Frank Report correspondent Dianne Lipson is covering the Jeffrey Epstein case and attended his hearing this week. She has some excellent observations on who might be America’s most hated person.

By Dianne Lipson

Despite having been injured in jail, Jeffrey Epstein looked alert and focused as he was brought into the courtroom on Wednesday.

Seeing him, I was reminded that, purely on physical characteristics, with striking features and almost a full head of hair, Epstein is a good-looking man.

There were none of the obvious creep factors that you got with Keith Raniere.

Epstein, wearing dark blue prison garb, sat with his hands folded and resting on his chin, as if hiding his neck. However, even before he sat down, I could see no sign of his recent injury.

He had a whispered conversation with one of his lawyers before the hearing got underway.

The government proposed an October 31 deadline for discovery, with the possible exception that the viewing of materials in devices from Epstein’s New York residence may take longer. The government proposed a trial date of June of next year, with an anticipated 4-6 week trial, going through July.

The defense countered with a proposed September trial date. They have not yet received discovery, which they said would comprise over one million pages of material.

With the media attention, the constitutional issues regarding the non-prosecution agreement, the double jeopardy issues, and the overlap of charges, the defense feels they need more time to prepare for a 4-6 week trial. They need 13 months to prepare a case of this magnitude.

The government felt that there was public interest in bringing the case to trial as early as possible. The defense countered that this was not an ordinary 1591 (sex trafficking) case and they would need 13 months.

Judge Richard Berman is scheduling October 28th, 10 am for oral arguments. There will then be a clearer picture of where things stand. He is tentatively reserving a block of time starting June 8th, 2020.

It looks like Epstein will have to spend around the same amount time in pre-trial incarceration as Raniere did, in a jail that is reputed to be just as bad as where Raniere is held. But this time it’s the defense lawyers, not the government, who are asking for more time.

Attorney Gloria Allred spoke outside the courthouse after the hearing. She said it is not too late for other victims to come forward, and urged them to do so. Some of the clients she is representing came forward before Epstein’s arrest, and some after. None of her clients were involved in the Florida case. She was asked if there were any incidents of misconduct subsequent to the ones Epstein is charged with, but Allred said she could not disclose any information about time frames.

Once there is a firm trial date, I suspect bookies will set up betting pools on how long Epstein will live before the start of the trial.

Similar to a football pool, instead of a point spread, blocks of dates could be set out. I know this is sick and wrong, but it is human nature.