
About this episode
The bigger takeaway is that Epstein has become a permanent political liability, not just an old criminal case. The Oversight investigation has already pulled in documents, testimony, estate records, DOJ fights, and public pressure from survivors, and Politico suggests that the next phase could depend heavily on who controls the House after the midterms. If Democrats take control, the probe could become even more Trump-centered; if Republicans retain control, they may still be forced to continue because the Epstein issue has become radioactive with voters who believe Washington has hidden the truth for years. Either way, the article makes clear that Epstein is not fading into the background. The machinery of Congress may be slow, performative, and often self-serving, but the political appetite around this scandal is still there — and that means the investigation is likely to keep dragging powerful names, uncomfortable records, and institutional failures back into the light.
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Why the House's Epstein investigation isn't going away - POLITICO
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The Vault: The Epstein Files — No End In Sight For Congress’ Epstein Probe. Machine-transcribed; use the interactive transcript above to jump the player to any line.
What's up everyone and welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. About a year ago, Congress set up a committee that was tasked with overseeing the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, Glaine Maxwell, and their crimes. However, after a year, we still don't have much to go on. Nobody has been held accountable. Nobody is under investigation that we know about. And shockingly, the only two people that we know have been referred are two people that were accused by Sarah Kellen-Vickers. Do you mean to tell me that all the other accusations that have been made are not up to snuff, that they don't have enough behind them for them to be pursued? Because if you're trying to tell me that, I'm going to tell you it's a bunch of BS. Because there is plenty of information about plenty of people who should be referred for criminal indictment to the Justice Department. But we haven't seen much of that have we,
and unfortunately, I'm not confident that we will. And again, it's all by design in my opinion. I don't think this committee was ever enacted to get anything done. And if it wasn't for the discharge petition, forget it. So today, we have an article from Politico, and here's the headline. This is just the beginning. One year in, there's no end in sight for Congress's Epstein probe. This article was authored by Haley Fuchs. The House oversight committees, Jeffrey Epstein investigation, will hit the one year mark later this month. And the saga is an ending anytime soon. Well, it's certainly not ending around these parts anytime soon. Now, we're definitely going to be talking about other things. And over the past few weeks, we've already started talking a little bit more about Alec Murdoch. Well, we're going to start talking about the Tyler Robinson trial as well. Because there's been a lot of BS talked about Charlie Kirk's murder. And now that we're getting
to a point where we're getting some actual evidence, I think it's time to have the conversation, follow along with the trial. Look at the evidence. See what's what? And I'm coming into that with a very sober eye. I have no preconceived notions about anything. And we're just going to follow the evidence wherever it takes us. But one thing I was always skeptical of was Candice Owens and her bullshit. She tried the same thing with Brian Coburger. She tried to insert herself into that case and tried to turn it into this gigantic conspiracy. And thankfully, her bullshit didn't take. But here in the Charlie Kirk case, when you have something that explosive, something that politically sensitive, you're going to find an audience for your crazy. And Candice Owens has certainly capitalized on that. And when she tried it with Brian Coburger, I knew she was talking out of the side of her neck. And my guess has always been that's the same story when it comes to
Charlie Kirk. So we're diving into that for ourselves. And now that the preliminary hearing started this week, I've been able to get more of a handle on what the prosecution actually has. Because remember, that's what matters. What's the evidence? Because for me, that's all that really matters. Not my opinion, not what I think, not what my bias tells me. But where does the evidence take us? So that's what we're going to be doing when we're covering the Tyler Robinson trial. And the first series that I have planned is just diving into the official narrative and what the official story is and what evidence the government says it has. And look, as you all know, I'm not exactly somebody who trusts the government, but that doesn't mean that every case is a gigantic conspiracy. So we're going to get to that in a little bit. But first, let's finish this article. No matter which party ends up in control in the next Congress, the oversight panel will remain
under pressure to continue to investigate the late convicted sex offender and the web of power players who may have been complicit in his crimes may have been complicit may have been complicit. All these fools were complicit. One way or the other doesn't mean everybody was dittling, but everybody was around everybody knew. And anybody who says any different, they're bullshit. And you Democrats are making clear that they view the committee's work under Republican leadership as incomplete. And that the Epstein case will be central to their oversight of President Donald Trump's administration if they win the majority in the midterms. And I think that's a likely possibility, right? I mean, the midterms historically fade to the side that's not in power. So I would think that the Democrats with everything that's going on are going to make some inroads and at least take the house. Is that going to be enough? I don't know. And to tell you the
truth, I'm not exactly confident in the Democrats leadership either. Just take a look at how they dealt with Graham Platner. This is just the beginning representative Melanie stands very of New Mexico and oversight Democrats said in an interview. I believe this is the administration's Watergate. I think that it's clear that they're complicit in covering crimes and shielding the President from accountability and evading the law. And so I'd like to see all of them in front of the committee under oath. Well, I'd like to see that too. And there's certainly a cover-up, and I think it would be good if we focused more on that cover-up. But people like Melanie stands, Barry. They're only interested in salacious nonsense. She hasn't hammered down on the real facts of the case. Every single one of these Congress people that get up there, the first question is Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump. And that's not how we're going to get to the victory line. I keep telling you guys that. And if that makes people
mad, I don't care. I don't know how many times I have to say it. I'm not in this for the clicks. I don't even do any marketing for my podcast. If you found my podcast, either somebody told you about it or you stumbled upon it. So if you think I care about winning any popularity contests, or doing what the masses want me to do, you've come to the wrong place. I really just don't care. I don't have any kind of social media profile to worry about. I don't have sponsors. I don't have crowdfunding. None of it. So I'm able to say whatever I want whenever I want to say it. And at times it costs me listeners. And hey, that's cool. I get it. But I'm not going to change who I am. And I'm certainly not going to play any games to try and get people to listen to my podcast. What I'm saying to you is the same shit I'd be saying in the backyard to the homies. And if you don't believe me, you can ask them. Do you know how many times these people, my friends,
have told me to shut my app. They didn't care. They don't want to hear it for five more seconds. I had just about every barbecue. Finally, one of them said to me, hey, Bobby, why don't you just start a podcast and then you could run your app all day and you can say what you want to say. And we won't have to listen to your nonsense anymore. It works out great for everybody. So my point is even if nobody was listening, I'd still be saying the same stuff. And you know why? Because this is what I believe. This isn't some lark. This isn't some gag. This isn't me just making pretend. This should I tell you on this podcast. That's what I believe. Republicans, meanwhile, say the public's appetite for answers in the Epstein case won't be satiated no matter what new details the panel on earth. Oh, give me a break. Before it was the Republicans crying and crying and crying non-stop about the Epstein issue. But now all of a sudden, oh, there's never going to be enough. Well, how about you give us something worthwhile? How about
we start there? People are never going to be satisfied with the congressional investigation throughout history said oversight chair James Comer of Kentucky, who, due to GOP term limits, will no longer be the panel's top Republican in the next Congress. Well, thank God, because James Comer is an absolute tool. An absolute buffoon. Him and his robber barons have caused a lot of damage here. And they have destroyed a lot of credibility. Well, he had hoped to wrap up the interviews by the August recess, Comer added, it's probably going to be hard because it seems like after every deposition, we get another name or two that we need to talk to. Imagine if they would have just done their jobs from the very beginning. I know novel idea. That means the congressional Epstein probe could continue for the foreseeable future, not only out of hope of finding a smoking gun, but also because of the political incentives to keep investigating for Democrats as well as Republicans are impossible to resist.
And I have to tell you, the way that this topic has been politicized recently is a big time turn off. That's never what this was supposed to be. I can't tell you how many people back in 2019, I worked with to try and get justice here that I didn't agree with politically, but I was able to shelve my personal bias for the greater good and the greater good was getting rid of these comebacks. But unfortunately that didn't work. And it becoming more and more clear to me that there's never going to be unity on any topic. If we can't come to the center here and come to some kind of truce while we get rid of these people, forget it. It's over. America is effectively broken into different groups now. There's no single America. There's no heartbeat of America. There's only what's good politically. And I find it disgusting. These are real people. People whose lives were fucking ruined. And the same people that ignored them the first time around.
Well, now they're just politicizing everything and not making any ground and not bringing anyone to justice. I mean, they won't even go after the banking records. What does that tell you? You don't want to follow the money of one of the biggest wanderers in the history of America? Okay, cool. So you're just not serious about what's going on. The panel interviewed more than a dozen people and none so far have shared any new information culminating in criminal charges. But the panel is made history by making a host of powerful people answer for their willful association with a convicted sex offender. Among them, Commerce Secretary Howard Ludnic, the billionaire investor Leon Black and tech mogul and philanthropist Bill Gates. Black and Gates both admitted to knowing about Epstein's criminal history, at least in part, while continuing to associate with them. Oh, they knew they didn't care. Like I told you,
unlike the rest of these people, I don't hide from what I've said in the past. All those reposted episodes, they're from 2021, 2019 all the way back. And as you can see, the record has been consistent. At least around these parts, there have been some other revelations too. Sarah Kellen, a former assistant, gave lawmakers the names of two men, potentially implicated in Epstein's misdeeds. Her stylist, Frederick Fokai, and former Miami Beach, Mayor Philip Levine, who both have denied wrongdoing. Well, Frederick Fokai is not a new name to us. We've been talking about him for a while. But I will say, I never heard anything about Mr. Levine, Mr. Levine, whatever you want to call him. Up until Sarah Kellen told us what she told us. So that is a new name. One thing I'll give the committee is that is a new name. Black, in the middle of his transcribed interview with Slaab with Sipinas, that'll force him to reappear,
and hand over non-disclosure agreements that could be tied to Epstein. And ousted former attorney general, Pam Bondi underscored the extent to which her then deputy Todd Blanche led the Justice Departments haphazard release of the Epstein files after Congress forces the departments and last fall. Blanche, now the acting attorney general, vying to lead the DOJ permanently, is expected to be heavily questioned about the matter at his Senate confirmation hearing next week. And also oversight could separately call him to speak with the panel in the coming weeks. Look, if Todd Blanche actually gets confirmed, that's going to tell us everything we need to know. Because if they confirm him, that means they're all in on it. A yes vote is a vote for Jeffrey Epstein's bullshit. And that's just the way it is. Representative Robert Garcia, California, who was poised to become oversight chair next year,
if Democrats sweep the fall elections, noted that the ongoing investigation has also set a new precedent. The panel's decision earlier this year to compel the sworn testimony of former president Bill Clinton, he said, could pave the way for other former presidents to be hit with Sipinas. And that includes Trump, who has drawn scrutiny from his own relationship with Epstein, and it was very transparent at the time with the Democrats were trying to do. The whole entire goal with getting Bill Clinton up there and the Democrats going along with it was to eventually get Trump in the crosshairs. That's what they were trying to do. They want Trump up there to give a deposition and now that Bill Clinton did it. Well, how can Trump deny them? He'll try, but it gives them political ammunition. And at the end of the day, that's what Robert Garcia is looking for. I have a lot of doubts about Robert Garcia and his real motivations. Sorry, but I do. That includes Trump, who was drawn scrutiny for his own relationship with Epstein.
Democrats have argued the administration has concealed the extent of that relationship. But Trump has maintained that he and Epstein had a falling out long before Epstein's death by suicide, allegedly, behind bars in 2019. The president has not been charged with wrongdoing. There are, however, limits to what Congress can do to bring people to account. Already, committee Republicans have recommended that the Justice Department investigate allegations against Frederick Fokai and Levine. In a statement at DOJ official confirmed the department had received the recommendation from the committee, and the FBI was looking into it. Oh, I'm sure they are. The allegations Kevin made in her interview to oversight included names of reported perpetrators that she apparently did not raise in her FBI interviews during the course of the investigation into Epstein and Maxwell, the official said. The FBI is in the process of confirming that. If during the course of their review, FBI encounters of evidence of a federal crime,
they will investigate the matter. Well, well, we can all rest easy. The FBI is on the job, folks. Comer hinted that the House Oversight Committee would pursue criminal referrals to the DOJ too. We believe there are people that deserve to be prosecuted. And we're going to do everything in our ability to see that happen. I promise the survivors that. We have, well, pretty words. Let's see some action. Garcia said some witnesses who came to testify voluntarily and were not sworn in on the road, would, and a democratic majority be called back again to give formal depositions such as Bondi. Well, that's good. They should all be formal. Volunteerly. Committee Democrats have also expressed an interest. In getting testimony, via subpoena from FBI director, cashpatell, as a explorer, not just Epstein's network of associates, but the federal government's uneven handling of the matter. That's what we have to focus on. I know people don't want to hear it. Everybody wants the salacious big-time collar,
and I'm here to tell you that's not going to happen. That ship is sailed. If you want justice here, focus on the cover-up. If you want to flock around and cause distractions and whatever, cool, talk about the other shit. But if you're looking for justice and you're looking to hold people accountable, one way to do it, folks. The Epstein probe will not be over, Garcia pledged, until they release all the files and until ideally criminal convictions out of the DOJ. But any referral would be merely advisory. Only the Trump administration can decide who to target with federal charges. It's also highly unlikely that a sitting president could be compelled to participate in the committee's Epstein probe through a subpoena. That wasn't the point. It's for when he's out of office. They're going to try and hit him with that subpoena when he's out of office to get him to testify. That was the goal. Representative Thomas Massey suggested that the House effort was only serving to provide cover for the Justice Department to avoid accountability.
Frankly, bringing all these people in is still part of the charade and the diversion from what should happen. Which is that the DOJ should bring charges against people for whom there's credible evidence. Massey, who lost his reelection primary to a Trump-backed challenger, said in an interview. Everything that happens in oversight is just part of trying to shellac over the whole thing. Bingo, that's all it is. That's all it ever will be. Massey teamed up last year with Representative Rokana to a force of vote on legislation requiring the Justice Department to make public all the Epstein material in its possession. The Trump White House sought to block the measure and with Republicans not wanting to disobey their president or alienate their base, clamoring for transparency. Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House home rather than keep the members in town to arrive amid the uproar. But before law makers departed, Democrats forced a surprise bipartisan vote during an oversight subcommittee hearing,
compelling the Justice Department to turn over the Epstein files to Congress. That vote launched the Epstein probe at a time when the DOJ was still refusing to cooperate fully on its own. A shift that took place in November when Trump finally relented and allowed Congress to pass Massey and Kana's Epstein file Transparency Act with near unanimous support. And remember, he couldn't veto it. So that's the only reason he got behind it. Since that time, the rollout of the files has been full of mistakes, including botched disclosures of victim information and excessive redactions. Lawmakers of both parties argue the DOJ has not fully complied with the law. Well, that's because they haven't. Is there any real argument against that statement? Representative Tim Birchett, another oversight committee member, said he didn't know how the Epstein investigation would end, but was an optimistic that there would be a satisfying conclusion.
This town moves. I mean, glaciers run past us. Birchett said, we've been studying the Kennedy assassination, and we're still getting information on it. I don't have a lot of faith in the system. I don't care who's in charge. I think that the sewer is too deep. What are you doing about a congressman? Riding your skateboard, posting on Twitter, being a social media influencer? You ain't done shit. Oh, you say some cool stuff, and people like it, and they think you're some kind of rebel. But when it comes down to it, you're just another yes man, all of you. Highly disappointing. And you know what else has been disappointing? The whole entire committee, this whole entire process has been disappointing. And I don't think that's going to change because I think this committee had one goal and one purpose. And that purpose was to control the blast radius. And if it wasn't for that discharge petition, that's exactly what they would have done. All right folks, that's going to do it for this one.
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