‘Let Him Hang Himself’

When the recent slate of Jeffrey Epstein emails dropped, one line immediately jumped out: “I think you should let him hang himself.”

It was part of a 2015 email exchange between journalist Michael Wolff and his source, Jeffrey Epstein, discussing whether they should give Donald Trump a heads-up that Wolff had heard CNN was planning to question Trump about his relationship with Epstein.

We dissect this startling exchange by talking with three journalists, who each had a different take on it – and what this sentence means for journalism, access, and the boundaries reporters might cross to get information.

Question Everything is a production of KCRW and Placement Theory. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter.

Guests: 

• Isaac Saul, Founder and executive editor of Tangle, a nonpartisan politics newsletter
• Susan Zakin, veteran journalist and Substack writer
• Tara Palmeri, The Red Letter Substack and host of the Tara Palmeri Show