Provoked with Darryl Cooper and Scott Horton: Episode 33 — "Epstein's World"

Date: February 7, 2026
Special Guest: Saagar Enjeti (Breaking Points)

Overview

This episode of “Provoked” dives into the recently released “Epstein Files”—a vast tranche of over three million documents, emails, videos, and investigative materials related to Jeffrey Epstein’s global network. Hosts Darryl Cooper and Scott Horton, with guest Saagar Enjeti, explore what the files reveal (and obscure) about the nexus of money, intelligence, and sexual exploitation at the world's elite levels of power. They reflect on how the Epstein case is emblematic of systemic elite corruption, intelligence agency impunity, and the barriers to true accountability. The conversation ranges from the historical context of elite misdeeds, to the mechanics of money laundering and intelligence operations, to the distinctive immorality of the contemporary power elite.

Key Topics & Insights

1. The Unprecedented Release of the “Epstein Files”

• Why Were the Files Released?

  • Public pressure played a crucial role: “You are the reason that any of this happened. … It was because of public outrage that actually forced these members of Congress. They did not want to do this. The White House did not want to do this.” (Saagar, [01:53])
  • The files' release is compared to the JFK Files post-Oliver Stone’s film, forced by transparency laws and relentless public demand.
  • Only half of the materials are public; as much remains hidden or redacted. The files released are already heavily blacked out ([00:53]–[04:52]).

• What’s Still Missing?

  • At least 3 million unreleased documents remain, including reported videos allegedly containing torture and murder evidence ([03:35]).
  • National security exemptions ensure that the most damning intelligence material will likely remain secret ([33:30]).

2. What the Files Actually Show: Power, Money, and Moral Decay

• Beyond Blackmail

  • The hosts agree that the “blackmail ring” narrative, while true, is “small potatoes compared to what this actually reveals” ([06:21]).
  • Darryl: “This is a window … into the real power dynamics that take place behind the scenes … you really see in there that insider trading is like the coin of the realm among these people.” ([07:00])
  • Money laundering, corrupt dealmaking, and regulatory impunity are routine at the elite’s level.

• Epstein as Intelligence “Super-Asset”

  • Epstein’s depraved behavior was tolerated and enabled due to his “usefulness … as an intelligence asset for multiple governments all around the world” ([04:30], Saagar).
  • He operated freely among intelligence agencies: “He could absolutely like, you know, be a CIA asset today, MI6 tomorrow, Mossad the next day and feel absolutely like he’s just working for the same apparatus the whole time.” ([26:00], Darryl)

3. Detailed Examples of Epstein’s Intelligence and Financial Fixing

• Intelligence Operations Logged in the Files ([15:04]–[24:20]):

  • Epstein brokered Israeli security agreements with Mongolia and facilitated Israeli backchannels to Russia during the Syrian war.
  • Assisted in selling surveillance tech to Côte d'Ivoire—“not major contracts, but exactly what great intelligence assets are useful for.” ([16:36], Saagar)
  • Routinely made arms and arms-financing deals, maintained financial ties with the Rothschilds, and channeled money through shell companies for covert operations.

• Insider Trading as Routine

  • Example: Epstein receiving Euro bailout tips from British Lord Peter Mandelson ([07:00]).

• Political Corruption

  • Funded the current governor of the US Virgin Islands, who in turn fired officials investigating him ([22:37]).
  • Helped script political ads for Bill Clinton targeting the Virgin Islands to secure legal protection.

4. How the “Spider’s Web” Functions and Protects Itself

• Elite Solidarity and Mutual Protection

  • “We’ve all done a bunch of crazy stuff together. And part of that crazy stuff also happens to entail literally running the world’s financial system.” ([15:04], Saagar)
  • The system is not about explicit blackmail, but shared guilt and mutual interests. No one exposes another for fear of reciprocal destruction.

• Depravity as a Class Marker

  • The hosts wrestle with the notion that “the minority of people who would tolerate something like [Epstein’s crimes] all seem to be congregated at the highest levels of power.”
    • Darryl: “That’s why they’re congregated at the highest levels of power.” ([10:25])

5. Epstein’s Specific Modus Operandi

• From Money to Power to Sex

  • Epstein began as a fixer and money launderer for Bear Stearns, working with intelligence agencies to move dark money globally ([25:54], Darryl; [44:27], Saagar).
  • His criminal sexual enterprise both enabled and was enabled by his elite connections and services to intelligence agencies.

• Obsessive, Pathological Behavior—Enabled, Never Punished

  • “We’re talking sex toys every other day. It’s psychotic. … He had an affliction, an addiction, like a genuine addiction, a sickness which is enabled.” ([44:44], Saagar)

6. Obstruction, Cover-ups, and the Limits of Accountability

• Why Was Epstein Finally Arrested in 2019?

  • Likely not premeditated but triggered by a legal technicality invalidating the previous non-prosecution agreement ([41:17], Saagar).
  • Consensus: His murder in jail was almost certainly to prevent further exposure of elite and intelligence complicity ([43:07]).

• Intelligence Community’s Priority: Secrecy, Not Justice

  • When assets like Epstein commit heinous crimes, intelligence “will do anything to prevent open court proceedings that might reveal sources and methods” ([34:08], Saagar).

7. The Broader Elite Moral Order

• Personalities Attracted to and Shaped by Power
  • Epstein, like many before him, exerted such influence because “he was entertaining … a kick … and because he provided temptations and services others could not risk procuring directly” ([25:54]).
  • The lack of accountability—seen repeatedly throughout history—stems from the moral detachment and impunity of the elite class ([70:27]–[72:00]).

8. Specific Names, Networks, and the Scandal’s Reach

• Intimate Friendships and Trysts

  • Crowd includes Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, MIT luminaries like Chomsky and Pinker, Israeli politicians, and British/American nobility ([15:04]–[24:19]).
  • Notable: Strong links identified with Mossad, CIA, the Rothschilds, and oligarch figures across the globe.

• Wire Transfers and Scandalous Connections

  • David Ellison (Skydance/Paramount, Oracle heir) received large wire transfers from Epstein; details still emerging ([58:27]).

• Noam Chomsky & Steven Pinker’s Shady Ties

  • Emails show Chomsky advising Epstein on “surviving public relations fallout from abusing a 14-year-old girl.”
    • Scott: “That’s the kind of thing that I know out here in the world, in the suburbs, that’ll cause horrific violence.” ([59:52])
  • Pinker used his linguistic skills to try to pick apart human trafficking statutes on behalf of Epstein’s defense ([60:13]).

9. The Geography of Elite Depravity

• Heatmaps Show Hundreds or Thousands Visiting Epstein Island

  • Many hundreds of rich and powerful people traveled to Little St. James (Epstein Island)—with obvious implications for shared guilt or complicity ([61:41]).

• Elite Social Calendar as Political Locus

  • Saagar: “It’s shocking to see that the world is run from St. Barts during Christmas. Don’t forget that’s when they all congregate there with their yachts … actually running the world from these different places.” ([64:05])

10. Final Reflections: What Is to Be Done?

• The System Is the Crime

  • Darryl: “The idea we have of how decisions are supposed to be made under our system of government has no attachment to reality whatsoever.” ([65:35])
  • Even the trappings of a democracy (“the things put out for you to vote on”) are a show; real decisions are made in backrooms by hidden actors.

• Historical Parallels

  • The decadence of today’s power elite mirrors the late stages of earlier empires, as aristocratic circles become consumed by impunity and vice ([70:27]).

• Call for Vigilance and Public Pressure

  • Saagar: “Everybody keep up the pressure—shows like this and many others. It’s really important because it actually worked.” ([65:17])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Saagar Enjeti ([01:53]):
  “You are the reason that any of this happened. … It was because of public outrage that actually forced these members of Congress. They did not want to do this. The White House did not want to do this.”
• Darryl Cooper ([10:25]):
  "How is it that this minority of people who would tolerate something like [Epstein’s crimes] all seem to be conglomerated at the highest levels of power? And the only real answer... is, that’s why they're gathered there."
• Scott Horton ([59:52]):
  “Here’s [Chomsky] telling [Epstein] how to survive the public relations fallout from being convicted of abusing a 14-year-old girl. That’s the kind of thing that … out here in the world … will cause horrific violence.”
• Darryl Cooper ([65:35]):
  “The idea we have of how decisions are supposed to be made under our system of government has no attachment to reality whatsoever. … That is a front. Things are being done behind the scenes for reasons you’ll never get to know about.”

Timed Segment Highlights

• [01:53]–[04:52]: Saagar outlines why the files were released, what’s still missing, and the enduring role of public pressure.
• [06:21]–[10:25]: Darryl and Saagar on blackmail vs. the far deeper rot exposed by the files.
• [15:04]–[24:20]: Saagar details the true purpose of Epstein as a fixer for intelligence and global finance.
• [33:30]: How national security exemptions keep the most damning intel out of the public record.
• [41:17]–[44:44]: Why Epstein was rearrested and the lethal dangers of legal exposure to the intelligence community.
• [52:26]–[54:04]: The routine violence and extreme measures elites take to maintain power.
• [58:27]: Questions over unexplained wire transfers to David Ellison, suggesting the breadth of the scandal.
• [59:52]: Scott on Chomsky’s collaboration with Epstein, and the gulf between elite morality and everyday life.
• [64:05]: Saagar on the world actually being “run from St. Barts during Christmas” and what this means for power today.
• [65:35]: Darryl’s summation on lost illusions of democracy and the reality of elite governance.

In Summary

This episode is a deep, candid, and at times chilling examination of the realities the Epstein case exposes: far beyond sex crimes, it’s a rare look at a system where finance, intelligence work, mutual corruption, and total moral rot intertwine at the highest levels. The files confirm “almost everything we thought,” invite public vigilance, and demand answers that the world’s power elite seem determined to keep hidden—by any means.