment” to questions and looking emotionless. That changes when she is shown post it notes and paper and asked about comments she has made on them.

Letby says: “I just wrote it because everything had got on top of me. It was not long after I had been removed from the unit.

“I felt like I might have hurt them without knowing. That made me feel guilty.

“I felt like in my practice I might have hurt them without knowing through my practice. And that made me feel guilty.

“I was blaming myself. But not because I had done something, because of the way people were making me feel. I felt like I had only done my best for the babies, trying to say that my practice wasn’t good or I had done something, I just couldn’t cope.

“I did just not want to be here anymore. I felt It was all spiralling out of control. And I didn’t know how to deal with it all.

“He was trying to imply it was something I had done.

“It crossed my mind at time whether they were trying to blame me for something somebody else had done.”

Mother of victim speaks for first time

The mum of one of the babies attacked by killer nurse Letby speaks for the first time in the documentary. It tells how Zoe (not her real name) was born on June 20, 2015, but died two days later.

Her mum, given the name ‘Sarah’ in the doc, revealed she watched helplessly as doctors desperately tried to save her daughter.

She says: “It was hard looking at her in the incubator. I couldn’t take her out, but I was able to hold her hand. She was so fragile, small and precious, I became a mummy.

“The doctors were telling us that she was responding very well, that she was responding as expected, and there were no concerns.”

But she tells the documentary of the hoor which followed: “I was fast asleep when a nurse turned a light on. She said, ‘You need to come right now’. I asked, ‘what’s going on?’ And she said, ‘there’s no time we need to go’.

“I remember being wheeled down the long corridor thinking, what’s going on. I felt the panic in the room.

“The doctor was trying everything to keep her heart pumping. He wasn’t giving up. I wanted him to keep fighting. But the other doctor put her hand on his shoulder and said, ‘You need to stop, you need to let her go’.

“The doctor was still holding Zoe, but he stopped what he was doing. That was it. It was finished. It was over.”

Zoe’s mum later tells the show how she later received a call from the police telling her someone had been arrested in connection with the baby’s death: “All of a sudden I realised someone could have purposely targeted my child. We were just completely lost for words.”

When she saw Letby’s picture on the news, she said: “As soon as I saw her face I recognised the nurse straight away. When I visited Zoe for the last time she had a clipboard but she wasn’t really doing any jobs. She was just there, watching us.”

She tells the show: “Preparing for the trial was very challenging. There wasn’t a day I wasn’t thinking about Zoe. I wanted to do her justice, but I didn’t want to go to trial and be biased. I knew Lusy Letby was going to take the stand so I needed to face her.

“For the first time since Zoe’s death I was seeing Lucy Letby. I sat three metres away from her. She looked at me a dozen times, staring. Every time she looked at me I’d have to look down.”

When she appeared in court Letby recalled details of almost all of the 17 children she was accused of harming – except baby Zoe.

Sarah ends the doc saying: “There’s no getting over any of this, there’s the sorrow but there’s the hope and love we have for her.

“Ultimately we’re still here and I want to count my blessings and appreciate what I have. I was strong enough to try again. My husband and I have a beautiful son. He is our reason for everything.

“I have always talked to him about Zoe. He knows she died when she was a baby. He knows she’s in heaven. It’s been storm after storm and it’s not over. But I want to make it through.”

Letby reveals her prison conditions and plans for future

In the doc her friend Maisie reads from a letter she has received from Letby whilst she is in prison.

Letby said: “Maisie, there are no words to describe my situation, but knowing that I have your friendship regardless, is so important and special to me.

“I have my own room and toilet. I’m able to shower each day and go outside for a walk. Getting outside is so important, even though it’s bit chilly. I miss Tigger and Smudge so much, it’s heartbreaking that they cannot understand why I’m no longer there. They must think I’m a terrible mummy. Mum and Dad are taking good care of them, though, and are, no doubt, spoiling them. Poignantly, Letby added: “I’m trying to do all that I can to remain strong and positive. I’m determined to get through this. I will not give up.”

Friend Maisie then begins to cry on screen. Just before reading the letter aloud she had admitted: “Up until the trial and verdict I would write to Lucy and she would write back. Now I don’t know what to say.”

Doctor admits “tiny, tiny guilt” they have got wrong person

Dr John Gibbs was a consultant paediatrician was working at the Countess of Chester Hospital when the baby deaths occurred and suspicion grew around Letty’s involvement.

He concludes his interview in the doc by saying: “Some people are claiming that we consultants had a vendetta against Lucy Letby. Where’s your evidence for that?

“I have been accused online of killing babies, which is shocking.

“I live with two guilts, guilt we let the babies down and tiny, tiny, tiny guilt did we get the wrong person? Just in case.

“I don’t think there was a miscarriage of justice, but you worry that no one actually saw her do it.”

By contrast Letby’s friend Maisie is standing by her even though she has some small concerns she might not be innocent.

Maisie says: “Over the last few years, I’ve got through questioning has she presented one side to me and a different side to other people.

“There’s always doubt, because as much as you know someone, you never know the whole of someone. They can still have things that you don’t know about them. But unless I saw actual evidence, I can’t believe it.

“I know that people think that I support a baby murderer, but she’s my friend and currently, in jail, forever.”

Letby barrister continues to fight for “last chance” retrial

The final twenty minutes of the documentary are given over to how Mark McDonald joined Letby’s legal team after she was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.

He insists she has “no motive” and that the evidence used to prosecute her is flawed.

One academic paper co-written by Dr Shoo Lee was used as part of Letty’s conviction. But Dr Lee, a Canadian neonatal care expert, said there were alternative explanations for each of Letby’s convictions for murder or attempted murder.

He tells the documentary: “A young woman could be in prison for crimes that she didn’t commit,” and describes work he has been doing as her “last chance”.

Dr Lee and a panel of international medical experts reviewed the case and McDonald is hoping to use this as new evidence. McDonald says: “I put it into the criminal cases Review Commission, the CCRC, who, with any hope, will send it back to the Court of Appeal, to push for retrial.”

• The Investigation Of Lucy Letby is out now on Netflix.

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