Speaker A
Donald Trump's Epstein turmoil. The Department of Justice has released their final tranche of 3 million files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
DOJ releases final Epstein files revealing extensive Trump connections and new Epstein-Bannon footage, sparking legal and political fallout.
Key Takeaways
- The Epstein files reveal extensive connections between Epstein, Trump, and Steve Bannon, deepening public scrutiny.
- DOJ’s handling of the files raises serious concerns about victim privacy and transparency compliance.
- Legal battles are ongoing as survivors seek to protect their identities and hold implicated individuals accountable.
- The released materials have reignited political and media attention on Epstein’s network and its powerful associates.
- The investigation and public fallout are far from over, with new survivors and evidence continuing to emerge.
What the video covers
- The DOJ released 3 million Epstein-related files, including 5300 documents referencing Donald Trump and thousands of new texts between Epstein and Steve Bannon.
- The files reveal a deeper relationship between Epstein and Trump ally Steve Bannon, including over 15 hours of interview footage.
- Epstein discusses his 2008 jail experience and reflects on his life in rare interview clips filmed by Bannon.
- Trump is named tens of thousands of times across the documents, though he denies any wrongdoing and threatens legal action.
- Democratic Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury states the released files are incomplete and accuses the DOJ of withholding evidence and failing subpoenas.
- Civil rights attorney Nancy Erica Smith condemns the DOJ for careless or deliberate exposure of victims’ identities and nude photos, retraumatizing survivors.
- Survivors and their attorneys are pursuing litigation to remove sensitive information from public access and protect victim identities.
- New evidence from the files is prompting additional trafficking survivors to come forward, including potential victims linked to Trump.
- The files implicate over 30 individuals connected to Trump, including family members and associates like Howard Lutnick and Elon Musk.
- The release coincides with controversy over a Melania Trump documentary producer linked to Epstein’s trafficking network.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
revealing more details about his cozy relationships with powerful people.
Speaker A
The files include thousands of new text messages between Epstein and Trump ally Steve Bannon, suggesting that their known friendship was quote, deeper, chummier, and more expansive than previously known. In the text, the two frequently discussed foreign affairs and the Trump White House.
Speaker A
Also included in the files are about two hours of never before seen interview footage of Epstein, all conducted by Steve Bannon. And we know that Bannon filmed Epstein for over 15 hours, sometime in the years leading up to Epstein's conviction and death.
Speaker A
in an attempt to rehab Epstein's reputation.
Speaker A
Here's Epstein talking about his first time in jail back in 2008 on charges of soliciting prostitution.
Speaker B
I was in a place which is called the special housing unit, which is for the roughest, toughest, meanest people.
Speaker C
Did it strike you at the time of the mess you had made of your life and put you in a position or you had put yourself in that position?
Speaker B
No.
Speaker C
You cannot tell me sometime during that day you did not have that conversation with yourself of, how the did I do this to myself?
Speaker B
Did I find it amazing that I was there?
Speaker C
Not amazing and I want to say it's not funny. I thought it was not funny.
Speaker B
Right.
Speaker C
Not amazing.
Speaker B
It was incredible.
Speaker C
Incredible in what way? Incredible like, how'd I do this to myself?
Speaker B
No. It's as incredible as me sitting here in this house.
Speaker A
It's all pretty incredible.
Speaker A
Listen to this exchange in which Bannon asks Epstein if Epstein thinks that he is the devil himself.
Speaker C
Do you think you're the devil himself?
Speaker B
No, but I I do have a good mirror.
Speaker C
It's a serious question. Do you think you're the devil himself?
Speaker B
I don't know.
Speaker B
Why would you say that?
Speaker C
Because you have all the attributes. You're incredibly smart. You remember the devil is brilliant. You read you read Milton's Paradise Lost.
Speaker B
No, the devil scares me.
Speaker A
This is striking.
Speaker A
It gives a rare look into Epstein's life at a time when there's almost no public footage of him speaking.
Speaker A
Bannon reportedly intended for this footage to be made into a documentary, which never came to fruition.
Speaker A
The files also include 5300 documents that reference Donald Trump, including unverified claims against him, news articles, as well as emails in which he is name-checked.
Speaker A
To be very clear, Trump has not been accused of anything illegal, and he denies any wrongdoing related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaker A
Now, Trump is threatening to sue multiple people over this.
Speaker A
Joining me now to discuss all of this is Democratic Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury.
Speaker A
She is a member of the House Oversight Committee, and also with this is Nancy Erica Smith.
Speaker A
Renowned civil rights attorney who has represented numerous victims of sexual harassment.
Speaker A
Congresswoman, let's start with you.
Speaker A
What was your reaction to this latest release from the DOJ?
Speaker A
Do you believe that we have everything and this is truly the final tranche?
Speaker D
Well, we know for a fact that we do not have everything.
Speaker D
In fact, we know that Department of Justice found over 6 million documents that were considered responsive.
Speaker D
Not only to the Epstein files transparency Act, but to the subpoena that they have not yet responded to in full.
Speaker D
And so we know the DOJ is not compliant with the law.
Speaker D
They are failing to comply with our subpoena. We know that they're intentionally withholding work product that implicates the individuals that were being investigated by Department of Justice.
Speaker D
Including potential co-conspirators.
Speaker D
And we know that Todd Blanche went on national television on Friday morning and tried to tell the American people, don't believe your eyes.
Speaker D
We're going to show you a bunch of documents.
Speaker D
But there's nobody in them.
Speaker D
Well, Donald Trump is not only in 5300 documents.
Speaker D
He is named tens of thousands of times in these documents.
Speaker D
So, this is not nearly over and there are 37 individuals directly tied to Donald Trump.
Speaker D
Referenced in these documents, including his wife, including Howard Lutnick, including Elon Musk.
Speaker D
And we have a lot of investigating to do ahead of us.
Speaker A
Nancy, Congress has lots of investigating to do, but one thing that we do know is that in addition to all the things the Congresswoman referenced.
Speaker A
DOJ was also pretty careless in their redactions.
Speaker A
Reportedly exposing the identities of many of the individuals who are victims of Jeffrey Epstein, about 43 women.
Speaker A
And among those revelations include dozens of nude photographs.
Speaker A
How do you respond to this given the concerns that the victims had about their identities being made public?
Speaker E
Well, it's definitely retraumatized the victims.
Speaker E
It's disgusting.
Speaker E
I don't believe it was careless.
Speaker E
I believe it was deliberate.
Speaker E
I believe that they're getting what they want.
Speaker E
Some of the victims are saying, stop.
Speaker E
Stop releasing the files.
Speaker E
They violated the law and didn't release these files on time, claiming that they were protecting the victims.
Speaker E
They have never been protecting the victims.
Speaker E
They haven't been protecting the victims since the 32 count indictment in 2008.
Speaker E
They've never protected the victims.
Speaker E
This is not careless.
Speaker E
This is deliberate, deliberate retraumatizing victims to shut them up.
Speaker E
To shut this down.
Speaker E
The only people who they're concerned about protecting are Trump and his buddies.
Speaker E
And it's it's truly so disgusting to treat the victims in this way.
Speaker A
Congresswoman, attorneys for many of these Epstein survivors are making the same claims in courts.
Speaker A
In fact, they are asking the DOJ to take down Epstein files website in recent litigation.
Speaker A
Have you heard from any of these survivors about their efforts to use litigation?
Speaker A
To stop the DOJ from having their identities placed online?
Speaker D
Yes.
Speaker D
Absolutely.
Speaker D
So, since the files began to drop on Friday, I've heard from numerous survivors.
Speaker D
I had a lengthy discussion with one of the survivors today, in addition to feeling like their own safety and their rights are being violated by these disclosures.
Speaker D
They are also finding evidence of additional trafficking and other survivors are actually coming forward and contacting them now.
Speaker D
So, even though obviously the administration is trying to intimidate and silence survivors because the dam is breaking loose.
Speaker D
We are now seeing even more survivors, not only of Epstein's, but potentially of Trump's.
Speaker D
That are coming forward now as a result of all this.
Speaker A
Congresswoman, we also reported the texts that highlight what seem to be a very deep and close relationship between Epstein and Steve Bannon.
Speaker A
What's the reaction on Capitol Hill to these new revelations?
Speaker D
Well, you know, we subpoenaed the the estate.
Speaker D
And about three months ago, the estate produced thousands of pages of emails and texts.
Speaker D
And there was extensive communication with Steve Bannon at that time.
Speaker D
And so I don't think these are new revelations.
Speaker D
But what is new in these files are some of the accusations against the president himself, against Howard Lutnick, who went on national television and claimed that he had never been to the island.
Speaker D
And in fact, it actually gone.
Speaker D
Elon Musk, who's out there tweeting about Donald Trump being in the files.
Speaker D
And he's trying to find parties on Epstein's Island.
Speaker D
You know, it turns out that as I said, there are over 30 individuals from Trump's orbit who are implicated.
Speaker D
And I think a particular note is the fact that, you know, Melania Trump's documentary.
Speaker D
Was aired this weekend and the producer and director of that documentary is actually in the files.
Speaker D
There's a photograph of him with the primary sex trafficker that was working with Epstein to bring models into a sex trafficking network.
Speaker D
So,
Speaker D
it's a very damning.
Speaker A
Nancy, there are lots of things in these files, including images.
Speaker A
Um, some of which are obscured, but they seem to be images of the president.
Speaker A
What do you make of the fact that there was so much done to obscure these images and so little done to redact the identities of some of the survivors here?
Speaker E
I make of it that we don't have a Department of Justice anymore.
Speaker E
Donald Trump has turned the Department of Justice, which represents us, the people of America.
Speaker E
Into his personal law firm.
Speaker E
I mean, Todd Blanche was his personal lawyer.
Speaker E
Todd Blanche made the incredible statement that he they weren't going to investigate many of the claims in the files, particularly about Trump, because they were unfounded.
Speaker E
How do you know they're unfounded if you don't investigate them?
Speaker E
That's the most stupid statement.
Speaker E
And I'd like to mention that the Congresswoman talked about the safety of these women.
Speaker E
These women should be provided protection now.
Speaker E
We know what happens to people who come after Trump.
Speaker E
Particularly women who come after Trump.
Speaker E
These poor women are out there now with the maga mob.
Speaker E
Potentially coming after them, doxing them.
Speaker E
Or or making them afraid.
Speaker E
And we also know from the files that Epstein used to say bad things will happen to you if you tell.
Speaker E
To 14 year olds, 15 year olds, 16 year olds, 17 year olds.
Speaker E
This is so outrageous.
Speaker E
And to be protecting Trump as if we need more evidence.
Speaker E
He he has been found guilty in a civil court of rape.
Speaker E
25 plus women have accused him of abuse.
Speaker E
His wife testified that he raped her.
Speaker E
He owned a modeling agency.
Speaker E
He owned a teen beauty pageant.
Speaker E
He admitted grabbing women by the genitals.
Speaker E
He paid off a porn star.
Speaker E
And we're supposed to be surprised.
Speaker E
We have we know that he was.
Speaker E
A best friend of Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaker E
Epstein had his picture in his house.
Speaker E
And all these files just repeat what we know.
Speaker E
And the DOJ, rather than picking up the 32 count indictment and finding out who the co-conspirators were.
Speaker E
And that indictment talks about co-conspirators.
Speaker E
Rather than doing that, they're covering up for Donald Trump.
Speaker E
It's not our DOJ anymore, which is really scary.
Speaker A
All right, um, we will have more on this as the story develops.
Speaker A
Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury and Nancy Erica Smith, thank you so much for getting us started tonight.
Speaker A
As a law professor, I feel I have to note that as we report out this story, it must be said that being mentioned in these files does not necessarily mean that someone is implicated in the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaker A
So just want to make that very clear.
Topics:Jeffrey EpsteinDonald TrumpSteve BannonEpstein filesDOJ releaseEpstein victimsEpstein traffickingEpstein interview footageMAGA controversyEpstein legal case
