← The Briefing with Jen Psaki
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Epstein blunder exposes Trump as the 'unaccountable elite' his supporters sent him to attack
00:41:47
A key element of Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theories is that Epstein's friends and "clients" are wealthy elites who commit horrible crimes against underage girls but never get in trouble for it because of their elite status. And so, key to Donald Trump's support is the idea that he would bring accountability to those elites. Jen Psaki argues, now that Trump is apparently standing in the way of the release of information about the Epstein case, Trump is being recognized as the unaccountable elite he actually is and has always been.
Loading summary
Transcript105 lines
- [00:01]
Chris Hayes
If you could hear love, what would it sound like?
- [00:11]
Jen Psaki
Son, can we talk about your drinking? Yeah, Dad, I think we should.
- [00:19]
Chris Hayes
Helping those closest to you think about their excessive drinking.
- [00:23]
Jon Ossoff
Maybe that's what love sounds like. More@rethinkthedrink.com An OHA Initiative Trip Planner by Expedia.
- [00:32]
Jen Psaki
You were made to have strong opinions about sand. We were made to help you and your friends find a place on the beach with a pool and a marina and a waterfall and a soaking tub. Expedia made to travel.
- [00:45]
Jon Ossoff
That is all in on this Tuesday night. The briefing of Jen Psaki starts right now. Good evening, Jen.
- [00:50]
Chris Hayes
Hey, Chris. You're just listening to that conversation. Just reminding me we've gone all down the rabbit hole, or I did this weekend to all of the old Epstein footage that Trump is involved in answering questions. You've done this on your show. There's a lot, I mean, pages and pages and pages of stuff. I forgot about some of it, to be totally honest, and we're gonna piece a bunch of it together. But, yeah, you've talked about a lot of it on your show. At the same time, this goes to your last conversation. There's a lot of other stuff going on in the world and a lot of other things that Trump's failing at.
- [01:21]
Jon Ossoff
Yes. And the thing about Epstein that just drove me nuts in the campaign in 2024 was, as I like to joke, if you're a one issue Jeffrey Epstein voter, Donald Trump's not your guy, Right? Like, if you're like, I really hate Jeffrey Epstein, I want to vote for the candidate. Has nothing to do with him. Like, that was Kamala Harris in that race. And somehow they managed to, like, pull off this insane 180 inversion. And I think it's coming back to bite him now.
- [01:44]
Chris Hayes
I think it is biting hard and it's hurting. No question about it. Well, have a good night, Chris. Thanks, Jen. All right, so as we were just talking about, Donald Trump is incredibly uncomfortable right now. I mean, part of it is his base is biting him. Not literally, but figuratively. Out there pretty much every day for the first time in a very long time, he seems completely out of step with his most loyal, most vocal supporters. It's been a full nine days since the Justice Department effectively declared case closed in the matter of Jeffrey Epstein. Trump's MAGA base is, is still in open revolt in some ways. It's kind of getting worse by the day. And his desperate plea to his followers, urging them all to just drop it and move on, has clearly backfired. In a way he did not expect. I mean, within minutes of firing off that post, his once loyal supporters were pelting him with criticism almost immediately on his own social media site. On his own social media site he was actually ratioed for probably the first time ever on his own social media site. And it's not though, just people spouting off on truth Social. His little buddy Mike Johnson, who is ever the loyalist, ever waiting to be asked how told how high he should jump. His faithful ally James Comer, another one of that sort, and even his own daughter in law all insist this story is far from over.
- [03:13]
Ralph Norman
People want to see accountability.
- [03:15]
Chris Hayes
Let's start prosecuting these people.
- [03:17]
Ralph Norman
Let's set some examples out of some people.
- [03:19]
Kamala Harris
I'm for transparency. We should put everything out there and let the people decide it.
- [03:22]
Anne Eskamani
Well, I do think that there needs to be more transparency on this.
- [03:28]
Chris Hayes
All of them, you just heard it. Rejected Trump's plea to drop the Epstein matter. And they are not the only ones. I mean, today Republican Congressman Ralph Nurman voted with Democrats to release more info about Epstein. And Congressman Lauren Boebert is also calling for a special counsel to investigate this matter. And she suggests that of all people, and this may be my favorite detail, Matt Gaetz could lead that investigation. I'm just going to leave that over here because there's a lot of stuff to talk about. That's what she suggested. Point is Mag is clearly feeling pressured on this. They're clearly feeling it from their base and their supporters. And so today Donald Trump tried a new approach. Instead of telling people to move on, he decided instead to pass the buck to his attorney general.
- [04:15]
Jon Ossoff
Mr. President, your daughter in law said.
- [04:16]
Kamala Harris
That there should be transparency in the Epstein case.
- [04:20]
Jon Ossoff
Do you agree with her, sir?
- [04:22]
Ralph Norman
The Attorney General's handled that very well. It's going to be up to her. Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.
- [04:29]
Chris Hayes
Just to state the obvious here, what Donald Trump and for that matter Pam Bondi think is credible. Pam probably differs greatly from what you or I think is credible, I would guess. But that aside, he's basically hanging his Attorney General out to dry, which is what a lot of people are doing because this is how she responded when asked about Trump's remarks just 90 minutes later in response to questions, comments that President Trump made a short time ago. Just a few moments ago on the South Lawn, he said that he would support you releasing additional credible evidence from the Epstein investigation. Is that something that you are open to do? I appreciate your question, but this to is about fentanyl overdoses. Throughout our country and people who have lost loved ones to Fentanyl. That's the message that we're here to send today. Nothing about Epstein. Not going to talk about Epstein. Very dark there at that particular press conference. But Bondi also stood by her memo, which stated there would be no further disclosures from the case. So clearly, Trump and his own Attorney general are not on the same page to state the obvious. And based on Trump's recent behavior, he seems a little spooked overall by all of this. While he has long denied any involvement in Epstein's criminal behavior, we all know that Trump and Epstein have a very long history. I mean, they were friends for years. They partied together. And in 2002, Trump told New York magazine, I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It's even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. Well, just four years later, Jeffrey Epstein was under FBI investigation for child prostitution. And yet he managed to avoid a lengthy prison sentence thanks to a sweetheart plea deal brokered in secret in the Southern District of Florida. That all came to light during Trump's first term. And it was kind of awkward for Trump, not just because of his relationship with Epstein. That is very awkward. But because the prosecutor who let Epstein off so easy was serving as a member of Trump's home own cabinet. There you go. There they are in the same video. Now, around that same time, a woman named Ghislaine Maxwell was revealed to be Epstein's co conspirator helping him recruit underage girls. That was also quite awkward for Trump because he had also been friends with Ghislaine Maxwell. In fact, when asked at the time about the new criminal allegations against her, this is how Trump responded.
- [06:54]
Kamala Harris
Ghislaine Maxwell is in prison, and a lot of people want to know if she's going to turn in powerful people.
- [07:01]
Ralph Norman
I just wish her well, frankly. I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm beach, and I guess they lived in Palm beach, but I wish her well.
- [07:11]
Chris Hayes
Whatever it is, he wished her well not once, but twice. She had just been charged with child sex trafficking. And that was his answer again. Not once, but twice. And when given the chance to explain what he meant by that, his answer was equally confounding.
- [07:28]
Kamala Harris
Mr. President, Ghislaine Maxwell has been arrested on allegations of child sex trafficking. Why would you wish such a person well?
- [07:35]
Ralph Norman
I don't know that, but I do know that she has.
- [07:37]
Chris Hayes
She's been arrested for that.
- [07:38]
Ralph Norman
Her friend or boyfriend Epstein was either killed or committed suicide in jail. She's now in jail.
- [07:45]
Chris Hayes
Uh huh. Yeah.
- [07:45]
Ralph Norman
I wish her well. I'd wish you well. I'd wish a lot of people well. Good luck.
- [07:51]
Chris Hayes
Now. Despite all of this, despite Trump's long friendship with Epstein, despite his promotion to the prosecutor who gave Epstein a sweetheart dealing, despite his refusal to condemn the woman accused of helping Epstein traffic children, and despite Epstein's eventual suicide inside a federal prison under Trump's watch. Despite all of that, the Epstein case nevertheless remained a fixation of the MAGA movement. By the time the 2024 election rolled around, the MAGA group's biggest voices were deeply invested in the Epstein saga, insisting that evidence was being suppressed in a nefarious political cover up.
- [08:28]
Jon Ossoff
Who's on the Epstein tapes, folks? Who's on those tapes? Who's in those black books? Why have they been hiding it?
- [08:36]
Chris Hayes
Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are. We have an election coming up and we need to adjudicate this matter at the polls.
- [08:44]
Kamala Harris
We need to release the Epstein list.
- [08:46]
Chris Hayes
That, that is an important thing.
- [08:47]
Jon Ossoff
The Epstein list. We haven't heard anything about that one in a while. It's almost like they're trying to protect those pedophiles for some reason. I can't imagine why. Right. We're not allowed to say they're groomers, but when they act a lot like groomers, sort of tells you everything you.
- [09:01]
Chris Hayes
Need to know, right? Sort of tells you everything you need to know right now. Even amid all that hype, even as Trump's own running mate and his own son, the future FBI director, deputy FBI director, and his administration were promoting those conspiracy theories, Trump himself was still being super cagey about Epstein all through that period of time. I mean, here he was in the middle of the campaign being asked by Sean Duffy's wife which secret doc government files he would release as president. Would you declassify JFK files?
- [09:34]
Ralph Norman
Yeah, I did. I did a lot of it.
- [09:36]
Chris Hayes
Would you declassify the Epstein files?
- [09:39]
Ralph Norman
Yeah, yeah, I would.
- [09:40]
Chris Hayes
All right.
- [09:41]
Ralph Norman
I guess I would. I think that less so because, you know, you don't know. You don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there, because there's a lot of phony stuff with that whole world.
- [09:52]
Chris Hayes
So despite all the pressure from his base, and there was a lot, still is a lot, Trump still seemed apprehensive about releasing evidence from the Epstein case. Even today, Trump seemed to be baffled by the enduring fascination with this story.
- [10:07]
Jon Ossoff
I know you've urged people to move on, but I'm curious.
- [10:10]
Kamala Harris
Why do you think your supporters in particular have been so interested in the Epstein story and so upset about how it's been handled?
- [10:17]
Chris Hayes
Why do you think that is?
- [10:18]
Ralph Norman
Why they would be so interested? He's dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life. I don't understand what the interest or what the fascination is. I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody. It's pretty boring stuff. It's sorted, but it's boring. And I don't understand why it keeps going.
- [10:43]
Chris Hayes
Look, there is a reason that Trump's followers latched onto these conspiracy theories so easily. Trump has built his entire movement around telling his followers that they are being screwed over by a cabal of unaccountable elites. People with power who can get away with anything, while the little guy gets screwed by the system over and over again. But Trump has always been an imperfect messenger for that movement. First of all, he is the embodiment of the elite. Not only did he inherit unimaginable wealth, but he has never been held to account for even his most egregious actions. Not for a failed insurrection, not for 34 felony convictions, or for turning the presidency into a for profit enterprise, which he has done in just six months. He is perhaps the most unaccountable elite of them all. But when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein in particular, Trump is a particularly bad messenger. He has had no problem stoking baseless conspiracy theories, but has no interest in actual transparency. And the MAGA movement may finally be starting to realize that. And as wild and crazy as this whole thing is, it may also be the moment for Democrats to reassert themselves as the true anti Elite Party.
- [11:56]
Jon Ossoff
Mr. Speaker, I introduce today an amendment demanding the freedom full release of the Epstein files.
- [12:04]
Ralph Norman
Are you on the side of protecting.
- [12:06]
Jon Ossoff
The rich and the powerful or aren't you on the side of the people?
- [12:11]
Jen Psaki
They're doing all of this so they can give billionaires tax breaks and make private jets fully tax deductible. They're the same rich and well connected elites that they're protecting by keeping the Epstein files under lock and key.
- [12:25]
Kamala Harris
Did anyone really think the sexual predator president who used to party with Jeffrey Epstein was gonna release the Epstein files?
- [12:37]
Chris Hayes
Democrats are not holding back. They're calling it out. This isn't the anti elite president. He's kind of the opposite of that he's also the anti transparency president, it seems. But while the Trump administration wants to change the subject, Democrats are going to keep hammering them on it, I expect. But the problem is the Trump administration also doesn't have anything better to talk about. I mean, look at the other headlines out of the Trump administration just today. Inflation is on the rise thanks in part to Trump's disastrous tariffs. He has yet to ink a single one of his promised trade deals. They are not, in fact, letters. He hasn't ended any of the wars he promised to end as big ugly bill is growing more unpopular by the day. So much so that Senator Josh Hawley, who voted for the bill, is now introducing a measure to try and roll back some of the bill's biggest cuts to Medicaid. He literally voted for the bill less than two weeks ago. Trump is even losing support on his signature issue as more Americans bear witness to the cruelty of his immigration crackdown. Trump has no other issue. He can turn to nothing that will help him get out of the mess he's made for himself. The question for Democrats is how do you balance all these things? It's kind of a high class problem. How do you seize this moment while keeping Trump's broader policy failures in focus? Senator Jon Ossoff, who is up for reelection next year, joins me next oh.
- [14:01]
Peggy Flanagan
I'm not switching my team to some fancy work platform that somehow knows exactly how we work, and its AI features are literally saving us hours every day. We're busy fans, and just like that, teams all around the world are falling for Monday.com with intuitive design, seamless AI capabilities and custom workflows, it's the work platform your team will instantly click with. Head to Monday.com, the first work platform.
- [14:29]
Jen Psaki
You'Ll love to use this season. Let your shoes do the talking. Designer Shoe Warehouse is packed with fresh styles that speak to your whole vibe without saying a word. From cool sneakers that look good with everything to easy sandals you'll want to wear on repeat, DSW has you covered. Find a shoe for every heel from the brands you love, like Birkenstock, Nike, Adidas, New Balance and more. Head to your DSW store or visit dsw.com today.
- [15:02]
Elon Musk
This is an ad by BetterHelp. Workplace stress is now a leading cause of declining mental health. With 61% of the global workforce feeling it more than ever. You can't escape work, but you can take small steps to care for yourself. A walk, some sun, a favorite song. Therapy is one of those steps. Ongoing support to build resilience for whatever your day throws at you. Balance is tough. Getting help shouldn't be. Visit betterhelp.com for 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com.
- [15:41]
Chris Hayes
And joining me now, as promised, is Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia who's running for reelection, is the father of a new baby. Congratulations on that as well. So I just played the clip of you saying what I think everybody was thinking, but you articulated the best way. Did anyone actually expect Donald Trump to, to be an advocate for releasing Epstein files or any more information? What do you think? I just gave my take. What do you think is holding him back? What's behind it?
- [16:09]
Kamala Harris
Well, they really tied themselves up into knots by making this such a centerpiece of their campaign. The attorney general was testifying before Congress just a couple of months ago that there were hundreds of thousands of files and there were all these tapes and they'd all be coming out. And now they've done this 180, which they can't explain, and the story doesn't add up. And like I said, I mean, would you really expect Donald Trump, given his past associations with Mr. Epstein and given his past record of misconduct, to be trying to put this out there? I don't know. But I think the deeper picture here is that it is yet another broken promise. And this is the same administration that has just defunded hospitals, clinics, nursing homes in order to cut taxes for the wealthy after running a populist campaign that was supposed to be about the interest of the working class. This is the same administration that promised to lower prices on day one. Prices are still rising. It's the same administration that promised to end these wars overseas. The wars are still raging. And so, you know, you're seeing a lot of disappointment and consternation among the president's base, not just because of this Epstein matter, but because this is an administration that is passing legislation to support the elite and the wealthy and that is failing to make good on a whole lot of its commitments.
- [17:27]
Chris Hayes
I just played a couple of clips of Democrats making this argument, which I agree is quite accurate, that they ran as the party of the anti elite party. Trump ran as the anti elite party. And now it seems he's exactly that. I mean, he's always exactly been that, but he's almost being caught by his own base. Do you think that's a good argument? You're actually out there on the campaign trail. You're running for reelection. Is that a good argument that people are identifying with?
- [17:53]
Kamala Harris
Yeah. I mean, this guy is Trying to rule the country from his golden palace in Florida and accepting, you know, flying palaces from foreign despots, which he intends to keep after his presidency. His son in law's taken $2 billion from the Saudi royal family. His two boys are flying all over the world cutting deals and closing deals right before, before he touches down on state visits. He's got, you know, foreign billionaire oligarchs under federal investigation funneling tens of millions of dollars into his businesses while he sits in the White House and grants them audiences in exchange for that money. You know, and I would say to the President's supporters, go and fact check everything I just said. I mean, it's stunning the depth of corruption and how the policy focuses entirely on the interests of the elite benefactors of his campaign and the gop. And I think in Georgia, where we've lost nearly a dozen rural hospitals in the last 15 years, where health care shortages are widespread, where 70% of seniors in nursing homes depend upon Medicaid, you know, the rubber meets the road. When you pass a multi trillion dollar budget and you throw working class and middle class families under the bus, it's a political disaster for them in Georgia and it's a disaster for my constituents health and well, well being.
- [19:09]
Chris Hayes
What do you mean? I just played this clip or just talked about this clip of Senator Josh Hawley who basically said, I mean, he started to walk back from his support for the bill within a week of voting for the bill. Now he says he wants to propose legislation that would kind of halt some of the Medicaid cuts. What do you make of that? What does that tell you?
- [19:29]
Kamala Harris
Look, he was making all this noise about opposing these Medicaid cuts and then like most of them rolled over under pressure because they live in fear of the White House. They live in fear of retaliation from the President, as Senator Lisa Murkowski has said publicly. But Senator Tillis stood there on the Senate floor and he admonished his Republican colleagues. He said, Look, 600,000 plus North Carolinians are going to get thrown off Medicaid if you pass this bill. The President's breaking his promises on Medicaid. He did something courageous and they ran him right out of the Republican Party for it. No, Georgia Republicans in Congress had the courage to stand up for the health and welfare of my constituents, our constituents in Georgia. They put loyalty to Trump over loyalty to our state. Those are some of the same folks who want to run for this U.S. senate seat. And by the way, I need help from folks across the country to defend this U.S. senate seat. And they can help@electjohn or electjon.com it was very smooth.
- [20:22]
Chris Hayes
I did want to ask you another question about your Senate run. You did a rally where the reception I can just describe. I've been around politics a long time, is much closer to weeks before an election. It felt to me watching the video than as far out as we are. What are you hearing most from people? I mean, one of the challenges with this big ugly bill, as I like to call it, is a lot of people didn't know a lot about it, which is an opportunity in its own way. Do people know about it? What are you hearing most about their concerns as you're traveling around Georgia?
- [20:52]
Kamala Harris
I've never seen opposition energy like this before. And folks remember my story, right? I ran in that 2017 special election in Georgia, the first big race of the Trump era. And then Senator Warren Warnock and I were elected together in those historic doubleheader overtime runoffs in 2021. Really high energy moments. I've never seen it like this before. Thousands of people are coming out to events that I'm hosting a year and a half before the election. And it's not me. It's the moment. It's the fact that our republic is in peril. This administration is looting the country on behalf of its donors. The level of corruption is something unprecedented in American history. And people are ready to take action.
- [21:33]
Chris Hayes
Senator Jon Ossoff, thank you so much for joining me. I know you're busy and you're barely sleeping.
- [21:37]
Kamala Harris
We have a vote in a second, but I wanted to.
- [21:38]
Chris Hayes
You have a vote. I'm grateful for you stopping by. We're just across the street. So thank you for stopping by. Congratulations on the new addition to your family.
- [21:45]
Kamala Harris
Thank you.
- [21:46]
Chris Hayes
All right, you won't believe. We gotta take a quick break, but when we come back, we're gonna talk about where Elon Musk, what Elon Musk is up to, what his artificial intelligence chatbot, the one that went on a Hitler praising rant last week is headed. What is happening with that? You may have seen it, but you probably won't believe it. But first I'm going to talk to a Florida state lawmaker about the heart wrenching conditions she personally witnessed inside the Trump administration's immigrant prison in the state. We'll be right back.
- [22:17]
Peggy Flanagan
I'm now switching my team to some fancy work platform that somehow knows exactly how we work. And its AI features are literally saving us hours every day. We're big fans. And just like that, teams all around the world are falling for Monday.com with intuitive design, seamless AI capabilities and custom workflows, it's the work platform your team will instantly click with. Head to Monday.com, the first work platform you'll love to use.
- [22:46]
Chris Hayes
What does possibility mean to you?
- [22:49]
Elon Musk
That's a hard question.
- [22:51]
Jen Psaki
Something that you can strive for.
- [22:52]
Anne Eskamani
I'm able to do anything I set my mind to. You're confident in yourself and you believe in yourself.
- [22:58]
Chris Hayes
Stuff that you could achieve. I feel at Saira at evening is possible when you're more confident.
- [23:04]
Jen Psaki
Shoes are a huge part of that. They are the most important part of my style.
- [23:08]
Chris Hayes
You can like express yourself in the right shoes. Anything is possible. DSW countless shoes at brag worthy prices. Imagine the possibilities.
- [23:17]
Elon Musk
This is an ad by BetterHelp. Workplace stress is now a leading cause of declining mental health. With 61% of the global workforce feeling it more than ever. You can't escape work, but you can take small steps to care for yourself. A walk, some sun, a favorite song. Therapy is one of those steps. Ongoing support to build resilience for whatever your day throws at you. Balance is tough. Getting help shouldn't be. Visit betterhelp.com for 10% off your first month and that's better. H E L p.com.
- [23:58]
Chris Hayes
Hello? Hey Sarge, I think I got one.
- [24:00]
Jon Ossoff
Where you at?
- [24:03]
Chris Hayes
Late last week, the Washington examiner did a ride along with Florida state troopers as they conducted routine traffic stops and then used those stops to hand undocumented immigrants over to federal immigration agents. One person was pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt, another for having tinted windows, another for, quote, nervous driving. During the ride along, state troopers stopped 20 undocumented immigrants for minor issues like those and turned them over to Customs and Border Patrol. And if that wasn't alarming enough, Border Patrol later told the state troopers that all 20 of those immigrants were then sent to the immigration prison in the Everglades the Trump administration is calling Alligator Alcatraz again. Those are people who were stopped during routine traffic stops. Trump visited the prison earlier this month, the day before it started receiving detainees, and he was asked about who exactly his administration was holding there. Here's what he said.
- [24:55]
Jon Ossoff
How many of these are tied to.
- [24:57]
Chris Hayes
Going after the worst of the worst?
- [24:58]
Elon Musk
Or are you now arresting anyone who is here?
- [25:00]
Ralph Norman
The worst of the worst always first.
- [25:03]
Chris Hayes
That day, Trump and DH Ex Secretary Kristi Noem toured the facility, telling the public it would be used to detain hardened criminals or, as they put it, the worst of the worst. This weekend, the Miami Herald reported that there are hundreds of people detained at the prison who have no criminal charges at all. Unfortunately, that matches what we are seeing all across the country as federal immigration agents have been increasingly targeting non criminals over criminals. And now the Trump administration is laying the groundwork to supercharge this already unprecedented locking up of non criminal immigrants. Trump's big ugly bill gave ICE a budget bigger than most of the world's militaries and gave ICE funding to more than double their immigration prison capacity. And to top it all off, yesterday the Washington Post obtained a memo from ICE's acting director declaring that undocumented immigrants will no longer be eligible for bond hearings. To underline just how bad that is, immigrants are already subject to detention without bond if they have been convicted of a serious crime. So this is just adding literally millions of non criminals to the population ICE will be able to imprison without a hearing. I know Trump's immigration prison in the Everglades feels like an outlier right now. It feels almost cartoonishly evil. But the Trump administration is laying the groundwork to build clones of prisons like this one all across the country and fill them with an unimaginable amount of people whose only crime is being undocumented. Joining me now is Democratic Florida State Representative Anne Eskimani, who toured the immigration prison in the Everglades on Saturday. Representative Eskimani, thank you so much for being with us tonight. I think it's so important for people to hear and understand what is going on. First of all, I know this was a state run tour which people should understand that many of your Democratic colleagues have criticized as being sanitized. A sanitized look at the facility or choreographed political theater. What do you expect you were not allowed to see on this tour?
- [26:49]
Anne Eskamani
Well, thank you so much, Jen, for having me. And it was a sanitized tour, but to be honest, you can't sanitize people in cages. There's just no way you can sanitize that. And I think one of the biggest concerns that I had in this tour was that we were unable to speak to any detainee, that we could see individuals that were chained at their ankles and at their wrists and chained together. While going through intake, we were able to glance into a cage, multiple cages within one tent, with 32 men in each cage, eight cages under one tent. I mean, it's so incredibly inhumane. And not only should no one be detained there, but no one should be working there. This is in the middle of the Everglades. Not only an environmentally sensitive area, but also One that is just infested with insects, especially mosquitoes, and an environment that really is not conducive to this type of facility or any type of facility.
- [27:50]
Chris Hayes
That same IMA Herald article, and there's so much more, but this article had a lot of stunning details in it. Includes what I would consider a jaw dropping detail that a Florida Highway Patrol officer told an immigrant's lawyer that anyone who appears Hispanic Hispanic needed to be sent to Customs and Border Patrol to have their license verified. And Latinos are the second largest racial and ethnic group in your state. What are you telling your constituents or people who ask you what they should do?
- [28:19]
Anne Eskamani
It's such a great question because we're getting flooded with those types of messages of folks who have legal status or have mixed families and don't know what to do. And I want to just affirm this point about how the overwhelming majority of those being detained have no criminal background because it doesn't start at this Everglades attention Center. It actually starts to your point when folks get pulled over for small traffic violations, end up in a local jail under an ICE hold, have no ability to seek due process. The reality is that a lot of these folks don't have the money to even afford an attorney. And so you're creating an environment that is racially motivated, that is not going to keep anyone more safe because you're pulling law enforcement away from their actual jobs, going after a violent crime, all for what? Political theater and a distraction from the fact that you can't actually solve, as Republicans, everyday problems like housing affordability, the property insurance crisis and so much more. So we're telling our constituents to be mindful of this environment. In some cases, we're even encouraging them to avoid the highways because of the deputization of every statewide law enforcement officer to operate in this way.
- [29:31]
Chris Hayes
God, that is unbelievable. But I'm sure you're providing a lot of services to people out there. I know you have sued the state of Florida on the grounds that you as a state lawmaker have the legal right, which you absolutely do, to enter any state detention facility with no notice. And thus far you've only been allowed on this highly choreographed, scheduled in advance tour, as we've been discussing. What's your sense of the timing of your lawsuit or what comes next?
- [29:56]
Anne Eskamani
So there's actually now two lawsuits that I'm involved with. The first, as you mentioned, is a lawsuit that myself and four other state Democrats have filed demanding our ability to visit this detention facility with no delay, without announcement. It's the only way we're going to conduct the type of oversight and accountability we need to. The other piece is to close this detention facility completely. And I just signed on as a declaration to a lawsuit by Friends of the Everglades and the center for Biological Diversity on environmental concerns to close this facility down. It should be noted that this entire center is being built on no bid contracts of hundreds of millions of dollars going to friends and political donors of Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican Party of Florida. So not only is this inhumane and environmentally damaging, but it's also one giant grift and we need to call it out.
- [30:49]
Chris Hayes
You have definitely done a fair amount of calling it out. I'm so grateful that you were able to be here with us this evening. Florida State Representative Anna Eskimani. I really appreciate it and you provided a lot of helpful information to people who are scared out there. Thank you again. And coming up, we're going to talk about what Republicans don't want you to know about the real impact of the Trump administration's push to gut the Department of Education. But first, Elon Musk is no longer Trump's bff, but his AI company, the one that just had to apologize for its chatbots anti Semitic posts. That company destroyed a huge military contract. You cannot make it up. We're going to talk about that when we come back. The Republican Party would really, really like everyone to believe that they are the political party crusading against anti Semitism in the United States. That they are the ones who will stand up against hateful rhetoric and rising threats. But there is a huge problem with that claim. They are stunningly silent about a range of anti Semitic language spouted from people in and around the Trump administration, including the man himself. See, Republican politicians didn't seem to care when less than two weeks ago Donald Trump used an anti Semitic Slurpee at a rally. They weren't bothered by Trump's biggest campaign donor, Elon Musk, giving a straight arm salute that right wing extremists immediately recognized and embraced. And they've largely been silent on a number of individuals that Trump has filled his new administration with that have ties to anti Semitic extremists. Individuals like Trump's pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel. We talked about him last week, Paul and Gracia, you can see him right there. Who in addition to publicly calling for Elon Musk to reinstate the X account of self avowed white nationalist and anti Semite Nick Fuentes, was also spotted at a Fuentes rally just last summer. Or the former acting U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. and current U.S. pardon attorney Ed Martin, who praised this January 6 rioter and Hitler dress up artist as an amazing guy and great friend. Or the Department of Defense press Secretary Kingsley Wilson, who's made comments so extreme that the American Jewish Committee described them as, quote, lifted right out of the neo Nazi playbook. Now, considering Republicans current track record of failing to police anti Semitism within their own ranks, it is both shocking, but yet not completely surprising. Yesterday, Elon Musk's AI company announced a $200 million contract with the Pentagon to use its chatbot Grok. Yes, the very same Musk owned AI chatbot that less than a week ago had quite the day, going off on a Nazi tirade, referring to itself as Mecca Hitler and spewing a flood of explosive, explicitly anti Semitic comments. The spiral came just days after Musk announced what he called a significant improvement to his chatbot. In a lengthy statement released Saturday, Xai apologized and said Grok's meltdown was caused by essentially bad code that, among other things, instructed the chatbot to not be afraid to offend people who are politically correct. Xai says that it has removed the code and updated the system to prevent further abuse. And hopefully it is fixed, of course. But less than a week after this embarrassing and shameful debacle, and without full transparency at all, without really any transparency to the public by Musk's company on how its chatbot won't again devolve into spatting anti Semitic bile and praising Hitler, the Trump administration just spent $200 million to bring Grok into the federal government less than a week later. So I guess Grok's anti Semitic meltdown didn't really cause anyone at the Trump administration to pause really at all. That sure doesn't look like the actions or sound like them of a party that is leading the fight against anti Semitism at all. Coming up, Trump's ambition to dismantle the Department of Education gets a boost from the Supreme Court. I'll talk about who will feel that the most and how Democrats will fight back with Minnesota's lieutenant governor next. Yesterday, the conservative majority on the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can for now move forward with its plans to dismantle the Department of Education, which, I mean, I know there is a lot of stuff going on. We've talked about a lot of it on the show, but that is a very, very big deal that is going to hit a lot of people in this country very hard. I mean, for one it's unclear whether Trump can even legally do that. So we'll say that there's a case on that matter that is currently moving through the lower court. And what the Supreme Court did was effectively step in and say, before you decide if that's legal, we're going to allow it for the time being. So there's that. If that wasn't concerning enough, this is the part that concerns me the most. The ones who will bear most of the brunt are our country's most vulnerable students. And we are just weeks away from kids going back to school in many parts of the country because, despite what some conservatives might say, the Education Department does not dictate woke curricula for schools. In fact, it does not set any curricula at all. The department primarily helps fund programs that support low income students as well as students with disabilities. And the five states that will be hit hardest by these cuts all happen to be states that Trump won. The Department of Education is also responsible for enforcing civil rights law and overseeing student loans and grants. And if the Trump administration does indeed fire nearly 1,400 staffers, which is the stated plan, many of those essential programs that people across the country rely on will likely collapse. The firings themselves are just one step towards Trump's stated goal for the Department of Education, which is to shut it down completely. And what might come of that is more inequality and a further divided, scattershot approach to education in this country. Joining me now is Peggy Flanagan. She began her career in government by serving on the City of Minneapolis Board of Education. I think she was the youngest person on the Board of Education before you even had kids, which is a cool detail. She's currently the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota and is also running for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Tina Smith. And I want to talk to you all about that. But you were coming in today and with these Department of Education actions, I just wanted to ask you first about that. I mean, you've worked on education on a local level. As I mentioned, they do not set the curricula. But what could the impact of this be if it is followed through?
- [37:15]
Donald Trump
So I think it's just the combined chaos of multiple things that are happening. The dismantling of the Department of Education, as you said, that's been established to protect students, the most vulnerable students, students with disabilities, students who need a little extra help. It's inhumane and it's cruel. And states are going to have to, you know, pick up the slack. And we will do as much as we can, but we can't do it all. What I'd say combined with the 6.8 billion that they have clawed back from grants that have already been committed and school districts, right. School boards have already set their budgets for the year. This is after school programming, child care, support for our English language learners. You know, as a recovering school board member, but also as a mom of a middle schooler, this is straight up chaos for families who are already trying to plan the upcoming school year and what will happen in less than a month. We're already buying school supplies and planning for it. So I think what it really just demonstrates, the Trump administration, Secretary McMahon, the folks who are making these decisions, they don't care about us. And real folks who are making decisions about their child's education every single day.
- [38:33]
Chris Hayes
I keep thinking, and I'm sure you do, about the impact of this combined with the cuts to SNAP benefits and all of that is going to, I mean, dramatically impact kids, right? I mean, who were like in low income families, horrible. But how do you look at that? And I mean Minnesota has a different, you have better protections than a lot of states, but how do you look at that in states where they're going to suffer the SNAP benefits cuts and also maybe these cuts to after school programs, all of these things that are preventing kids and lower income families from really moving forward.
- [39:06]
Donald Trump
I mean, as someone who grew up with a different colored lunch ticket on free and reduced price lunch, I can tell you that's one of the most important, important things that our administration has ever done. Making sure that every kid gets fed at school, no questions asked. So you don't have to ask, do you have enough money in your account? But would you like, you know, chicken or do you want pizza today? Those should be the only questions that we are asking our children as they're going through the lunch line. The impact of this combined with the SNAP cuts, we are literally taking food away from children. And if folk thinks, oh, I'm not on snap, this doesn't impact me. Well, it impacts farmers in our communities who grow that food that keeps food on the table. It impacts local economies. That difference of taking that food assistance away from folks. And let's be clear, you know, people have an idea of who is someone who was on snap. It is children, it's families, it's seniors in our communities. This is going to hit everybody. And I just think we do not have enough people working in Washington who clearly who have relied on SNAP to keep food on the table, Medicaid for their health insurance. We need More folks who understand what it's like to grow up on the margins, to struggle, who are representing us here because right now these people are so out of touch. And this inhumane big baloney bill that was just passed, we should be raising our voices in every single way that we can, pushing back and demanding more.
- [40:40]
Chris Hayes
So let's talk about your Senate race because you bring. You're somebody. You just mentioned part of your background. I think I knew, but I'm not sure I knew. And probably people watching didn't know you'd also be. And I know you're not running to make history, but there's never been a native woman in the Senate, which is kind of wild. Tell me about what you're hearing from people as you're campaigning about their concerns about the big ugly bill, about their concerns about what they're not seeing in Washington that they want to see.
- [41:06]
Donald Trump
Absolutely. I think that folks are really clear what it is that they want. They want someone who's going to show up and work for them. For a long time, I think Democrats have been fighting to a draw or picking fights that we can win instead of saying what do our communities need and what should we be fighting for? What's that vision? I think Congress, you know, lowering the price of 10 prescription drugs for folks on Medicare. That's great. And why not all of them? You know, a $15 minimum wage should be the floor. Some dude sitting behind a desk at a health insurance company shouldn't be able to make the decision whether you live or die. Your doctor should decide. These are the things that people are asking for. And I think this is the big vision that we need. There are a lot of folks who, frankly, even in my own party who are bought by corporations. I think it's real people who need representation right now. And, you know, that's, that's why I'm running. As someone who grew up in a working class family, we need folks who understand what that's like representing US in.
- [42:08]
Chris Hayes
Washington, D.C. well, I'm not saying you were referring to her. You are in a primary, so you have to run in a primary. And one of the people you're running against, Angie Craig, who's a Congress, Congresswoman, what is the diff? What should people understand? I'm sure you know each other. This is the thing about primaries. But what should people understand about the difference in your approaches and what they would be voting for if they support you over her?
- [42:30]
Donald Trump
Absolutely. Well, I made a decision to not take corporate PAC money because I think, you know, corporations have plenty of representation here in Washington. It is everybody else who needs it. I spent my entire career working on behalf of children and families and making sure that families have economic security. It's not just my occupation, it has been my vocation. You know, we have Support from over 50 local and state elected officials all across the state of Minnesota. Soto which I think speaks to the work that I've done for 20 years of my life and my career. And people need someone who understand what it's like to feel like the bottom could fall out at any moment. That's why I'm running. I'm running for families who will be impacted by these cuts to snap, who are going to worry about what this means if they don't have access to Medicaid. We need someone who's going to fight for all of us to make sure that we're not just scraping by, but that we have a really real opportunity to thrive in Minnesota and all across this country. And that's what's missing in this moment. And I hope to be at the table making those decisions.
- [43:34]
Chris Hayes
Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, thank you for bringing your education expertise to our table today as well. I really appreciate you stopping by while you're in town. Thank you again.
- [43:42]
Donald Trump
Thanks for having me.
- [43:43]
Chris Hayes
Okay. Coming up, a House Republican led investigation gets a little awkward for Republicans. I'll explain it next. For months now, Congressional Republicans have been hyper fixated on what they allege was Joe Biden's illegitimate use of an auto pen while he was president. They're obsessed now. It has been standard practice, just everybody knows among modern presidents from both parties, including Trump, to use an auto pen for routine matters. And Biden has repeatedly insisted that nothing was ever signed while he was president without his direct knowledge and approval. But that hasn't stopped Trump and Republicans from trying to make it into one big old conspiracy, complete with a congressional investigation led by none other than House Oversight Chair James Comer. Comer has been busy sending out letters and subpoena notices to Biden White House officials requesting their testimony on the matter. That is making things a little awkward for Comer because as new NBC News reporting reveals, Comer hasn't been the one signing all those documents. As it turns out, although Comer signed actual subpoenas by hand, he has been using a digitally inserted signature on the correspondence to voluntary and subpoenaed witnesses, a signature created by someone other than himself at that. So essentially an online auto pen to investigate Biden's use of an auto pen. Not a great look when asked about it A spokesperson for the Oversight committee brushed it off, saying that it's standard practice to use digital signatures on correspondence. And don't worry, because Comer approved everything beforehand. Is it just me, or does that sound a little familiar? That does it for me today. You can catch the show Tuesday through Friday at 9pm Eastern on MSNBC. And don't forget to follow the show on Blue sky, Instagram and TikTok for now. Goodbye from Washington and we'll see you next week.
- [45:36]
Jen Psaki
How many discounts does USAA Auto Insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi vehicle discount Safe driver discount New vehicle discount Storage discount How many discounts.
- [45:46]
Chris Hayes
Will you stack up?
- [45:47]
Peggy Flanagan
Tap the banner or visit usaa.com autodiscounts restrictions apply.