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Isaac Saul
Foreign.
John Lowell
This is Tangle.
Isaac Saul
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening and welcome to the Tangle Podcast, a place we get views from across the political spectrum, some independent thinking, and a little bit of my take. I'm your host, Isaac Saul. Today is Wednesday, July 9th, and we are covering the Epstein files. I can't believe this is still a story that we're talking about, but courtesy of the Trump administration, it's back in the headlines. We're going to share a bit about what happened this week, what the Justice Department is saying publicly, alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation, what Trump has said and then share some views from the left and the right about all of that. And of course, my take on before we jump in, though, I want to give you a quick heads up that back in April I sat down with Nick Troiano. He's the executive director of the election reform nonprofit Unite America. We have had him on the show before, this was his second time here, because he's frankly just working on a lot of really interesting stuff related to election reform, which I think is a big boring topic for a lot of people. But it's kind of at the heart of so many of the issues that we cover and talk about in Tangle, especially a lot of the issues related to partisanship and extremism rising in politics. And in our conversation, we talked about things like ranked choice voting, which became really relevant after the New York election of Zoran Mamdani to be the Democratic nominee for the mayoral race, which was a ranked choice voting election. So there's some really good and relevant stuff in here, even though the conversation is a couple months old. And because it's all good and relevant, we decided to release it this week. So it is up now on our YouTube channel, which you can find by looking up tangle news on YouTube. And I encourage you to go check out the conversation if that's a topic that you're interested in. All right. With that, I'm going to send it over to John for today's main topic and I'll be back for my take.
John Lowell
Thanks, Isaac, and welcome, everybody. Here are your quick hits for today. First up, in an unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court temporarily paused an order by a federal judge that barred the Trump administration from carrying out mass reductions in the federal workforce. Number two, the Internal Revenue Service said in a court filing that churches and other houses of worship can endorse political candidates to their congregations, creating an exemption in an existing ban on political activity by tax exempt nonprofits. Number three, an unknown individual has contacted at least five government officials using artificial intelligence to mimic Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Authorities believe the individual is attempting to gain access to government information or accounts. Number four, the Trump administration is reportedly deliberating whether to send an additional Patriot Air defense system to Ukraine. The report follows President Donald Trump's announcement that the United States will send more weapons to Ukraine. And number five, the Justice Department charged 10 people for allegedly planning an ambush at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Texas on Friday. Overnight, the FBI and Justice Department releasing 11 hours of footage they say helps confirm notorious financier Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019 awaiting his sex trafficking trial. According to a memo detailing the findings, investigators found the video showed no one entering the area in the overnight hours before Epstein was found unresponsive. But perhaps the biggest bombshell? Investigators say they found no incriminating client list of Epstein's, no credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals, and no evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties. On Monday night, the Department of Justice released a joint memo with the Federal Bureau of Investigation affirming prior findings in the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The memo concludes that materials related to the Epstein case proved that he had committed suicide in 2019, that Epstein did not have a client list, and that no other parties were materially implicated as a result of the government's investigation. Additionally, the memo stated that the federal government would keep materials relevant to his case sealed to protect victims. For context, Jeffrey Epstein was a wealthy financier with influential global connections who was charged in 2019 with sex trafficking minors and conspiracy to sex traffic dozens of underage girls. Shortly after his arrest, Epstein died in his cell in what was officially ruled a suicide. However, due to the high profile individuals linked to him, Epstein's death sparked widespread speculation that he had been covertly killed and prompted public demand that information about his co conspirators and clients be made public. The DOJ and FBI memo contradicts previous statements about commitments made by leaders in both agencies before being appointed to their current roles. FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino speculated that Epstein's suicide was a cover up and advocated for the release of the entirety of the files related to his investigation. However, both Patel and Bongino now say they have reviewed Epstein's file, confirmed he committed suicide and determined his case file should not be released to protect victims. Attorney General Pam Bondi is also facing scrutiny, particularly for comments she made in February that suggested she was considering releasing Epstein's client client list. It's sitting on my desk right now to review, bondi said. There's been a directive by President Trump. I'm reviewing that. At the time, Bondi and Patel had just authorized a partial distribution of the files that contained little new information. Many conservative commentators have criticized Bondi and the administration for choosing not to release new information about Epstein, with some suggesting that President Donald Trump may be personally implicated. In a since deleted post on X from June, former White House advisor Elon Musk claimed that Donald Trump was implicated in the Epstein files. On Tuesday, President Trump dismissed a question during a Cabinet meeting about the Epstein files. Are you still talking about Epstein? Trump asked. This guy has been talked about for years. Are people still talking about this creep? Today we'll get into what the left and the right are saying about the Epstein files and then Isaac's take.
Isaac Saul
Foreign. We'll be right back after this quick break. This episode of Tangle is brought to you by Wild Grain. Wild Grain is the first baked from frozen subscription box for artisanal breads, pastries and pastas. Wild Grains boxes are fully customizable to your taste and dietary restrictions. In addition to their classic variety box, they recently launched a new gluten free box and a plant based box that is 100% vegan. Best of all, they take the hassle out of baking since all items bake from frozen in 25 minutes or less with no mess or cleanup. I recently got a box of wild grain products and included in it was their six pack of the Parmesan Herb Biscuits. These things were unbelievably delicious. They actually tasted like freshly baked bread after just throwing them in the oven for 25 minutes straight from frozen. So I can personally attest to how good some of this stuff really is. So if you are ready to bring all your favorite carbs right to your doorstep, be sure to check out Wild Grain so you can begin building your own box of artisanal breads, pastas and pastries. For a limited time only, Wild Grain is offering our listeners $30 off their first box plus free croissants in every box when you go to wildgrain.comtangle to start your subscription. You heard me. Free croissants in every box and $30 off your first box when you go to wildgrain.comtangle that's wildgrain.comtangle and you can use promo code tangle at checkout.
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John Lowell
All right, first up, let's start with what the left is saying. The left views the case's denouement as a predictable letdown after the Trump administration ginned up false hopes of an expose. Some say the memo is a blow to conservative conspiracy theorists. Others say the left should be equally outraged by the case's handling. In cnn, Aaron Blake wrote about Pam Bondi's botched handling of the Epstein files. None of this is new or surprising to anyone who has followed the Epstein case closely. New York City's medical examiner had ruled the death a suicide. The attorney general in Trump's first term, Bill Barr, had come to the same conclusion despite his initial suspicions of something more sinister. A Justice Department inspector general report also pushed back on the idea that the death was anything but a suicide, while criticizing staff failures that allowed such a thing to happen, Blake said. Still, the memo undercuts theories that continued to circulate, including that there was proof that influential figures were involved in Epstein's exploitation of underage girls. The idea that Epstein kept a client list that potentially impacted influential figures has become an article of faith in some circles. Key Republican lawmakers have treated its existence as an established fact and pushed for its release. And a big reason for that was Bondi herself, blake wrote. Bondi said there were tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn. Bondi first made the assertion on a secretly recorded video. Then she repeated the claim publicly, possibly in an effort to get ahead of that video's release. But just a month later, FBI Director Kash Patel appeared to walk back Bondi's claim in Salon. Sofia Tesfay said the memo slams the door on magaworld's longest running Epstein grift after Sunday's anticlimactic release, the conspiracy theorists who have suggested that Epstein's death in custody was nefarious and meant to cover up a wide range of crimes presumably committed by leading Democrats and liberal celebrities have seemingly turned on Trump and his team. Tess Feyre According to this newly released DOJ memo, there is no incriminating client list, no credible evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals, and no evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties. This is hardly the first time that Trump's die hard fans have been left holding the bag of broken promises. But coupled with rumors that Trump plans to provide relief to farmers and factory owners by offering amnesty to undocumented laborers in certain fields, we begin to see the MAGA coalition fraying seriously. More wars, fewer deportations and no Epstein client list is a far cry from the core of Trump's America first platform. In the Guardian, Arwal Madawi argued MAGA aren't the only ones who should be outraged by the memo. Great minds have looked into the case and discovered there's nothing more to uncover. So don't waste your time wondering which powerful people might have been part of Epstein's alleged trafficking operation. There's nothing to see here, nothing at all. Case officially closed. That, in essence, was the message from the Trump administration over the weekend, madawi said. It's always fun when the MAGA crowd realize what the people they propelled into power are really like. But why are right wing voices the loudest on this topic? I'll tell you what is not a conspiracy. The fact that there are a lot of high status people who are very interested in covering up their association with the disgraced financier. It is not a conspiracy to say the US Has a two tiered justice system where rich and powerful people can do terrible things and face no consequences, madawi wrote. Epstein was enabled by people who looked the other way, who helped whitewash his reputation, who hobnobbed with him in high society. Those people are still out there living their best lives and it looks increasingly likely that they will never be held accountable.
Isaac Saul
Foreign.
John Lowell
That is it for what the left is saying. Which brings us to what the right is saying. The right is critical of the administration's handling of the case, with many saying that they misled the country. Some doubt the FBI and DOJ's claims. Others say the story is a lesson on what happens when conspiracy theorists gain power. In National Review, Jim Garrity called the memo a dramatic reversal. How do you get a conspiracy theorist to stop believing in the conspiracy? Put him in charge of revealing the conspiracy with full police powers and no excuse for failing to deliver the full story or hold the perpetrators accountable, garrity wrote. As recently as February 7, Dan Bongino was hosting his podcast talking up Epstein's connections to the Clintons and declaring it's time to start overturning that rock and seeing what's underneath. Keep in mind, Bongino is now the deputy director of the FBI. Whoopsie. Turned out that list never existed, according to Bongino's department. Now, at absolute minimum, Bondi had no problem creating a false impression of what she had found and what kinds of information would be released. At absolute minimum. When Bongino was a podcaster, he felt comfortable speaking about theories and allegations as if they were proven facts, garrity said. We have a lot of people in our government who lie. They don't see any contradiction in making media appearances for years, making accusations of the most salacious and notorious crimes, and, and then once they're in a position of power and authority to bring criminal charges, shrugging their shoulders and announcing that there is no evidence. In hot air, David Strahm said nobody is buying the Epstein memo. To be clear, Pam Bondi and the Justice Department have not said whether there is no evidence against Epstein. There are videos they are withholding due to court orders to protect victims and others that amount to child pornography. They claim that the evidence stops there, stroum wrote. Unfortunately for them, few people believe that the evidence stopped there. With so many prominent people visiting the same island where the crimes took place and at the same time Epstein was committing the crimes, it seems implausible that nobody else was involved. As for whether Epstein killed himself, opinions are split. More evenly, the claim is more plausible, but the circumstances surrounding his death lead to suspicion. The people most angry about how this has been handled are Trump's most vociferous supporters. They take it as a betrayal and an indication that the deep state is still in control. I can't say that this is the case. It could well be that the evidence just isn't there, either because not enough existed to justify prosecutions or because it disappeared in the weeks before Trump took office, stroum said. Regardless of what the actual facts are, this disaster is a self inflicted wound. Big promises were made along with big accusations implicating very powerful people. Now all those promises are unfulfilled. The Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote about the Epstein conspiracy boomerang. These are boom times for conspiracy theorists, and one problem is they're never satisfied. There's always another cover up to unravel and another hidden file somewhere that the evil establishment is hiding. That's what Trump Justice Department officials are learning to their dismay now that they're trying to close the books on the prosecution and death of Jeffrey Epstein. The board said government investigators ruled years ago that the sex offender killed himself in prison, but many on the political right don't want to believe it. The skeptics included Kash Patel and Dan Bongino before President Trump chose them to run the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Laura Loomer, Alex Jones and other conspiracy theorists think messengers Patel and Bongino, as well as Attorney General Pam Bondi must be lying or have been co opted or who knows what the board wrote. There's a lesson here for partisans who think they can ride conspiracies to power. They can easily boomerang on you once you're in a position to see the real evidence and then have to convince a public that doesn't trust anyone in power. Welcome to the rotten establishment, Mr. Patel and Mr. Bongino. Alright, let's head over to Isaac for his take.
Isaac Saul
All right, that is it for what the left and the right are saying. Which brings us to my take. Let me start with just one overarching thought through all the nonsense that we're going to talk about here today. I think it's worth just saying not to forget about the victims here. Despite the conspiracy theories, there are real girls who were trafficked and abused and their lives were stolen from them by people like Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell and whatever abusers actually participated in their schemes. And on days like today, their stories are regularly moved to the background while lasting repercussions for their abusers seem evasive and delayed. For that, I think we should all feel a sense of shame and injustice and we should do what we can to keep the focus on their suffering and what they went through. I'm going to talk a lot today about the politics of this case, so I'm a little guilty of this as well, but it feels important to just kind of start there. Now, I hate the expression conspiracy theory, and I've been advocating against its casual use for a couple of years now. I especially object to how commonly people use the term to slander popular beliefs that go against institutional statements but are highly credible. We've learned that many quote unquote conspiracy theories have ended up being true. But today I'm going to use the expression to refer to things that I'd define like this a belief or a set of beliefs which connect unrelated observations together based on a set of fundamentally false assumptions. As the Internet has proliferated unsubstantiated assumptions, conspiracies have become more abundant. The Internet has also incentivized politicians, political influencers and pundits to constantly battle for attention. Attention means influence, which translates to votes, fundraising, clicks, subscriptions and or money, depending on what you are looking for of course. And easy ways to get attention include stoking conspiracies, evoking fear, and providing shock value. For about a decade now, the war for conservative attention has been dominated by some of the most conspiratorial thinkers. In simple terms, conspiracy theories have become central to right wing discourse. Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk, Candace Owens, and yes, Donald Trump are some of the most popular promoters. Each of them has elevated a handful of deranged theories about how the world Works that are incredibly conspiratorial. Which again to me means based on false assumptions from the 2020 stolen election to Paul Pelosi being with a gay prostitute when he was nearly beaten to death, to Democratic pedophilia rings and the Obama birther conspiracy. To be clear, I'm not saying conservatives have a monopoly on conspiracies. The left traffics in a great many of its own conspiracy theories. But I am saying that liberal discourse is much less dominated by overt loyalty to conspiratorial thinking. The conservative writer Richard Hanania has broken this phenomenon down in convincing terms, and I find this excerpt from something he wrote particularly memorable. Quote, democrats may have flaws, but if tomorrow Ivanka Trump got into a car accident, I promise you that you would not have rampant speculation by Chuck Schumer, Rachel Maddow and Barack Obama that she was actually buying crack or driving to get an abortion at the time. Some left wing influencers might suggest things like this, but they wouldn't have the status of Trump, Ted Cruz, Tucker Carlson and members of Congress. Republican conspiracy theories are at the center of conservative discourse and messaging. Conspiracy theories on the left, in contrast, are usually marginalized, end quote. For several years now, I've been warning about what will come after all the intricate threading of these conspiracies falls apart. In 2021, for example, Donald Trump Jr. Tried to urge Americans storming the Capitol building to back off. Many of his followers responded to his request by telling him to stand down and that this was now bigger than him. As I said at the time, Trump Jr. Had lost control of the train that he had built. He spent months convincing people of their belief that the election was stolen, then got nervous when his followers did the rational thing that followed that belief, fight for democracy. Similarly, in February, when a set of conservative influencers, quote, unquote, received the Epstein files, which ended up being a bunch of publicly available nothing burger. I warned that those influencers had lost control of the train. Their followers were pissed, suspecting the influencers themselves might now be in on the conspiracies they themselves cultivated. And that phenomenon just got supercharged. This week. The Justice Department's decision to announce Jeffrey Epstein had no incriminating client list, that he did in fact kill himself, and that they would keep the files related to his case sealed, spurred, understandable, outrageous. It was the rational response to beliefs the administration encouraged. Since the campaign Team Trump has been promising the goods. JD Vance in October of 2024 said this about what he would do when in office. Quote, seriously, we need to release the Epstein list, that is an important thing, end quote. Attorney General Pam Bondi in February of 2025 on the Epstein list said, quote, it is sitting on my desk right now to review. Alina Haba, counseled to the President in February 2025 on releasing the client list, said, absolutely, I think it would be negligent for us not to. You have to hold individuals who are indeed rapists accountable. We have to have them tried, in my opinion. Pam Bondi again in March said, a truckload of evidence arrived. It is now in the possession of the FBI. FBI Director Kash Patel is going to get me and himself, really a detailed report as to why all these documents and evidence had been withheld. FBI Director Kash Patel in June on the concealment of evidence and the existence of damning videos. You're going to get all that information, he said, like, that's literally what we're putting together and we're going to give you every single thing we can. And that's the whole point. Now we're figuring out how to put it out, end quote. Popular right wing influencers went even further on social media, declaring in no uncertain terms that they saw the leaked Epstein files and warned people to get ready for the world to change. Of course, don't forget President Donald Trump, who repeatedly amplified conspiracy theories that the Clintons were responsible for Epstein's death while he was in federal custody. This was always, always nonsense. Epstein killed himself and no evidence of any kind has suggested otherwise, only pure speculation. There is no Epstein client list and never has been. Journalists covering this story closely have repeatedly tried to communicate this to the public for years, but with little success. And the idea that Trump, a public official whose relationship to Epstein was closer and more intimate than any other I can think of, was going to be the person to blow the lid off this whole thing was always farcical. Remember, Trump and Epstein each describe one another as close friends. Trump regularly traveled in Epstein's private plane. And Trump personally knew Epstein's longtime fixer, Ghislaine Maxwell. That's more than you can say about most of the people. Conspiratorialists associate with Epstein. Yet for some reason, Trump has largely avoided scrutiny. To call this dynamic mind boggling doesn't really do it justice. What's more, Bondi was the Florida Attorney General when Epstein's plane records became public and she resisted calls to aggressively pursue more serious charges against Epstein. And Epstein had yet to be investigated because Alexander Acosta, who worked in the first Trump administration, oversaw a sweetheart plea deal. Florida gave Epstein in 2008 one so egregious that a federal judge blocked it, ruling that Acosta had violated the Crime Victims Rights act by keeping the deal from Epstein's victims. This is the administration that has for months promised they would blow the top off this case. Yet Trump remains largely unimplicated. It is shocking really to watch as many of Trump's most loyal followers blame Bondi or Patel or Bongino, as if these people haven't pledged total allegiance to Trump and don't serve at his point. Pleasure Bondi is by all accounts an extension of the Trump administration. As disheartening as it is that the lines between the Attorney General's office and the presidency are being absolutely erased, to believe that she is closing this case down without Trump's green light or explicit encouragement is simply absurd. There are really only two options. Trump, Bondi, Patel and Bongino are now telling the truth, which is what I think, or they are covering something up to protect more powerful parties, which would logically have to include Trump were at the very least his close allies. I have to admit to a certain amount of catharsis about this, like when the stolen election conspiracies fell apart. Dan Bongino and Cash Patel, two people I've warned were partisan hacks unfit for the FBI, are now being devoured by the online monster that they created. In reality, I think they are now finally telling the truth. They got inside, they looked for the goods and they realized they had nothing to offer their misled followers. It's hard to spare any empathy for them. However, I'm also unsettled about whatever comes next. First, people like Trump, Bondi, Patel and Bongino convinced people that Epstein was killed because he had a list of powerful people who were actually child molesters. Then, after rising to power in part on promises to expose that list and seek justice, they got access to the files and declared there is actually nothing to see here. Now their followers are breaking from them, refusing to believe everything that they've been told is a lie, and insisting that Trump et al are now of the COVID up. What comes next? If storming the Capitol was the rational response to the 2020 stolen election conspiracy, what is the rational response to this? We'll be right back after this quick break.
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Isaac Saul
All right, that is it for my take. Which brings us to your questions answered. This one's from Antonio in Seattle, Washington, who said, why are the reader questions always the thing to be cut for time length? Tango doesn't have to abide by traditional news standards, so why cut it when you don't have to? So I'll try to answer the question briefly so it doesn't meet the same unfortunate fate. And this isn't a question that we've answered a couple times. But yes, we aren't subject to the same constraints as traditional media page limits, editorial oversight, and physical space. On a printed page, however, we do still have constraints. First, if our emails get too long, they get clicked, meaning your inbox cuts off the newsletter midway through and you have to click away to read the whole thing. This hurts deliverability of our newsletter, which hurts our business, which hurts our product. Second, we know that we're competing for attention every day and that if we demand more and more of our readers time, we'll lose some of them. So we set ourselves a word limit that not only safely keeps our emails from being clipped, but keeps us asking for a reasonable amount of attention. Third, the reader question is what we decide to cut because it's the only section that exceeds a few hundred words and isn't essential to that day's coverage. Other sections are either way too necessary or way too small to skip for space. All right, that is it for my answer to your question about why we cut reader questions. I'm going to send it back to John for the rest of the podcast and we'll see you guys tomorrow. Have a good one. Peace.
John Lowell
Thanks, Isaac. Here's your under the Radar story for today, folks. A new study from researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of California, Los Angeles found that the health of children in the United States has significantly declined across almost all major health metrics over the past 17 years. The study analyzed 172 health indicators using data from five national surveys, U.S. and international mortality databases, and a network of pediatric health systems. Among other findings, the study reported that children and teens in the US Were nearly twice as likely to die as their peers in 18 other high income countries between 2007 and 2022, while chronic conditions and diagnoses of anxiety, depression and eating disorders all rose sharply. UCLA Health has this story and there's a link in today's episode Description alright, next up is our numbers section. It's been approximately six years since Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his prison cell while facing federal charges for sex trafficking minors. The prison sentence in months for Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, is 240 months. The approximate number of pages in the first phase of declassified Epstein files released by the Justice Department in February is 200 pages. The percentage of Americans who thought Epstein committed suicide shortly after this death in August 2018 is 37%, according to a Certis Insights poll. Of those who think Epstein committed suicide, the percentage who believe prison guards intentionally gave him the opportunity to do so is 53%. The percentage of Americans who think Epstein was murdered is 35%. And of those who think Epstein was murdered, the percentage who believe that a well known public figure had Epstein killed to stop him from testifying is 83%. And last but not least, our have a nice day story. On June 22, over 70 pilot whales became stranded on the shores of Olafsjaeden, a small town in northern Iceland. Local police, firefighters, volunteers and rescue teams from four neighboring towns came together in an attempt to refloat the whales. Thanks to their coordinated efforts and a brief flood, the team succeeded in returning all the whales safely back into the fjord. I was surprised at how well it went, laura Steffensdottir, one rescue worker said. We didn't expect to get everyone out Iceland Review has the story and there's a link in today's episode description. All right everybody, that is it for today's episode. As always, if you'd like to support our work, Please go to readtangle.com where you can sign up for a newsletter membership, podcast membership, or a bundled membership that gets you a discount on both. And remember, we just released our interview with Nick Troiano, the Executive Director of Unite America, and we're looking forward to doing more work with the Unite America team on some upcoming Future projects for YouTube. We'll be right back here tomorrow. For Isaac and the rest of the crew, this is John Law signing off. Have a great day, y'.
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John Lowell
Peace.
Isaac Saul
Our Executive Editor and founder is me, Isaac Saul, and our Executive producer is John Lowell. Today's episode was edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Our editorial staff is led by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman with Senior Editor Will Kbach and Associate Editors Hunter Casperson, Audrey Moorhead, Bailey Saul, Lindsay Knuth and Kendall White. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet75. To learn more about 10 and to sign up for a membership, please visit our website@retangle.com.
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Podcast Summary: Tangle Episode – "Trump Tries to Close the Epstein Investigation"
Release Date: July 9, 2025
Host: Isaac Saul
In this episode of Tangle, host Isaac Saul delves into the resurgence of the Jeffrey Epstein case, particularly focusing on actions taken by the Trump administration to close the investigation. The discussion encompasses recent developments, statements from the Justice Department (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and diverse viewpoints from both the left and the right of the political spectrum.
Overview of Recent Developments
At [04:10], John Lowell outlines the latest developments in the Epstein investigation:
DOJ and FBI Findings: The DOJ released a joint memo with the FBI confirming that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019. The memo states there is no incriminating client list, no evidence of blackmail against prominent individuals, and no material evidence implicating uncharged third parties.
Contradictions and Controversies:
Public and Political Reactions:
At [10:34], John Lowell presents the left-leaning viewpoints:
Predictable Letdown: The left perceives the DOJ memo as a setback to conspiracy theories that suggested Epstein protected powerful figures. Aaron Blake from CNN notes that the memo undermines theories that a client list existed or that Epstein blackmailed influential individuals.
Critique of the Trump Administration: Sofia Tesfay highlights that the memo damages the MAGA coalition’s credibility, revealing that promises to protect America First have faltered. Arwal Madawi in The Guardian emphasizes that both sides should be outraged by the mishandling of the case, pointing out systemic failures that allowed Epstein’s crimes to go unchecked.
Systemic Issues: Madawi also discusses the broader issue of a two-tiered justice system, where wealthy and powerful individuals evade accountability, leaving true abusers unpunished.
Notable Quote:
"Epstein was enabled by people who looked the other way, who helped whitewash his reputation, who hobnobbed with him in high society. Those people are still out there living their best lives and it looks increasingly likely that they will never be held accountable."
— Arwal Madawi, The Guardian [14:21]
Continuing at [14:27], John Lowell explores the right-leaning perspectives:
Disillusionment with the DOJ and FBI: Conservatives argue that the memo represents a betrayal by government officials who promised to unveil Epstein’s connections. Jim Garrity from National Review criticizes how figures like Dan Bongino and Kash Patel mishandled the narrative, turning conspiracy believers against the administration.
Skepticism and Distrust: David Strahm points out that many right-wing voices remain unconvinced by the DOJ’s findings, believing that incriminating evidence is being withheld to protect powerful figures. He highlights the persistent distrust in institutions among Trump’s followers.
Conspiracy Theory Boomerang: The Wall Street Journal editorial board discusses how conspiracy theories can backfire when officials are unable to substantiate claims, leading to greater distrust and disillusionment among supporters. They argue that officials like Bondi, Patel, and Bongino face backlash as their inability to provide evidence shatters the conspiratorial narratives they helped build.
Notable Quote:
"When Bongino was a podcaster, he felt comfortable speaking about theories and allegations as if they were proven facts, [but] now they are being devoured by the online monster that they created."
— Jim Garrity, National Review [18:36]
At [18:36], host Isaac Saul offers his analysis of the situation:
Focus on Victims: Saul emphasizes the importance of remembering the victims of Epstein’s crimes, arguing that their suffering often takes a backseat to political maneuvering and conspiracy theories.
Conspiracy Theories as Political Tools: He critiques the rampant use of conspiracy theories within conservative discourse, highlighting how figures like Trump and his allies have leveraged these theories for attention and influence.
Fallout from Broken Promises: Saul discusses the repercussions of Trump’s and his administration’s failure to deliver on promises to expose Epstein’s supposed client list. This betrayal has led to a significant loss of trust among Trump’s base, as followers grapple with the dissonance between promised revelations and the actual DOJ findings.
Future Implications: He raises concerns about the long-term impact on political discourse and the potential for further division as followers of the conspiracy narratives struggle to reconcile the official findings with their previously held beliefs.
Notable Quotes:
"Let me start with just one overarching thought through all the nonsense that we're going to talk about here today. I think it's worth just saying not to forget about the victims here." [18:36]
"Conspiracy theories have become central to right wing discourse... Republicans have a monopoly on conspiracies." [18:36]
The episode concludes with reflections on the deepening rift between political factions and the enduring challenges posed by conspiracy theories in shaping public perception and trust in governmental institutions. Isaac Saul underscores the necessity of prioritizing victim advocacy and factual accuracy over partisan agendas.
While the episode includes various advertisements and lighter segments, the core focus remains on the Epstein investigation and its broader political and social implications. The discussions highlight the enduring complexities surrounding high-profile criminal cases and their entanglement with political power dynamics.
For listeners who wish to explore the full conversation and insights shared in this episode, check out the Tangle podcast on your preferred platform or visit readtangle.com.