12 The Virgin Islands Daily News PERVERSION OF JUSTICE Saturday, March 2, 2019 Federal prosecutors admit backing down Epstein's attorneys applied relentless pressure, they say tliTaild"`"" In recent court filings, the government was fore. to ans,Aer questions about its negotia- tions, fin.ly admitting in 2013 that federal prosecutors had back. down under relentless pressure by Jeffrey Epstein, attomeys. "The government admits that, at least in part as a result of objections lodg. by Epstein, law- yers to victim notifications, the [Unit. States Attorney, Office] teev.uated its obligations to provide notification to victims and Jane Doe it 1 was thus not told that the USAO had entered into a r:irtil;P=trftilgrafteeffnr ;A i " Francey Hakes, the former feder. prosecutor "I have never heard of a case where feder. prosecutors consult with a defense at- Kenneth torney before they send out Starr standard victim notification letters. To negotiate what the letters ,rnuld say and whether they Aould be sent at all suggest that the victims' rights were violated mukiple times." Kenneth Staff, aggressive advocacy for Epstein against allegations of improper sexual behavior was in stark contr. to the path he took investigating President Bill Clinton as independent counsel for the Whitewater probe. The Starr Report, the summary of his find- ings in the Whitewater investigation, which start. as a probe of a land deal gone sour and veer. into an investigation of sexu. miscon- duct, savag. the president for his involvement with White House intern Monica Lewinslcy and was the basis for impeachment Starr himself Amid face criticism in 2016 - he stepp. down as president of Baylor Univer- sity amid .legations that he and other university officials mishandled sexual assault allegations brought by fem.e students against members of the school, footb.I team. The Miami Herald reach. out to Starr, though cettifi. letter and through a spokesmail for h