New report exposes massive corruption in Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Briefing with Jen Psaki

Episode: New report exposes massive corruption in Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security
Date: November 15, 2025
Host: Jen Psaki (MSNBC)

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Overview

This episode of The Briefing with Jen Psaki is a deep dive into two explosive stories shaping national headlines:

1. The continuing fallout from the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s emails, which allegedly implicate former President Donald Trump and have stirred political and moral controversy, especially regarding the treatment of Epstein survivors and the transparency of investigations.
2. A breaking ProPublica investigation into Secretary Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS), uncovering a web of apparent corruption in the awarding of massive, no-bid federal ad contracts to companies with direct personal ties to top DHS officials.

Jen Psaki tackles the spin, political finger-pointing, and legal maneuvering on both stories, featuring revealing interviews with key figures, including Congressman Jamie Raskin and Texas Senate candidate James Talarico.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump, Epstein, and the Battle over the Files (00:30–14:02)

Trump’s Reluctance and Media Defenses

• Trump avoided media questions for days after the release of emails connecting him with Epstein, creating a vacuum filled by spokespersons and right-wing media personalities offering increasingly bizarre or weak defenses. Psaki notes, “[Trump] did everything short of breaking into a full out sprint to avoid answering questions about the newly released trove of emails from notorious child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.” (01:49)
• Defenders either claim not to have read the files (Rep. Jamie Raskin: “I've not gone through all of the documents yet. As you said, there's 20,000 pages.” [03:06]), rely on Ghislaine Maxwell's word, or, as Megyn Kelly did, splitting hairs about what “barely legal” means—arguments which Psaki ridicules for their desperation and moral bankruptcy.

The Victim at the Center: Virginia Giuffre

• MAGA figures fixate on the redaction of survivor Virginia Giuffre's name in emails, spinning it into a supposed Democratic conspiracy, despite prior bipartisan agreement to protect victim identities.
• Psaki sharply criticizes Republicans for naming Giuffre: “They publicly identified her after Democrats released that redacted email, which is exactly what they did…how cynical it is for Trump’s defenders to try and hang their whole response to these emails on a woman who can no longer speak for herself.” (08:08)

Virginia Giuffre’s Brother: “I don't think any survivor, including my sister, should be used as a political toy. These are sisters and mothers and daughters…We're grieving right now. I think the world is grieving a little bit for her because she's not here to speak for herself. And so it felt very disrespectful for them to unredact her name…” (08:32)

Trump’s Deflection and DOJ Response

• Under mounting pressure, Trump posts on Truth Social, calling for DOJ and FBI investigations—conspicuously omitting his own name from the investigation wish-list.
• Psaki points out the irony and selective targeting: “If Trump really wanted to shed light on those men's involvements with Jeffrey Epstein, he could simply release the troves of files currently in his Justice Department's possession.” (10:30)
• Transparency act vote looms, with survivors’ families urging Congress to release all Epstein files for true accountability.

2. Interview: Rep. Jamie Raskin on the Epstein Investigation and Political Deflection (15:54–22:16)

On Trump’s “Investigations”

• Raskin decries Trump’s attempt to weaponize investigations to shield himself:

  ”…he seems to believe that criminal investigation and prosecution in America are a partisan game. In other words, it’s not about actually finding what crimes took place…it’s go after this person or that person. If it leads to any Democrats, by all means prosecute them. But if it leads to any Republicans…But he really thinks that American democracy is about taking turns prosecuting the other side. And that’s just absolutely absurd…” (16:46)

On Withheld Files and Public Pressure

• DOJ under Trump is accused of holding back the most damning information—files now being fought over in Congress.
• Raskin predicts a strong bipartisan vote for transparency: “overwhelmingly, the people are saying, just release the files. That's what everybody was calling for.” (18:47)

MAGA Fracture Point

• Trump’s hardline tactics aren't fully working; more Republicans are contemplating voting for transparency despite Trump's pressure. His recent snub of Marjorie Taylor Greene signals internal party fractures.

  “For Trump, you're either all in or you're all out. That's the way religious cults operate...now that the truth is about to come out, all of them are running around like chickens with their heads cut off.” (20:55)

3. Preferential Treatment for Ghislaine Maxwell (24:16–30:46)

Prison Perks and Accountability

• Whistleblowers allege Maxwell has enjoyed pampered conditions in federal prison, including “puppy visits, meals brought to her cell, special gym privileges, shower privileges that other inmates don't get, and so on.” (25:41)
• Raskin uncovers efforts by the prison’s warden to aid Maxwell’s commutation application to Trump. Maxwell’s lawyer admits staff have been fired over email system misuse but does not dispute claims of privileged treatment.

Trump’s Pardon Tease

• Trump refuses to rule out a pardon for Maxwell:

  “I haven't even thought about it...But I don't talk about that. I don't roll it in or out. I don't even think about it.” (28:46)

• Raskin rebuts: “A pardon is for people who are contrite and have reconciled themselves with their victims. She is not contrite. She's not attempted to reconcile herself with the victims...She's guilty as hell...She's trying to get out through President Trump on a completely political basis…” (29:11)

4. ProPublica’s Exposé: Massive Corruption in Kristi Noem’s DHS (30:46–39:03)

$200M in No-Bid Ad Contracts

• Noem is accused of using over $200M in taxpayer money to promote her own image via flamboyant, heavily produced advertisements—often featuring herself in assorted costumes.
• The majority of the contract money ($143 million) went to a mysterious Delaware LLC created just days before receiving the contract, with ProPublica reporting the address owner declined to comment.
• A further layer: the LLC subcontracted to the Strategy Group, run by the husband of Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin. McLaughlin claims to be recused due to conflict of interest, but the connection is glaring.
• This isn’t the first time Noem has been accused of rigging ad contract awards in favor of friends—similar allegations arose from her time as governor of South Dakota.

Psaki: ”Not only did DHS give a $143 million no bid contract to an unknown LLC, but that unknown LLC then hired someone tied to Nome, someone literally married to the Nomad in charge of giving out DHS ad contracts. And believe it or not, this is not the first scandal…” (35:34)

5. James Talarico: Moral Clarity on the Epstein Scandal (39:03–44:43)

The Core Moral Issue

• Texas Senate candidate James Talarico reframes the issue above partisan politics:

  “When did pedophilia become a partisan issue? The American people deserve to know the whole truth about Jeffrey Epstein and every single powerful person who enabled him. Every name, every flight log, every cover up, all of it...if there is a Democrat on that list, I will be the first to call for their prosecution.” (39:03)

• Talarico, a former public school teacher, calls the scandal “sickening,”.

On Power and Partisanship

• Talarico: “...this is a prime example where those at the top, both people who are at the top of our economy and those who are at the top of our government collude to help each other. And sometimes that means breaking the law. And so while the rest of us play by one set of rules, the rich and powerful play by another.” (41:56)

Moral and Political Overlap

• As a faith-driven candidate: “My faith calls me from the sanctuary to the streets. It calls me to look after my neighbors, particularly those who are being attacked by the most powerful people in this country.” (43:17)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jen Psaki: “[Trump] did everything short of breaking into a full out sprint to avoid answering questions about the newly released trove of emails from notorious child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.” (01:49)
• Virginia Giuffre’s Brother: “I don't think any survivor, including my sister, should be used as a political toy. These are sisters and mothers and daughters… We're grieving right now. I think the world is grieving a little bit for her because she's not here to speak for herself.” (08:32)
• Rep. Jamie Raskin: “It’s clear that DOJ is not going to release anything that does not pass their very strict political filter...if we left it just to them, we would never see the information Donald Trump doesn't want us to see.” (18:47)
• Donald Trump: “Jeffrey Epstein and I had a very bad relationship for many years, but he also saw a strike because I was president... Give me a break. You're going to find out. What did he know with respect to Bill Clinton...” (11:53)
• Rep. Raskin: “For Trump, you're either all in or you're all out. That's the way religious cults operate...” (20:55)
• Jen Psaki (re: Kristi Noem): “...since Noem took over DHS at the beginning of the year, she's become known for appearing to be more obsessed with putting on various costumes than doing her actual job.” (31:42)
• James Talarico: “When did pedophilia become a partisan issue?...if there's one thing we should all be able to agree on, Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and progressives, it's that no one, including the President of the United States, should be able to cover up crimes against children.” (39:03)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:49] Psaki sets up Trump/Epstein/Republican talking points
• [03:06] Rep. Raskin “I’ve not gone through all the documents yet...”
• [08:32] Virginia Giuffre’s Brother: On survivors being used as political props
• [10:30] Psaki on Trump’s selective DOJ investigation list
• [11:53] Trump’s obfuscatory response about Epstein emails
• [15:54] Interview: Rep. Jamie Raskin on Trump’s DOJ playbook
• [18:47] Raskin on DOJ withholding information, public demand to release files
• [25:41] Raskin details Ghislaine Maxwell’s favorable prison treatment
• [28:46] Trump refuses to rule out pardon for Maxwell
• [29:11] Raskin on the reality of pardons and political cover-ups
• [32:42] ProPublica exposé beginning; Kristi Noem’s image-obsessed DHS
• [35:34] Psaki ties together Noem’s ad contract scandals
• [39:03] James Talarico: “When did pedophilia become a partisan issue?”
• [41:56] Talarico on rules for the powerful vs. everyone else
• [43:17] Talarico on moral imperatives in politics

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Tone & Style

The tone throughout the episode is sharp, often incredulous, and deeply moralistic, especially regarding the alleged exploitation of Epstein survivors for political advantage and the stark double standards for political elites. Jen Psaki’s style is direct, laced with wit and pointed critique—bolstered by candid interviews from lawmakers and advocates similarly unafraid of calling out corruption and hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle.

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Conclusion

This episode exposes layers of corruption, political maneuvering, and media spin in two high-profile scandals: the Trump/Epstein saga and Kristi Noem’s DHS contracting. The hosts and guests consistently drive home the moral core of both stories, especially the need for justice and transparency for survivors, and the urgent need to shine a light on how the powerful manipulate the system for self-protection and self-promotion. The calls for bipartisan accountability and democratic transparency are unambiguous—and urgent.

Transcript

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[Host/Jen Psaki]

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[James Talarico]

Can you respond to these Epstein emails.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

That were leaked today? Thank you, Mr. President.

[James Talarico]

Any comment on these Epstein emails, sir?

[Host/Jen Psaki]

Now, over the past few days, and you've probably seen this, Donald Trump has done everything short of breaking into a full out sprint to avoid answering questions about the newly released trove of emails from notorious child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Emails that repeatedly refer to Trump himself, some of which clearly imply that Trump may have known more about Epstein's crimes than he has previously led on. Now, I will tell you that tonight aboard Air Force One on his way to Palm Beach, Trump did answer questions about these emails. And we're going to get to that in in just a second. But those days of silence over the last week have created a very awkward situation for Trump's party and for the MAGA movement. Because whenever Trump finds himself mired in scandal, his supporters typically just kind of wait to see what he says and then they follow his lead and repeat on what he says or what he tells them to say and how they should respond. But when Trump did not respond when he said Very little this week. It created a vacuum, a vacuum that Trump's followers filled with some interesting excuses. You say there are. There are many questions. You still have a question about whether Donald Trump knew about the sexual abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein.

[Congressman Jamie Raskin]

Well, I've not gone through all of the documents yet. As you said, there's 20,000 pages.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

Okay. I mean, I haven't read all the documents. We've heard this argument so many times. It's a little bit like saying he hasn't seen the tweet or hasn't read the story. It's kind of what they go to. You really don't need to have read all 20,000 plus emails to know that there are multiple instances where Jeffrey Epstein himself implies Trump knew about Epstein's illicit behavior with underage girls. Not sure that excuse really holds water. It doesn't hold water. But believe me, when you hear some of the other excuses I'm about to play, you may think, hey, that Pete Sessions answer, it wasn't so bad.

[Virginia Giuffre's Brother]

Ghislaine Maxwell said Trump did nothing wrong.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

Oh, well, there you have it. I guess the case there is closed. Jesse Waters, Epstein's co conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell says Trump did nothing wrong. Never mind the fact that she is reportedly seeking a pardon from Trump, that she got moved to a cushy minimum security prison under Trump on. Or that these emails now indicate she lied repeatedly in her testimony. Look, obviously none of those are particularly good excuses. They're pretty bad. But you know what, give those guys some credit, even Jesse Waters, because at least those excuses did not veer into whatever the hell this is.

[Megyn Kelly]

As for Epstein, I've said this before, but just as a reminder, I do know somebody very, very close to this case who is in a position to know virtually everything. Not everything, but virtually everything. And this person has told me from the start, years and years ago, that Jeffrey Epstein, in this person's view, was not a pedophile. This is this person's view who was there for a lot of this, but that he was into the barely legal type. Like he liked 15 year old girls. And I realize this is disgusting. I'm definitely not trying to make an excuse for this. I'm just giving you facts that he wasn't into like 8 year olds.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

I mean, I also just, every time I watch this, I'm just surprised. There's like been nodding along and agreeing. I don't even. Anyway, I mean, how eager to move on from discussing the Epstein files do you have to be? How eager to Exonerate Trump to please Trump. Do you have to be to go to the length of explaining how Epstein's attraction to 15 year olds, who, by the way, are not at all barely legal, compares with 8 year olds. And Megyn Kelly even threw in there the anonymous person who apparently knows virtually everything about a child sex predator. And we should believe this person over all the victims. So that was Megyn Kelly. But Trump advisor Laura Loomer must have decided, you know what, she could add a little bit of but about ism, as she tends to do, flavored with her trademark xenophobia. So she posted this. You can't be outraged by the Epstein saga and simultaneously not be outraged by the fact that we have Muslims serving in Congress. I mean, what, it sounds like something that was just prompted and spit out of a maga cheap chatgpt prompt or something wild. I think it's fair to say that none of these responses, none of them, were particularly effective. And so eventually magaworld apparently decided to hone in on one particular part of this story, and it had to do with the bombshell email in which Epstein said one of his victims spent hours at his house with Donald Trump. As the New York Times put it, quote. As time wore on, right wing media figures began coalescing around another approach, focusing on a single redacted name. In the emails, they argued that Democrats on the House Oversight Committee had created a false narrative by hiding the name of one of Mr. Epstein's victims in one of the messages. Now, the redaction, the theory went, was meant to cover up that. That the victim, Virginia Giuffre, previously said she had never witnessed Mr. Trump involved in sexual abuse of minors. Now, if you watch this show, you're familiar with the name Virginia Giuffre and probably watch many other shows if you're paying attention to this whole issue. The Epstein survivor who tragically died by suicide earlier this year. That's who Virginia Giuffre is. And when Virginia Giuffre testified against Ghislaine Maxwell in 2016, she. She said she never saw Trump engage in illicit behavior with underage women. And the defense Republicans landed on is that since Giuffre's name was redacted in that particular email, it must have been some grand conspiracy to make Trump look bad. And so what did Republicans do? They named her. And they named her despite the fact that the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee previously said that any materials they release would redact the names and identities of Epstein's victims. They were so bought into this idea that redacting Giuffre's name was part of some conspiracy that they even went after. Well, they went after me personally. Not that I really care, but for pointing out that they publicly identified her after Democrats released that redacted email, which is exactly what they did. Now, I could spend some time here explaining how cynical it is for Trump's defenders to try and hang their whole response to these emails on a woman who can no longer speak for for herself, but I think it's better if you let it. You hear it from Virginia Giuffre's own brother, who joined me here and talked about it just last night.

[Virginia Giuffre's Brother]

I don't think any survivor, including my sister, should be used as a political toy. These are sisters and mothers and daughters. Amanda mentioned we're grieving right now. I think the world is grieving a little bit for her because she's not here to speak for herself. And so it felt very disrespectful for them to unredact her name when she's not here to speak for herself. We're, of course, going to stand forward and we're going to continue to fight for her and all survivors out there. Because I want to be very clear, if my sister was here today, she would be appalled by this administration. She would not refer to President Trump as a gentleman. He's not acknowledging survivors. Not once has he even acknowledged my sister in the sense of who she was as a hero.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

The focus on using Virginia Giuffre as a validator for Trump is just as disgusting and ridiculous as all their other excuses. It's not going to work. None of it's going to work. I mean, according to many Democrats on Hill, far more Republicans are going to vote for this discharge petition than just a week ago. It's not contained quite the opposite, which is maybe why today, Donald Trump decided he needed to finally step in. Today, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would be asking the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Democratic donor Reid Hoffman, and JPMorgan Chase. Now, all of those names are also referenced in these Epstein emails. Attorney General Pam Bonnie dutifully, of course, she did followed up by announcing she would launch that investigation for her boss, even though she previously said that there was no one left to investigate in this case. Now, set aside for a second the fact that if Trump really wanted to shed light on those men's involvements with Jeffrey Epstein, he could simply release the troves of files currently in his Justice Department's possession. But there is one name that is conspicuously absent from that list of Epstein associates. The good folks at Courier Newsroom have compiled all of the more than 23,000 Epstein emails into a searchable database, which is quite a service. And the one name that appears more than any other in all of those emails is Donald Trump's. The Wall Street Journal has even created a handy visualization guide to show just how much each figure is mentioned over time in these emails. Also a service. The blue dots here represent each of the Epstein emails that mention former President Clinton. These ones represent each time the emails mention former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. And these ones represent all the mentions of Donald Trump, far more by a lot than any of the people Trump just decided to investigate. And that is just from these 23,000 emails. I mean, who knows how many times Trump has mentioned in the estimated 100,000 files the Department of Justice is still refusing to release. But now that Trump has settled on his chosen deflection, he's finally ready to take questions from reporters on this topic. Well, at least some of their questions.

[Megyn Kelly]

What did Jeffrey Epstein mean in his emails when he said, you knew about the girls?

[Donald Trump]

I know nothing about that. They would have announced that a long time ago. It's really, what did he mean when he spent all the time with Bill Clinton, with the president of Harvard, who, you know, that is Summers, Larry Summers, whatever his name is, and all of the other people that he spent time with? Jeffrey Epstein and I had a very bad relationship for many years, but he also saw a strike because I was president. So he dictated a couple of memos to himself. Give me a break. You're going to find out. What did he know with respect to Bill Clinton, with respect to the head of Harvard, with respect to all of those people that he knew, including J.P. morgan Church? Yeah, Jennifer, go ahead, go ahead.

[James Talarico]

Acting as a quiet, quiet.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

I mean, maybe his staff were thinking, maybe not answering questions was the right call after all. Who knows? But Donald Trump thinks he can deflect his way out of this the way he always does, by focusing everyone's attention on someone or something else. But so far, it isn't working. The House is set to vote as soon as next Tuesday and releasing the full trove of Epstein files. Ahead of that vote, Epstein survivors and loved ones released a letter urging members of Congress to vote yes. And it reads in part this. And it's incredibly powerful. This last April, we lost our sister Virginia, a true American hero and a beacon of strength to survivors everywhere. Virginia was failed over and over by the systems that consistently believed and supported her abusers over her. Today, we urge you not to fail another survivor and deny them justice any longer. Embody Virginia's courage, be brave and stand for her in her absence. Vote yes on the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Vote for justice, accountability and the truth. Clearly, this issue is not going away and there's really nothing Trump can do to stop this short of just releasing the files himself. Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin is one of the people who has been relentlessly investigating this scandal and pushing for this vote to release the Epstein files, and he joins me here live in just 90 seconds. Seconds.

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[Host/Jen Psaki]

As promised. Joining me now is Congressman Jamie Raskin ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. Thank you for being here. There's a lot I want to get to. I just want to start by asking you about this transparently shady, I'm going to call it, investigation that Trump's DOJ is launching where he mentions a number of individuals, a number of institutions who are mentioned in the Epstein documents that were released. He does not include himself. And the question I'm curious about from you, and really anything you want to say about it, is he's done things like this before when it came to his taxes, where he launched investigations so that they couldn't, you couldn't get access to them, they couldn't be released. There's been a little chatter that maybe that's one of the motivations here, that this could kind of freeze the release of these documents. What do you think about that?

[Congressman Jamie Raskin]

The first thing that I'm remarking upon here, Jenn, is that they killed the actual Epstein investigation when they took over the Department of Justice upon his return to Washington. The first thing they did was they called up all of the files and all of the investigations and they said it was over, there was nothing left to see there, which is what they all have testified to. You know, Kash Patel came before the Judiciary Committee and said, yep, they didn't find anything, nothing to see there. And that's been their line. Now suddenly he's calling to reopen the investigation as a form of distraction and deflection from the fact that he is so obviously at the center of it. The second thing I noticed was that he seems to believe that criminal investigation and prosecution in America are a partisan game. In other words, it's not about actually finding what crimes took place within this billion dollar global child sex abuse and trafficking network. It's go after this person or that person. If it leads to any Democrats, by all means prosecute them. But if it leads to any Republicans, prosecute them too. But he really thinks that American democracy is about taking turns prosecuting the other side. And that's just absolutely absurd and ridiculous. And it's only Donald Trump, who's like a one man crime wave, who wants the world to believe that that's the way the American criminal justice system works.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

I mean, all of that. The reason I wanted to ask you about this is because of all the smart things you just said, but also because there are a lot of threads here, right? The estate has more files that the Oversight Committee is going to get access to and that will come out at some point. There's going to be this vote next week, there are a lot of different threads trying to get access to release these files. You've been advocating it for a long time, and it seems like even though they said there was no reason for investigation, they're trying to give themselves a justification to say, oh, we can't release anything even if any of these threads move forward.

[Congressman Jamie Raskin]

Yeah, look, all of the key players here, Attorney General Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, Donald Trump, have said they were going to release all the files. They clearly haven't because they know what's in there. So we're going to have a vote on it in the House. I believe the vote will be overwhelming in favor of it simply because the public pressure is so intense. It's going to be cognitive dissonance and real emotional tug of war for our Republican colleagues as Trump brings every conceivable pressure down upon them to vote no. That's what we saw with Lauren Boebert when she was summoned to the White House Situation Room last week. But overwhelmingly, the people are saying, just release the files. That's what everybody was calling for. And nothing has changed at this point. And it's clear that DOJ is not going to release anything that does not pass their very strict political filter. Right. Because all of the stuff that just came out about, of course, Trump knew, according to Epstein, about Trump spending time with one of the victims for several hours in one of the houses. All of that did not come from the Department of Justice. That came from the Epstein estate. But of course, DOJ under Trump had that information, but they withheld it. So if we left it just to them, we would never see the information Donald Trump doesn't want us to see.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

No question about it, which is why it's so important. There's so many levers being pushed now, as you said, and this has been such an interesting development this week because there is definitely a growing number, far more Republicans than there were a week ago who seem to be privately saying they are going to vote for this. And I should mention that late tonight, Donald Trump said he was withdrawing his support and endorsement of Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's been a real driver of this effort behind the Epstein files, this pressure campaign, really, to get Republicans off the discharge petition. It didn't work, but he's still at it. Do you see any signs at all that his influence is weakening kind of any of these Republicans that he's trying to peel off? It seems to the opposite to me. But what are you seeing from your vantage point?

[Congressman Jamie Raskin]

Well, the Trump true believers like Marjorie Taylor Greene. And there was no truer true believer than her. They can break, but they can't bend. In other words, once they open their eyes to all of the lies that tie together Trump world, then they basically are going to be exiled from it and they're going to be out. But it's very hard for them to say, well, you know what? I think that we should stick with the idea of complete disclosure of the Epstein files, but otherwise, I'm going to be with Trump. No, for Trump, you're either all in or you're all out. That's the way religious cults operate. And he's got that kind of bipolar thinking, either you're with him or you're against him. So they're going to turn very hard against anybody who defects at this point. And so that's why this is a moment of great fracture within the MAGA base, because they were nourished on all of the stories about child sex trafficking in a cabal of wealthy elites and powerful people who used their money to exploit children. All of that turned out to be pretty close to the truth. But it was basically Donald Trump's world that they were describing and projecting onto someone else. And now that the truth is about to come out, all of them are running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

It is kind of wild to watch. Congressman Raskin, stay right where you are. We have to take a very quick break, but when we come back, we got some big news today out of the prison where Ghislaine Maxwell is being held. And late tonight, Donald Trump once again refused to rule out a. A pardon for Maxwell. That was part of the plane gaggle he did. And so I'm going to ask you about that when we come back.

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[Host/Jen Psaki]

Tonight on air Force One, Donald Trump once again refused to rule out a pardon for Jeffrey Epstein's monster in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell. And that, of course, follows damning information provided by a whistleblower to Congressman Jamie Raskin that Maxwell has been pampered since being moved to a minimal security prison following an interview with Trump's deputy attorney General, Todd Blanche. Now, that whistleblower alleged that the prison's own warden is directly helping Maxwell with her commutation application to the Trump administration. And then today, Maxwell's lawyer said the prison where Maxwell is being held has fired multiple employees. In a statement, Maxwell's lawyer said that following the whistleblower allegations, there have been appropriate consequences already for employees at federal prison Camp Bryant. They've been terminated for improper unauthorized access to the email system used by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to allow inmates to communicate with the outside world. There is a lot packed into that statement. Congressman Jamie Raskin is back with me. This is an ongoing story. You have been right at the front edge of what is happening in that prison. You've been in touch with the whistleblower. What is your reaction? I mean, it feels. What is your reaction to the firings of the employees at the federal prison where Maxwell is allegedly enjoying preferential treatment? It seems pretty clear what happened here, but break it down for us.

[Congressman Jamie Raskin]

Well, first, let's start with this. Maxwell's attorney does not dispute anything that we said about the illegitimacy and the corruption of her transfer out of a higher security prison into this relatively gentle camp. Nor does her attorney dispute that she has received all kinds of special preferences and perks while in that prison, including the puppy visits, meals brought to her cell, special gym privileges, shower privileges that other inmates don't get, and so on. So they haven't contradicted any of that. All they're saying is that somehow they know, and this is very strange to me, that there are employees who've been fired because of what they've done. I'm curious how they would know that. That sounds like a breach of whatever those employees personnel records are. But in any event, this is her claim that these people were fired because of what they did. The allegation seems to be that her attorney client privilege was somehow compromised in the Trulink system. When the inmates log on in the system, they have to click a whole statement that they consent to this being reviewed by the prison, and there's a statement that there is no attorney client privilege or confidentiality that attaches to them. So we're of course not saying where we got any information that we received, and it may not even be from the people that she's talking about. But in any event, she's completely wrong on that. And she can consult at least a half a dozen federal court cases rejecting the idea that those communications are subject to the attorney client privilege. They are not. And so, you know, take what she's saying with a grain of salt. But in any event, she hasn't even attempted to contradict any of the factual statements we made about how she's being treated basically like a guest at a Trump Hotel right now, which doesn't.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

Has any of that changed, according to the people you're talking to? Has any of it changed since you sent your letter?

[Congressman Jamie Raskin]

To our knowledge, nothing has changed. And that letter just reinforces my sense that her attorney feels like she's working with the warden. She says basically, oh, these people have been disciplined for daring to question the disparate treatment of Ghislaine Maxwell. It's an extraordinary thing. It reminds me of these Republican senators over in the Senate who think that they uniquely should be getting millions of dollars because they were subject to grand jury process. In America, when millions of people are sub to grand jury process. But they really do think that if they're connected to Donald Trump, they are above the law.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

It seems like it's. Yeah. Bizarrely saying a lot of the quiet part out loud just earlier tonight. So we've talked about this a little bit. In the show, Trump refused to rule out a pardon for Maxwell. I just want to play this for you and get your thoughts because you've been through this many times.

[Megyn Kelly]

Have you ruled out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell?

[Donald Trump]

I haven't even thought about it. I mean, I haven't thought about it for months. Maybe I haven't thought about it at all. You're Just asking me a question. But I don't talk about that. I don't roll it in or out. I don't even think about it.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

I mean, we've seen this movie so many times before, it's almost maddening. How do you read what he just said in response to that question, given everything that's happened this week? I mean, good lord.

[Congressman Jamie Raskin]

Yeah. Well, let's restore some constitutional grounding to the subject. A pardon is for people who are contrite and have reconciled themselves with their victims. She is not contrite. She's not attempted to reconcile herself with the victims. She has not accepted the reality of the crimes that she was convicted for. She was sentenced to 20 years by Judge Ally Nathan in the Southern District of New York for very serious child sex trafficking, child sex solicitation, crossing state lines and so on. And she was sentenced for that. And she has not even gotten up to bat about getting a pardon because she's not accepted the reality of her offense. She's not contrite, she's not repentant. She hasn't tried to make amends in any way. And she's guilty as hell. I mean, sometimes the pardon is used for people who are mistakenly convicted. But she did not take the stand because she knew she couldn't take the stand when she was prosecuted because she had no story to tell and the evidence was so overwhelming against her. She's trying to get out. She's already been rejected, of course, by the Supreme Court, saying they're gonna try a collateral attack through habeas corpus. But basically, she's trying to get out through President Trump on a completely political basis, which is she will either remain silent or utter the words that Trump and Todd Blanche want her to repeat about the innocence of Donald Trump. And the whole world can see this. This is a cover up, taking in plain view. Everybody can see it happening.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

Congressman, we know she lied because we've seen the emails and compared them with what she said. Todd Blanche. And that's just some of the emails. Congressman J.V. raskin, thank you as always, for your tirelessness and for helping make sense of a very crazy time or try to make sense of it. Thank you again. Okay, up next, just when you thought the Trump administration could not possibly get more corrupt. Don't worry, Kristi Noemi rides in on a horse. Trust me, you're going to want to stick around for this one. It's quite a story. We'll be right back. Today, ProPublica published quite a scoop about Trump. DHS Secretary Christine Oem that in any era, any other era, I should say would be a career ending scandal. But to understand the pattern of corruption of this woman, we just have to zoom out just a little bit, just for. Just for a moment. Because since Noem took over DHS at the beginning of the year, she's become known for appearing to be more obsessed with putting on various costumes than doing her actual job. I mean, she donned a bulletproof vest just to talk to her own agents. She wore a Customs and Border Patrol uniform on Fox News. And of course, she is constantly, and I mean constantly, throwing on a cowboy hat and riding horses, always with plenty of cameras around to capture the moment. But Noem's apparent obsession with image actually goes much further than just putting on costumes because she has directed more than 200 million taxpayer dollars into TV ads to promote her work at DHS. And just to put it in context, that is nearly twice what DHS spent on ads altogether in all of last year. And the content of those ads have already been a scandal kind of in and of themselves.

[Megyn Kelly]

I'm Kristi Noem, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. Thank you, President Donald J. Trump, for securing our border.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

And if you are wondering who exactly the target audience is for that, DHS spent $30,000 to run that ad, the one I just showed you, specifically in the ad market, where Mar A Lago is now, as much as spending tens of thousands of dollars to make sure your ad plays on the TV near the President, is a bizarre waste of taxpayer money. $30,000, it turns out, is a drop in the bucket compared to the more than $200 million DHS has spent this year making and airing ads. And the rest of that money is where the story gets truly bonkers. I mean, since March, we have known that DHS skipped the normal competitive bidding process when giving out the contracts to make and air these ads. DHS claimed that because Trump declared an emergency at the southern border, they didn't have to waste time getting competitive bids. And that brings me to the first part of ProPublica's Big Scoop today. Because it turns out that the majority of that no bid contract money, 143 million taxpayer dollars, went to this kind of mysterious LLC in Delaware. An LLC that was created just days before it got that no bid contract. Just days. And the man who owns the home that that LLC list as its address, did not respond to ProPublica's questions. Now, when asked why the agency chose that LLC, DHS said, quote, the results speak for themselves, and then proceeded to claim that Trump has made the border the most secure it has been in American history? Not exactly answering the question. So they just gave a $143 million no bid contract to a brand new LLC that no one seems to know anything about? That is obviously a scandal enough to begin with. Then there's this. This is an ad Kristi Noem shot on October 2, which, by the way, was the second day of the government shutdown. So while hundreds of thousands of federal workers went without pay, including the nearly 50,000 TSA workers that work under Noemi, Noem donned a cowboy hat and had a production company film her riding horseback with buffalo. And whether or not you care about the very weird content of the ad, you should care about who made it. Because according to ProPublica's new reporting, that ad was made by a company called Strategy Group, which is run by a man who is not only the husband of Nome's chief DHS spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin. Yes, she's a something, but also has personal and business ties to Noam herself. And the company's name, Strategy Group does not appear on any of the public documents about the contract. Instead, the group listed on the contract is the mysterious Delaware LLC that DHS gave that $143 million contract to. I should say the DHS said in a statement to ProPublica that it does all of its contracting by the book. Okay, but the office in charge of funding ad contracts at DHS is the Office of Public affairs, which is run by none other than DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. And when she was asked about why DHS ended up using her husband's company, Strategy Group, to make that ad, she replied with this. We don't have visibility into why they were chosen. I don't know who they're a subcontractor with, but I don't work with them because I have a conflict of interest and I fully recuse myself. My marriage is one thing and work is another. I don't combine them. Well, Trisha, they seem pretty freaking combined right now, don't they? I mean, her husband, the CEO of Strategy Group, Ben Yoho, did not respond to ProPublica's questions. So not only did DHS give a $143 million no bid contract to an unknown LLC, but that unknown LLC then hired someone tied to Nome, someone literally married to the Nomad in charge of giving out DHS ad contracts. And believe it or not, this is not the first scandal about Noem and this company, the Strategy Group. See, back when she was governor Noem's office hired Strategy Group to make these ads. Yet again. A lot of costumes going on here. This is Noem dressed as a state trooper, a construction worker, a nurse, an accountant. Here's Gnome dressed as an electrician, a welder, a dentist, and my favorite, a plumber. There were a lot of these ads, millions of dollars worth paid for by South Dakota taxpayers. Those ads were the result of a bidding process, and the state says the process was done by the book. But ProPublica reports that a former official from Nome South Dakota governor's office has since alleged that the bidding process was rigged. The former official said that a top GNOME aide told them the governor would be angry if Strategy Group didn't win the contract. And then contemporaneous text Messages reviewed by ProPublica corroborated that account, showing that senior NOME administration officials pushing for Strategy Group to get the contract. There's all that. Gnome, of course, denies those allegations. I should note that MSNBC has not independently verified ProPublica's reporting. But if this reporting is accurate and it's very detailed, and a company run by someone with personal and business ties to Noem herself has managed to score government contracts, huge ones from nome's agency, with no bidding process and literally zero transparency, that should at least very much be a call for an investigation from somewhere. If not cause for Noem to be forced to ride off in the sunset on one of those horses. Coming up, as the Epstein scandal reaches a boiling point, one candidate for his office is asking a simple but important question. Why on earth is this a partisan issue? James Talarico is running for Senate in Texas. I'm going to play you his incredibly powerful remarks and talk to him all about it next. The Epstein files are clearly a big political problem for Donald Trump. But this saga is about so much more than him. At its core, this is a moral issue about justice for the survivors and holding those involved to account. Something that is easily lost, too often lost in the back and forth about the political side. So here's what our next guest has to say about that.

[James Talarico]

When did pedophilia become a partisan issue? The American people deserve to know the whole truth about Jeffrey Epstein and every single powerful person who enabled him. Every name, every flight log, every cover up, all of it. The White House and Congressional Republicans are hiding the Epstein files. Why? These are the same politicians who call librarians, groomers, who call their political opponents pedophiles. And, and to be clear, if there is a Democrat on that list, I will be the first to call for their prosecution. Because if there's one thing we should all be able to agree on, Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and progressives, it's that no one, including the President of the United States, should be able to cover up crimes against children.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

Joining me now is James Talarico, Democratic candidate for the U.S. senate in Texas. I played that. You have a way of kind of cutting through the bs, which I don't think everybody does. You talk about this a little bit differently than a lot of people I've heard talk about it. And some of the points you made in there is that it really. It's about the survivors, that. About holding anyone that was involved to account, regardless of their political affiliation. And I said this last night, if there are Democrats in there, by all means, they should be investigated, too. Tell me why it was important to you to make those points that you just did.

[James Talarico]

Well, before I was a politician, I was a public school teacher. And a lot of the work I've done in the state legislature is focused on helping students like the ones I taught in San Antonio, and kids just like them all over the state. And so this scandal, this. This issue with Jeffrey Epstein and his human trafficking of children in this country and around the world, it makes me sick to my stomach. And I feel like we've got to get to the bottom of this pedophile ring. We have to know who enabled it, who supported it, and who covered it up. And that should be a lot bigger than party. It should be a lot bigger than partisan politics. This is not about right versus left. This is right versus wrong. And I hope that we get all the files, I hope we get all the information so that we can hold those responsible accountable.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

It's stories about a lot of things. It's also about a set of rules for the rich and powerful and a different set of rules for everybody else. There are a lot of moments right now that are about that, but this certainly highlights it. A really core of the message of your campaign is that the political struggle in this country shouldn't be about left versus right, but about top versus bottom. How do you see that all play out here?

[James Talarico]

Yeah, this is a prime example where those at the top, both people who are at the top of our economy and those who are at the top of our government collude to help each other. And sometimes that means breaking the law. And so while the rest of us play by one set of rules, the rich and the powerful play by another. And I think American across the political spectrum are tired of this broken system. And they're ready to join together across partisan divides, racial divides, gender divides, religious divides, so that we can finally take power back for working people in Texas.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

And across the country with a lot of these issues. I mean, whether it's Epstein or SNAP benefits, there are a lot we could talk about. There also seems to be a big overlap between the political and the moral. And, and this week, and when I saw this, I was really looking forward to asking about it. America's Roman Catholic bishops released a rare and near unanimous statement rebuking the Trump administration's aggressive deportation campaign. Something I think we've all been watching with horror now for months, and really framing it as strictly a moral issue. You're, of course, a seminary student, and faith is very integral to who you are and to your politics. How do you think about this overlap between the political and the moral in this moment we're living through right now?

[James Talarico]

Well, I'm a Presbyterian, but I am so proud of my Catholic brothers and sisters for stepping up in this moment. I'm particularly proud of the new pope, Pope Leo, and how he has courageously spoken truth to power in this country. You know, there's a question in Scripture, right after Jesus teaches us Christians to love thy neighbor, someone speaks up in the crowd and they ask, who is my neighbor? And to me, that is the profound question in this country and around the world right now. My neighbor is the child going to bed hungry tonight. My neighbor is the worker making poverty level wages right here in Texas. My neighbor is the mother kidnapped by masked men in unmarked vehicles off of our streets. And that is who I am called to love. And so my faith, that my faith calls me from the sanctuary to the streets. It calls me to look after my neighbors, particularly those who are being attacked by the most powerful people in this country.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

I think that's such an important reminder in this moment. It sometimes is hard to see through all of the struggles, all the political battles out there, and there's honestly a lot of the suffering out there, too. And just remember that we're all people and we're neighbors and human beings and it's important to take care of each other. James Tallarico, always a pleasure talking to you. Thank you so much for joining me tonight.

[James Talarico]

Thanks for having me.

[Host/Jen Psaki]

We're gonna take another quick break, but I've got one more thing to tell you about before we go. We'll be right back. One more thing before we go. When we're back here next, next Tuesday night, we will officially be Ms. Now we'll actually officially be Ms. Now tomorrow. And I'll be on the weekend morning show tomorrow too, but it will still be me. Next Tuesday there will still be the briefing with Jen Psaki. If you DVR the show, maybe double check that you're still set to record us, but other than that, you literally don't have to do a thing. All of us will be right here at the time you expect to see us doing our shows, talking about the same things, never holding back, just as we always do. Same mission, New name. That's it. That does it for me tonight.

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