For the past few weeks, I have been chronicling the egregious attempts by Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell to insulate President Donald Trump from any involvement he may have had with Jeffrey Epstein. In parts One, Two, and Three, I reviewed Blanche’s interview of Maxwell. (You can read the transcripts here: Day One and Day Two.)
It Is hard to recall all the false starts and bungled explanations that have made the Epstein affair one of the worst cover-ups in American history. Remember Pam Bondi’s promise that MAGA and America would soon see the Epstein evidence she was now looking at:
‘It’s sitting on my desk right now to review … That’s all in the process of being reviewed, because that was done at the directive of the president from all of these agencies,’ Bondi said .. Trump’s return to the Oval Office came with the prospect of the public finally being able to see Epstein’s long-awaited ‘black book’ amid inquiries into the deceased financier and sex trafficker … Bondi herself advocated for the release of the Epstein list in 2024, telling Sean Hannity at the time, ‘It should have come out a long time ago.’
Bondi’s interview was followed by her February 27, 2025, announcement that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would release a significant amount of the Epstein evidence.
But as ABC writes:
[the] majority of the material released had been previously made public … The material released contained previously published pilot logs from the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell. The records include redactions performed by prosecutors on the case to protect the identities of potential victims. Also published is Epstein’s so-called ‘black book’ that has previously been made public.
One document never before seen is what the Justice Department is calling ‘Evidence List,’ a three-page catalog of material apparently obtained through searches of Epstein’s properties in New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Among the items investigators obtained, according to the document, is ‘one CD labelled “girl pics nude book 4”’ and a folder titled ‘LSJ logbook,’ which appears to be a reference to Epstein’s private island, Little St. James.
Here is an excerpt from that previously unreleased “Evidence List” the DOJ provided:
This snippet offers just a small sample of the kind of material people are referring to when they call for the entirety of the Epstein files to be released.
As for the bulk of the material, it did not take long to discover that these partial files had been scrubbed of any compromising material and for images of those highly redacted files to make the rounds on social media.
Since the February release had not dispelled the call for the complete files, Attorney General Pam Bondi tried another tack on July 7. She issued a two-page statement categorically denying that the Epstein files contained any client list or material that could be used to prosecute any potential third parties. Then Bondi added that releasing any more information would only harm the innocent victims of Epstein and Maxwell:
Not surprisingly, Bondi failed to satisfy many of those expecting full transparency, those who understood a sensitive redaction would protect the victims yet offer critical information about the other co-conspirators. In response to the continuing skepticism, on July 16, 2025, Donald Trump made quite clear how annoyed he was that his followers were unwilling to let the issue die. His anger spilled out in public, and he could not help but reveal how seriously he took the threat posed by the unflagging interest in the Epstein files:
As CNN reports:
President Donald Trump is accusing some of his onetime supporters of being ‘weaklings’ who are falling prey to Democratic ‘bullshit’ about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — concluding that he no longer wants their support. The message was the clearest sign yet of the cracks emerging in the president’s coalition, many of whom are loudly demanding more information about the disgraced financier, who has been subject to myriad conspiracies since his death by suicide in 2019. And some of his allies don’t appear to be listening, with Republicans in Congress taking steps Wednesday morning to potentially force the Justice Department to release more documents.
Declaring that Democrats had struck ‘pay dirt’ in the Epstein scandal, Trump said his political opponents were using the issue to attack him. ‘Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this “bullshit,” hook, line, and sinker … They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.’ Trump said the Epstein controversy … was distracting from the successes of his presidency. ‘I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country’s history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax,’ he wrote. ‘Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!’
[Emphasis added.]
Then, just one day later, Trump and Bondi fired Southern District of New York federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, effectively removing someone from the scene who knew more than almost anybody else about what exactly Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein had done. As The New York Times put it:
Maurene Comey, a Manhattan federal prosecutor who worked on the criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, was abruptly fired on Wednesday by the Trump administration, according to six people with knowledge of the matter. Though the reason for Ms. Comey’s firing was not immediately clear, her dismissal immediately raised questions, given her involvement in the Epstein-related cases that have roiled the White House in recent days.
Ms. Comey was informed of her firing in a letter that cited Article II of the Constitution, which describes the powers of the president, according to two of the people. Ms. Comey is also the daughter of the former F.B.I. director James Comey, an adversary of President Trump who has recently been under scrutiny by federal law enforcement authorities … The White House press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, including about whether it had asked the Justice Department to fire Ms. Comey. Ms. Comey could not immediately be reached for comment.
For more than a week, Mr. Trump and his attorney general, Pam Bondi, have been seeking to quell outrage from many of the president’s supporters over the administration’s reluctance to release files related to Mr. Epstein’s sex-trafficking case.
[Emphasis added.]
Time after time, the administration’s attempt to silence the demand for complete transparency had failed. And now with Maurene Comey gone, this time around they tried to get the remaining surviving member of the Epstein conspiracy, Ghislaine Maxwell, to assure the world that there was really nothing left to be said and nothing more to be seen. Case closed.
As for the Trump administration’s claim that interviews with Maxwell, and release of the complete transcripts, is proof of their dedication to transparency, well, a thorough reading reveals what an unmitigated failure that exercise was. It is so very clear how thoroughly Maxwell took advantage of Todd Blanche’s lack of understanding of who she really was/is. It is obvious he has no clear idea about what the evidence against her revealed and why she had been unanimously convicted. And yet, his ignorance and her years of practiced deceit earned her a transfer from real prison to a minimum-security, country-club-like detention center.
Of course, the most qualified person for the job was the woman they had just fired, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Comey, the woman who helped prosecute and convict Maxwell.
Let me be clear. All Blanche had to do was review what his Department of Justice had already demonstrated in the government’s Sentencing Memorandum. I am just going to show you two excerpts that reveal several critical truths about Ghislaine Maxwell, truths that Todd Blanche was either completely unaware of or deliberately ignored during his two sessions:
Most notably, the DOJ had convinced a jury that Maxwell was always close to Epstein, had collaborated with him, and facilitated and participated in his abuse of young women, even girls as young as 14. In return, she enjoyed the benefits of great wealth. The Southern District of New York also knew she was a practiced liar without empathy or regret:
So not only have Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and the MAGA majority in Congress betrayed their voters, they have publicly stabbed the Epstein-Maxwell victims and survivors in the back. Their collective unwillingness to share the complete Epstein files has meant there has been no accountability for those who co-conspired with Epstein and Maxwell. And you can add the indignity of the cruel sweetheart deal for Maxwell, the woman who lured, seduced, groomed, abused, and betrayed them.
But most inspiring of all, the victims and survivors are fighting back, deciding that if the FBI and the Department of Justice would not hear their testimony or honor their painful experiences, they will speak directly to the American people.
Quite frankly, I never imagined I would be thanking U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R – Georgia 14th Congressional District) for anything, let alone for her courage. But she has bucked almost all of her MAGA colleagues and Donald Trump, and on September 4, 2025, she was at the Capitol speaking in support of many of the victims of Maxwell, Epstein, and the powerful men still not outed.
The Republican rift over whether to demand greater transparency in the case has once again highlighted a gender divide in the male-dominated party …
When Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, left Washington in July for the long summer recess, he had nearly a dozen Republicans ready to sign on to his effort to force a vote on his bill demanding that the Justice Department release all of the Epstein files.
When he returned on Tuesday, Mr. Massie had just three still on board — and they were all women.
Each defied President Trump in backing the effort, and each appeared moved to do so at least in part because of experiences that made them sympathetic to the accusers of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. On Wednesday, with the White House warning G.O.P. lawmakers that signing on to the discharge petition demanding the full release of the Epstein files would be viewed as a ‘very hostile act,’ a number of Republicans who had previously expressed support for the petition quietly backed off.
But for Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, three attention-courting politicians who went ahead and signed anyway, the Epstein affair appears to transcend loyalty to Mr. Trump.
[Emphasis added.]
I was moved to see such an unlikely coming together at the very time division and distrust have crippled Congress and America seems to be splitting apart at the seams. Here is U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D – Calif. 17th Congressional District):
Today as you can see, we are united in restoring trust in government. We are not here as partisans, but here as patriots. We begin the work of bringing this country together, progressives and MAGA supporters to demand truth and justice. A nation that allows rich and powerful men to traffic and abuse young girls without consequence is a nation that has lost its moral and spiritual core.
Americans are asking a very spiritual, simple question. How is it possible in the most richest and powerful country in the world? There are corrupt special interests both foreign and domestic that are preventing the release that have a stranglehold. And preventing the release of the full Epstein files. There is something that is rotten in Washington. Less than 1% of these files have been released. We are demanding today on the discharge petition that all of the files be released. We know we have 212 Democrats and we have 4 Republicans, courageous Republicans like Thomas Massie and Nancy Mace, who was so emotional after talking to the survivors, Congresswoman Boebert and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. So, we gather here in the steps of the Capitol: today we stand with the survivors. We stand against big money. We stand to protect America’s children. That is really what this is about. I now want to bring up my Republican colleague, Thomas Massie, who has shown so much courage and leadership. I say the same thing about Marjorie Taylor Green and people were calling her names. We have to stop that and stop the partisanship on this issue. They have shown great courage and leadership and I appreciate them joining us today.
[Emphasis added.]
Here is a link to the Khanna Massie discharge petition.
This is what U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R – Kentucky 4th Congressional District) said:
I thank my colleague, Representative Khanna for bringing justice. I hope my colleagues are watching this press conference, and think, what if this was your sister or daughter when these survivors speak. The Washington establishment is asking the American public to believe something that is not believable. They are asking you to believe that two individuals created hundreds of victims and acted alone and that the D.O.J. has no idea who else might have been involved. That nobody else did anything that rose to a criminal enterprise. The American people know that’s not true. The Speaker of the House offered a, if anything, a fig leaf to my colleagues and vote on a non-binding resolution today that does absolutely nothing. I appreciate the efforts of my colleague James Comer, who is leading the Oversight Committee. They might find some information, but they are allowing the D.O. J. to curate the information that the D.O.J. is giving them. Look at the pages that ware heavily redacted and 97% of this is already in the public domain.
I am calling on my colleagues: be one of the next two who sponsors this discharge petition. I think it’s shameful this has been called a hoax. Hopefully, today, we can clear that that up. This is not a hoax. This is real. There are real survivors. There are real victims to this criminal enterprise. And the perpetrators are being protected because they are rich and powerful and political donors to the establishment here in Washington, D.C.
So today we are standing with these survivors and giving them a voice and I close by thanking them. They are brave. I hope they encourage other survivors to come forward and to tell their stories. Not just of Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell but anywhere in the country. This is a message that we are sending. Can we drain the swamp? Are there people who are outside of the reach of the law? I don’t think there should be. So hopefully today we will get two more signatures on the discharge petition. And with that, I introduce the bravest woman in Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene. The first three Republican co-sponsors are women. And Marjorie was the first to do it and she deserves all of our gratitude for breaking that barrier and leading the way for the other Republicans and hopefully they can find their spines as well. With that I give you Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Marjorie Taylor Greene declared:
This is an issue that doesn’t have political boundaries, an issue that Republicans and Democrats should never fight about. It is such an important issue – and brings us all together. It has grieved me to watch the arguments and debates take place among my colleagues and the Administration. I think that this is something worth fighting for. The women behind me are going to tell you stories that you have never heard before. These are unimaginable horrors they have lived with their entire lives since they were very young. And stories that many children, teenagers, women and even men are enduring nightmares right now as we speak.
You see these women have been fighting since the 1990s. I heard one woman tell us since 1996. And have carried with them shame. But I want to tell you something: the shame does not fall on these brave, courageous women. The shame falls on every single person that coldly turned a blind eye to their abuse. The shame falls on every single person that enabled it. The shame falls on every single person that took money to continue it. And the shame falls on the people in power over the past several decades that protected the monster Jeffrey Epstein and his cabal … Those people deserve the shame.
Today we are going to fight like hell for these women. Because we have to fight like hell for those who are enduring sexual abuse and living in a prison of shame. Anyone who is being abused, it is not your fault. You should not live with guilt, fault or shame. All of the fault belongs to the evil people that do these things to the innocent. This is the most important fight we can wage here in Congress. Fighting for innocent people that never received justice. And the women behind me never received justice. You know what? Jeffrey Epstein walked among the most rich, powerful people in America. Yesterday I heard countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia and even Israel, and other countries. The truth needs to come out. And the government holds the truth. The cases that are sealed hold the truth. Jeffrey Epstein’s estate holds the truth. The F.B.I., D.O.J. and C.I.A. hold the truth and the truth we are demanding come out.
On behalf of these women, but also as a strong message to every innocent child, teenager, woman and man that is being held captive. This should never happen again in America. And it should never be a political issue that divides us. I thank Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie crossing political boundaries for an important fight and I am honored to join both of them and honored that Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert signed the discharge petition. I ask you not to choose one path to justice and accountability. But I ask my Republicans to choose every path for justice and accountability and transparency.
This is what Bradley Edwards, the first attorney to take the case of an Epstein victim, had to say:
In 2008, Courtney Wild walked into my office because she was under investigation and all she wanted was the government to talk to her. The government worked out a secret immunity deal for Epstein and … worked out an illegal non-prosecution agreement. It took us 10 years battling the government for the judge to determine that the rights of the victims were violated. The government has mistreated them. We filed lawsuits against Maxwell. Our civil lawsuits led to her prosecution and we filed lawsuits against Epstein, against his estate and JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank, that they knowingly provided infrastructure for a sex trafficking operation. All of the documents we have worked so hard for, hid behind bank secrecy laws. That is why the discharge petition. When you see the documents, you will be appalled … It is time to make a difference for the women. They have been courageous and fought for this whole thing. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, you are an American. This is about equal protection under the law. If you care about these women, and our country, this should pass with flying colors.
Brittany Henderson is the co-author of “Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein.” This is what she said:
We aren’t here just to ask for transparency but for protection. The women here represent hundreds of other women we have spoken to, many of whom were trafficked from Eastern European countries. Women don’t have the protections we have here and those women are terrified their names will be released … So we ask whoever is going to be in charge of redacting these files, do it in a way that protects the women who are terrified that every day when they turn on the TV that something is going to happen to them. Because no one is listening to them. Thank you for being here. Protect these women.
And now some of the victims.
Marinala Cerda:
My name is Marinala Cerda and I was Victim One in the Epstein Indictment. I was one of a dozen girls that I personally know that were forced into Jeffrey Epstein’s … when we were just kids. Today is the first time I ever speak publicly about what happened to me. I never thought I would find myself here. The only reason I am here is because it feels that the people who matter care about what we have to say. As an immigrant from Brazil, the little girl struggling to get by at fourteen and fifteen years old has a voice. For the first time I feel like I matter as an American.
I was only fourteen years old when I met Jeffrey. I was working three jobs to try to support my Mom when a friend of mine in the neighborhood told me I could make three hundred to give a guy a massage. And went from a dream job to the worst nightmare. His assistant would call me and tell me that I needed to be at the house so often that I dropped out of high school before ninth grade and I never went back.
From fourteen to seventeen years old I worked for Jeffrey instead of receiving an education. I hoped he would offer me a real job as one of his assistants or something important. I finally made it big, the American dream. That day never came. I had no way out. Until he told me I was too old.
There are many pieces of my story I can’t remember no matter how hard I try. The constant state causes me so much fear … My therapist said my brain is trying to protect itself. But it is so hard that people know more about my abuse than I do. The worst part is that the government is still in possession right now of the documents and information that could help me remember and get over all of this maybe and make me heal. They have documents with my name that were confiscated from Jeffrey Epstein’s house and could put the pieces back together. I know the same is true for many of these women. We are here to support this bill today not only for transparency but for the American people. But if the government is going to release the documents to the public describing the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and others, the thing they could do is give me the documents about me. And the others deserve the same respect. While identifying information must be redacted, it is important to provide the victims themselves with unredacted information. I will never forgive the FBI agents that showed up at my door. Epstein had a lawyer to represent me or represent him. I couldn’t ask any questions. I was terrified. I think most of us are still terrified. I thought somebody was going to kill me and I thought something was going to happen to my sister and mother and I thought something was going to happen in Brazil with my family.
And then one day the lawyer said everything was going to go away. Like nothing happened. I didn’t need to testify. When I asked him why, he gave no explanation. That was it. So why? Why wasn’t I called to testify then? We could have saved so many women and lives from being abused. Why did he get away with it in 2008? Why was he able to go on with the abuse with hundreds of girls? Why didn’t they let me testify to help stop him? Our government could have saved so many women but Epstein was too important and those women didn’t matter. Why?
Well, we matter now. We are here today and we are speaking and we are not going to stop speaking. Today, I stand here with the women who have really helped me to find the strength to come out and come forward to share my story for the very first time. Together we are stronger than ever. While she may not be with us, Virginia Roberts, we will continue to use our voices to strengthen those others. Thank you.
[Emphasis added.]
Courtney Wild:
I’m Courtney Wild. I wanted to take a second and have a moment of silence for the women survivors who aren’t with us today – they passed away due to anxiety, depression, trying to keep up with this case … I was only fourteen years old when I was introduced by a thirteen-year-old friend of mine. The details of abuse that he inflicted on me is not important today and in 2008 I was cooperating with the government. They sent me a letter telling me to be patient because this was going to be a lengthy investigation. But, at the same time, they refused to talk to me … so I hired a lawyer, Brad Edwards, because I was hopeful to get answers … the government refused to tell me what was going on. The only reason I found out that the government had given Epstein immunity was because our lawsuit forced the government to tell us. Otherwise. nobody would know that today. Sometimes it is hard to believe I had to sue the United States just to learn that my abuser was given immunity …
We fought the government for ten years to prove that the government violated our rights in order to protect a pedophile and we forced the government to turn over pages of emails. Those emails provided the proof that the government worked very hard with Jeffrey Epstein to violate our rights. Why? Why did the government protect Jeffrey Epstein and not protect me and my other innocent friends? Why was Jeffrey so important to the government? And why was I so insignificant? Why did nobody but our lawyers care before now? …
We need transparency. It’s time for us to see beyond the curtain. Why was he so protected, who is still being protected and who protected them all. So the world can understand how he abused so many of us for so long.
I was lucky to have attorneys take on my case and fight fearlessly over twenty years’ time. I would like to thank them and ask the Trump administration to sign off on the Crime Victims petition that we are trying to get passed here and close the loopholes that Epstein’s attorney used for their benefit to get away with this. Thank you so much.
Jena-Lisa Jones:
My name is Lisa Jones and I was only fourteen years old when my friend brought me over to Jeffrey Epstein’s house in 2003. I had a terrible home life but I was innocent and I always did my best in school and had a positive outlook in life until that day when I met Jeffrey. I had never been more scared that first time. I remember crying the entire way home. How could I ever tell anyone about what actually happened in that house. This guy was so rich and so many pictures with so many famous people. No one would ever believe me. I thank Congressman Khanna and Congressman Massie. And it was hard to find my voice and speak about my abuse. I didn’t come forward until 2019. And even then I was afraid of a ghost. I know I was a little kid but sometimes I still feel like it is my fault thus has happened …
If you are a member of Congress and listening to us today, please listen to us. Please vote for this bill to be passed and recognize how important it is for transparency relating to Jeffrey Epstein. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, it does not matter. You are an American and a person who has chosen to serve, to stand up for those who cannot represent themselves.
We are those people and we are the Americans you promised to protect and we need your help. Please President Trump, pass this bill. And help us. Make us feel like our voices are finally being heard.
Haley Robson:
I’m Haley Robson. I was a sixteen-year old who made good grades when I was recruited by a classmate alongside with a twenty-five year old if I wanted to give a rich guy a massage. That day changed my life. And when I got in the massage room, Jeffrey Epstein undressed and asked me to do things to him. My eyes welled up with tears and I had never been so scared. When I was over, he gave me two hundred dollars and requested that I bring a girl each time to make another two hundred dollars. I told him I didn’t want to do that. He said to come here and massage or you bring … He called me every day. He was so wealthy and powerful and wouldn’t let me go. If I disobeyed him, I knew something bad would happen. Knowing I didn’t want to be sexually abused I started to bring him other girls from my high school and he paid me two hundred dollars for bringing them. I just hoped each time would be the last time.
Step mom called the police and police called me and called me in for questioning. I told them the fact that I was a teenager and minor and tell them the names of the others and the police treated me like a criminal. I was eighteen and was with Jeffrey since sixteen … they told me I was going to be arrested and my name was distributed to the press as a co-conspirator. My whole world was crashing in … and to this day I am still receiving death threats. I had to suffer a smear campaign, lied about me because of the way I was portrayed by the press.
The press made me out to be a predator when I was sixteen years old, who was sexually abused by an evil man …The government after investigating more learned that I was truly a victim but the damage was done and too late. No way to undo the harm. In 2019, I met Brad and Brittney. They changed my life and believed in me. Healing is a process and I may never get there but the passage of this bill requiring the government to produce all the evidence that had been gathered on Jeffrey and Ghislaine is a huge component for the many other women who suffered for so long.
First, we and the rest of the world need answers. Why was she protected and why didn’t anyone stop him. Doesn’t take a brain surgeon. And paying thousands of dollars a day abusing high school girls. I learned through my attorneys in the JP Morgan, he withdrew a million dollars in cash a year? Was that not a big enough red flag? And wire transfers to other victims. The government did not protect us. The banks did not protect us. Lift the curtain on these files and be transparent …
What powerful person had him murdered? Who was on the client list, and there are names going around. We take our kids to school. And everyone is talking about it. And we can’t ignore the stories that are living on because the government refuses … Stories hurt real people. Real people who have been hurt, and we have lost so many victims to suicide. And maintaining real strength. Lies that drive our fears and will lead to more pain, more suffering and honestly more deaths of innocent victims. The time is right. Unseal the documents. Requesting transparency and requesting every Congressman and woman be outed. I want to know. Thank you.
Now, what is remarkable is that even as the truth slowly emerges, those in power continue their cover-up. I want to offer you two examples from just the other day. I would like to say that I am amazed that these men would continue to tell such obvious lies, but we seem to be swamped each and every day by ever more deceit. Here is Todd Blanche, the number two official of the United States Department of Justice who has had the opportunity these many past weeks to review his pathetic performance interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell, to learn from his mistakes. But instead, he has decided once more to serve his bosses rather than the victims he sworn an oath to protect:
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday that it’s an ‘impossible question’ whether Ghislaine Maxwell — who was convicted of trafficking scores of young girls to Jeffrey Epstein for sexual abuse — is a ‘credible’ witness in her denials of involvement in Epstein’s crimes …
‘I met with her for two days. To determine whether a witness is credible takes weeks and weeks and weeks,’ Blanche said on CNN Tuesday night. …
Blanche said during his interview that ‘it’s really up to the American people to determine what they believe that her answers were credible or whether they found her not credible … I asked her questions that — that I believe all of us wanted answered and she answered them … I didn’t — the point of the interview was not for me to pressure test every single answer she gave, of course not. The point of the interview was to allow her to speak, which nobody had done before.’ …
Blanche appeared to sympathize with Maxwell, saying she ‘had been in prison for many, many years, and she had offered to speak on many, many occasions. And she was never given that opportunity. What I did is I gave her that opportunity to speak … It was recorded. My questions were there and whether — whether her answers were credible or truthful, there’s a lot of information out there about — about Mr. Epstein, about her and whether what she said is completely wrong or completely right or a little of both, is for that’s the reason why — why we released the transcript.
Ask Maurene Comey. Ask the jury. Read the Southern District of New York’s Sentencing Memorandum, U.S. v Ghislaine Maxwell. So much for the currently pathetic Department of Justice. Then there is the FBI and Director Kash Patel, who made a reputation insisting that the government was deliberately hiding the truth about Jeffrey Epstein and then told Sen. John Kennedy (R – La.) that despite the testimony of a variety of victims, the FBI’s review of the Epstein files revealed no creditable evidence of these people:
Kennedy: I want to ask you about the Epstein files. Have you seen the Epstein files?
Patel: I have not reviewed the entirety of it myself but uh a good amount …
Kennedy: Would it be fair to say that Mr. Epstein trafficked young women, including in some instances minors for sex to himself.
Patel: that was specifically the allegations in the 2018 indictment in the Southern District of New York.
Kennedy: Who if anyone else did Epstein traffic these young women to?
Patel: In terms of what the investigation, again going back to 2008, Mr. Acosta who limited the investigation and limited the search warrants and limited the parameters of the investigation. The only thing we are able to speak to publicly because he was given a non-prosecution agreement by Mr. Acosta is that first time period from, I believe, don’t quote me on this, 97 to 2001-ish. And then when the Trump administration courageously reopened it
Kennedy: (interrupting) I am going to run out of time. You’ve seen most of the files. Who, if anyone did Mr. Epstein traffic these young women to besides himself?
Patel: Himself. There is no credible evidence. None. If there were I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other individuals. And the information we have, again, is limited.
Kennedy: So the answer is no one.
On multiple occasions before both houses of Congress last week, FBI Director Patel played fast and loose with the truth. Looking to evade all responsibility for the failures of the DOJ and FBI, Patel first blamed former Florida prosecutor Acosta for the botched investigation of Epstein and the non-prosecution agreement he offered Epstein. He neglected to acknowledge that Acosta was rewarded by Donald Trump and made secretary of labor in his first administration. And while the materials gathered in 2008 certainly did not provide as much information as they should have, the FBI and Department of Justice gathered a treasure trove of material when the DOJ indicted Epstein just a few years ago when they seized files from multiple of his properties.
In fact, according to Michael Wolf:
I was sitting talking to Epstein and he said, ‘Wait a minute. I got to show you something.’ Um and he went into his safe and he came out with photographs. They were they were Polaroids, I I think. And um and he kind of kind of they were he kind of spread them out like playing cards. And it was Trump. I mean, I think there were a dozen of them. And it was Trump with girls of an uncertain age at Epstein’s Palm Beach House where all all of the things that he would ultimately be accused of took place. And I remember very vividly three of them. There are two in which Trump is uh the girls topless girls are sitting on Trump’s lap and then a third in which he has a a a stain on the front of his pants and the girls are kind of kind of pointing at it sort of bent over laughing you know cover you know you know um covering their mouths. Exactly. Exactly. and in pointing three or four girls and those are the ones I specifically remember and my assumption is um is that they I mean they were in the safe and I have seen them on other occasions take them out of the safe and I and I think it’s it’s it’s certainly not unlikely that they were in the safe when the FBI came in after his arrest and took everything from uh from the house including everything that was in the safe That’s what the FBI raided Epstein’s house.
So, this is a story of sustained, horrendous abuse of many, many hundreds of innocent girls by wealthy, powerful people, people protected by other wealthy powerful people. And this is the story of how that truth has been covered up for decades.
The cover up continues. Yet, for the sake of the victims and for the sake of justice, we must demand the truth.
