Freshly unveiled records from Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet have revealed a surprising name – legendary CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, once celebrated as “the most trusted man in America.”
The so-called Epstein files, tied to the late financier and convicted s3x offender, are slowly being made public. While the documents list several notable individuals – fueling long-standing theories about Epstein’s alleged “client list” of powerful figures invited to his infamous Little St. James Island — officials emphasize that none of those named are directly accused of wrongdoing.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi reiterated that no such “client list” existed, though Epstein’s jet logs were meticulously maintained and are now under review.
The latest document release, issued by the House Oversight Committee on Friday (October 17), features Cronkite’s name among the alleged flight manifests. The celebrated journalist, who passed away in 2009 at age 92, anchored the CBS Evening News from 1962 until 1981, earning his reputation by covering defining moments such as the Vietnam War, the Kennedy assassination, and the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Throughout his career, Cronkite received numerous honors, including multiple Emmy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
According to the newly surfaced logs, the then-90-year-old Cronkite was recorded on a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, on January 12, 2007. He was reportedly among eight passengers, including Epstein himself, who frequently hosted guests at his private Caribbean properties.
The latest release is part of a broader trove of material, which also includes a transcript from the committee’s interview with former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta. Acosta was responsible for brokering Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal, which allowed him to serve just 13 months in jail on state charges instead of facing federal prosecution.
During his testimony, Acosta defended the decision, citing concerns about the credibility of key witnesses and the difficulty of securing a conviction at the time.
He shared:
“Many victims were reluctant to testify or had inconsistent statements. We understood their trauma, but these issues would have undermined the case during cross-examination.”
Acosta added that prosecutors believed accepting the plea ensured Epstein dealt with some form of accountability rather than potentially evading punishment entirely:
“It was better to have a billionaire serve time, register as a sex offender, and compensate victims than risk a total acquittal.”
Cronkite’s inclusion on the flight logs joins a long list of recognizable figures mentioned between the 1990s and 2019, including Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Donald Trump — who also appeared multiple times.
