Recently unveiled records from the flight manifest of Jeffrey Epstein’s private aircraft have revealed that esteemed broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite was among the passengers. Cronkite, widely regarded as “the most trusted man in America,” has been named in documents released on Friday by the House Oversight Committee. Alongside him, the logs also list other prominent figures such as Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, and Richard Branson.
While the documents do not imply any misconduct by Cronkite or the other individuals, they offer a glimpse into the extensive network Epstein maintained and who might have visited his properties.
According to the flight logs, the 91-year-old Cronkite traveled on January 12, 2007, during the heart of winter, flying from Newark, New Jersey to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.
Cronkite was one of eight passengers aboard the flight, which included Epstein himself, likely extending an invitation to his guests to stay at one of his private islands, Little St. James or Great St. James, located near St. Thomas.
The release of these logs is part of a wider disclosure, which also incorporates a complete transcript of the committee’s interview with Alex Acosta in September. Acosta is the former US attorney responsible for brokering Epstein’s highly criticized plea deal in 2008.
The logs were released as part of a broader package which also included a full transcript of the committee’s September interview with Alex Acosta, the former US attorney who engineered Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal.
During that testimony, Acosta defended his actions, citing challenges inherent in the case including shifting victim accounts, weaknesses in evidence, and a fear that a full trial could collapse.
‘Many victims refused to testify. Many victims had changing stories,’ he told investigators, explaining that some of his decision-making was grounded in pragmatism.
Newly released flight manifest records from Jeffrey Epstein’s private plane include legendary broadcaster Walter Cronkite, the revered television journalist
The newly public manifests details flights aboard Epstein’s private plane, the infamous ‘Lolita Express’ from the late 1990s to 2019, although many names remain heavily redacted
Cronkite was among eight passengers on board including Jeffrey Epstein who was likely hosting the group at one of his two private islands located just off the coast of St. Thomas
‘All of us understood why they had changing stories, but they did. And defense counsel would have – cross-examination would have been withering.’
Acosta’s rationale was that securing at least some accountability by having Epstein register as a sex offender, serving 13 months jail time, and paying restitution was preferable to a failed prosecution that could have let him walk free.
During questioning, he agreed that counsel for Epstein ‘got awfully close to the line of unethical,’ adding he resisted some of their tactics.
Acosta noted that state prosecutors in Palm Beach were prepared to offer a pretrial diversion deal that would have resulted in no incarceration.
During his vetting to become Labor Secretary, Acosta reportedly told Donald Trump’s transition team that he had been told to ‘leave it alone’ because Epstein ‘belonged to intelligence’.
However, Acosta has since denied making this statement in his interview with the House Oversight Committee.
Cronkite, who passed away in 2009, built his reputation on unflinching reporting, moral gravitas, and deep public trust.
The inclusion of his name in the flight log is unexpected particularly due to his iconic reputation and the absence of any prior connection to Epstein.
Cronkite was the anchor of the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981 and became one of the most respected figures in journalism, earning the nickname ‘the most trusted man in America.’
Cronkite’s calm and authoritative reporting shaped public understanding of major events like the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, and the moon landing.
Cronkite would have been 91-years-old when he travelled on Epstein’s jet in January 2007
The disgraced financier traveled frequently with friends and associates such as his so-called madame Ghislaine Maxwell on his plane, dubbed the ‘Lolita Express’ to his homes in the Caribbean, New Mexico and other locations
Two private islands owned by pedophile Jeffrey Epstein
The sprawling property Epstein had built on Little St James, with surrounding lawns and swimming pool. In the background, a jetty reaches out into the clear, blue water
The newly public manifests details flights aboard Epstein’s private plane, the infamous ‘Lolita Express’ from the late 1990s to 2019, although many of the documents remain heavily redacted protecting the identities of those who traveled to the disgraced financier’s homes in the Caribbean, New Mexico and other locations.
On one trip in 2002, President Clinton traveled aboard Epstein’s plane with Secret Service agents, the documents confirm.
Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, who has long demanded unredacted records, called the concealment of passenger names ‘a cover-up.’
‘It should all be made public,’ the Tennessee Republican said to the Daily Mail in July.
‘I’m especially interested in anything that relates to activity on Epstein’s island as that’s where most of the criminality took place. But I worry that we’re never going to know the truth. I think there’s been a cover up’.
A mere appearance in a flight log does not imply complicity. Individuals may appear on manifests for benign, logistical, or disconnected reasons.
Epstein’s flights spanned many years, many routes, and many destinations. Some were purely transactional including fuel stops, repositioning flights or simply empty legs.
Cronkite’s estate or archivists may be called upon to examine personal papers, calendars, or correspondence to explain any possible connection.
Former president Bill Clinton was among the powerful figures that were revealed to have flown on the private jet; he is pictured with Ghislaine Maxwell
The plush private jetliner – dubbed the ‘Lolita Express – used to whisk Epstein’s VIP associates around the globe
The White House’s recent handling of documents related to Epstein’s sex trafficking case triggered a civil war within the MAGA world after a memo drafted by the Department of Justice and the FBI announced there was no need to review the files any further.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have repeatedly stated there is nothing left to release to the public regarding the case.
This is after Bondi had said earlier this year that she had Epstein’s list of high-profile clients on her desk ready for review and release.
The logs that have been made public reveal that Trump flew on the plane at least seven times, including one trip between New York and Florida when he was accompanied by his then-wife Marla Maples and their daughter, Tiffany.
Epstein and Trump were known to be friendly in the late 1990s and early 2000s when they ran in the same circles of New York and Palm Beach society
Previously unsealed logs showed Trump flew on the plane at least seven times, including one trip between New York and Florida when he was accompanied by his then-wife Marla Maples and their daughter, Tiffany
Another flight listed Trump’s son Eric as a passenger.
Burchett said: ‘I think Trump is innocent. He’s on record saying Epstein was a dirtbag’.
Rather than blame Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has become the focus of criticism for the handling of the Epstein case, Burchett blamed Washington bureaucrats.
He said: ‘Law enforcement have to go with what they have in front of them.
‘I think the material is gone, they destroyed it or somebody did and somebody in the Justice Department did it.
‘When a president comes in he fires the top guy but not the career bureaucrats, they know where all the skeletons are buried’.
