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What's up, everyone? And welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. Yesterday we learned that Judge Engelmeier was denying the requests made by the Trump administration when it comes to the grand jury documents. And Ghislaine Maxwell. And not only did he deny the Trump administration's request, he absolutely blasted them in his memorandum and opinion. And the judge basically said that the whole entire thing was nothing more than a distraction and that the information that's within the grand jury testimony is already publicly known and that the request made by the DOJ was a diversionary tactic. And I agree with them. That's exactly what it was. There was nothing inside of those grand jury documents that's going to move the needle, that's going to tell us the story about people who were involved. And look, the federal government has never had any interest in blowing the doors off this thing. If they did, Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein both would have been hit with RICO charges. Right? But when the person that you're charging is a former asset, the last thing you want to do is hit him with RICO charges because that's going to bring everybody else into the fold. Everybody else is going to be part of the investigation now. And that's one thing that they had to avoid at all costs. And that's why you never saw a RICO case when it comes to Maxwell or Epstein or anyone involved with them. Now, we had some SECO cases, right, some civil RICO cases, but they don't amount to much. It's the same thing as the civil case overall. You're just dragging more people into it. But when we're talking about RICO in the criminal capacity, if you get caught up in a RICO case, all bets are off. Everything becomes valid when it comes to the government and their investigation. Whatever kind of money you've received from someone, whatever kind of money you've sent, and if you've sent or received money to somebody under investigation for rico, the government can now drag you into that case for receiving ill gotten gains. And considering the roster of who's who when it comes to Epstein, you knew that was never going to happen. If they really wanted justice and if they really wanted to get to the bottom of all of this, they had all the tools right there at their disposal and, and they chose not to use them. And it was all by design, just like this ridiculous request for grand jury documentation that they knew was going to be rejected. So on this version of the Morning Update, we're going to talk a little bit more about that. And we're also going to talk about Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna and their press conference that they're going to have in D.C. with the survivors. So first things first, let's dive into this article from CNN and the headline, judges brutal rebuke of Trump's Epstein Gambit. This article was authored by Aaron Blake. For weeks, the Trump administration has made a series of rather curious moves related to the Jeffrey Epstein files. Yeah, that's putting it mildly. Every time they make a move or say something, they dig the hole deeper. It has gone back on promises of extensive disclosure. It's misled about the situation. It's strained to avoid acknowledging President Donald Trump's ties to Epstein. It's treated Ghislaine Maxwell suspiciously well in still unexplained ways. And it has taken actions geared towards supposed transparency that didn't appear all that transparent. And all of that's true. I know a lot of people don't like cnn and I hear you. They talk a lot of. But that doesn't mean everything they say is. And when it comes to what's going on with Trump, there's no doubt that the transparency is lacking. Remember his own words. What did he say on the Lex Friedman show? What did he say on other shows? So that's where I'm at. I'm holding people accountable. And if you're going to be an elected official and you're going to campaign on something, you can't get mad if you fail to deliver and people hold you accountable. The whole thing has several Epstein victims and their allies suggesting a cover up is afoot. Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the accused sex trafficker. Well, it's true that it looks like a cover up. And I think this cover up is way worse for Trump than the actual ties to Epstein at this point. We all know about the ties to Epstein, but he keeps doubling down and lying and trying to act like he didn't know the guy, like he has no idea who Maxwell is, and like the whole entire thing's a hoax. And I think that's where Trump has run into the biggest problem, because remember, he can end all of this by coming out and saying, look, this is not a hoax. There's a lot of people still involved and we're going to continue to investigate. But the second he got wind that he was John Doe 174, forget it. The whole investigation has to be closed down. Huh? To hell with justice for everybody else. I can't have my name dragged in the mud, God forbid. And On Monday, a key moment arrived. Confirmation that the administration's big initial move towards supposed transparency was, in fact, a smokescreen. Trump's first effort to quell the building backlash was to push for the unsealing of grand jury testimony in the Epstein and Maxwell cases. But even at the time, experts cautioned how limited a step this appeared to be. Well, I don't know if I'm an expert or not, but I told you, there's nothing in those grand jury documents that really is gonna move the needle. Nothing that's going to give us that, oh, moment of clarity where we can put the pieces together finally. And keep in mind, while they were bullshitting us about this, at the same time they were offering accommodations to Ghislaine Maxwell. So instead of one middle finger, they gave you double birds. A judge has now rejected that push in the Maxwell case. But what's key here is his reasoning. It's not that the information is too sensitive, as some wagered it might be. It's that it simply isn't new. In other words, the White House first big move toward shedding light was trying to release documents that don't do that at all. Just like we all said in the beginning. Look, the second they came out with those white binders, I knew we were in trouble. I told you then that was going to go south real quick. And, and here we are, and I'm telling you right now, we're being bullshitted. The whole entire narrative that they're pitching us is bs and other people might move on and might lose interest, but guess what? That's not going to happen around these parts. Around here, it's all systems go for the USS Slap a degenerate. The administration's entire premise that the Maxwell grand jury materials would bring light, meaningful new information about, about Epstein and Maxwell's crimes or the government's investigation into them is demonstrably false. Engelmeier wrote. He said that he asked the administration to identify what information would be new, but it highlighted only scattered words, clauses and occasional sentences. The judge who said in a footnote that even some of the limited highlighted information was already covered by public testimony at Maxwell's trial, and this was all expected. Unfortunately, another waste of time. Instead of going after the NPA or bringing in people who actually matter, they're just bullshitting around, trying to kill time and let the clock run out. And they're doing that because it's been successful for them for all these years, and they know that it's going to continue to be successful for them. And that's because we have this outrage cycle that only lasts for, what, 24 hours for a lot of people, and then they move on to the next thing. But when we're talking about something like this, so draconian, so dastardly. For me, anyway, there is no moving on. I can chew gum and walk at the same time, and so can the doj. They're choosing not to. They're choosing to go down this road, and they're choosing to obfuscate. Engelmeier said those familiar with the case would thus learn next to nothing new. And. And that the information contains no details about anyone besides Epstein and Maxwell having sex with a minor. Any supposed clients of Epstein's, any unknown means or methods of Epstein and Maxwell's crimes, any new places where the crimes occurred, the path of the government investigation, anything about the circumstances of Epstein's death. In other words, the materials contain basically nothing of interest on the key points that. That animate those who want to know more about the Epstein files. They're a nothing burger. And, folks, believe me when I tell you that's what it was all about. It was all about killing some time to make it look like they're doing something. But really, when you look at it, all they've accomplished so far is moving Ghisne Maxwell to a better facility. No justice, no arrest, no indictments. Not even one single document released for the public to look at. What's particularly notable about that is that the content of these documents wouldn't have been some kind of mystery to the administration. It has access to them, and it still built them up as key efforts at transparency. The problem is there's too many people that are just gonna follow along with the administration, no matter what they say or do. They're not gonna critically think because it's politics over people. So you have folks out here that were telling you that, you know, they. There were kids locked in basements at Comet Pizza, and that Jeffrey Epstein was literally part of the cabal. But now that whole entire narrative's changed, right? Oh, there's nothing to see with Jeffrey Epstein. It's just a bunch of bs, Just another Democratic hoax. Meanwhile, these same people have been yelling and screaming about Epstein for years now. But since it's not politically convenient anymore, it's time to abandon ship. It's time to act like everything's just a big hoax. Well, the real hoax is the administration telling us that they want to be transparent. That's the hoax. Because if they wanted to be transparent, they could be. But instead, we get more. More lies and more kicking the can down the road. All of which leads Engelmeier to suggest the administration knew better all along and might have intended to create a diversion. That's exactly what I think they did. I know people don't want to hear it, but it's the truth. What other reason could there be? They want you to think that some grand jury documents are coming out and you're paying attention to that as they move Ghislaine Maxwell's bitch ass to another facility where she can do some crocheting and yoga. I mean, come on, folks, it's quite obvious that you've been taken for a ride here. A member of the public appreciating that the Maxwell grand jury materials do not contribute anything to public knowledge might conclude that the government's motion for their unsealing was aimed not at transparency, but at diversion, aimed not at full disclosure, but at the illusion of such. He wrote. And that's pretty much where I'm at. It was all just a juke, right? Just another pump fake to get you to look away from what's really important and look at other things. But what it really was was red meat for their base. That's what they were trying to do, rally the base, give them a few talking points to counter the talking points that have popped up that have been going against the Trump administration and his handling of this whole entire fiasco. So they tried to change the narrative. And when it comes to MAGA World and it comes to Team Trump, they were able to do that. And the way they're able to do that is by utilizing these spineless ass influencers who, for whatever reason, people seem to trust. You know, the same people that showed you the white binders. The same people that have been lying to you this whole entire time. Yeah, those same people. Indeed. The judge suggests there is basically one good reason to potentially release the documents, to show the public just what a smokescreen this was. The one colorable argument under that doctrine for unsealing in this case, in fact, is that doing so would expose as disingenuous the government's public explanations for moving to unseal, he wrote. It's a stunning rebuke of the administration that comes at an inauspicious time. The administration has already resisted disclosing anything related to its other move to quell the Epstein backlash. More than two weeks after the Justice Department's interview with Maxwell, we still know next to nothing about it. About all we've learned is that she's been moved to A lower security prison camp. And the administration still hasn't explained why. Now we learn that one of the administration's other efforts at supposed transparency won't produce anything. And predictably so. Another judge overseeing the request for grand jury transcripts in Epstein's case has yet to rule. So why does the administration keep stepping in it and waiting for others to force its hand on disclosure? Was this just Trump deciding this? Was the play and the Justice Department trying to make the most of it, or was this an effort to make a judge reject them and then to blame the judge? Either way, it's not about to satisfy those who truly care about the Epstein files. And when you look at the rhetoric and the narrative that's been formed, just like I predicted, they're attacking the judge. Oh, the liberal judge, the appointed judge from so and so. They don't want the truth out. Well, the real truth is that the Trump administration doesn't need the judge to get the truth out, but they needed a scapegoat. And that might work for the foaming at the mouth base, but for the rest of us that haven't forgotten what nuanced thinking is, it's not going to fly. And that's why I told you it was a bunch of. From the very beginning, the increasing question for them, and especially those in the MAGA movement who really pressed this issue for years, is whether they begin to see through this effort and, and see it as the COVID up that Epstein's victims and their allies have suggested. At this point, even Stevie Wonder can see that the fix is in. All right, so we're moving on to our second article. And this article is from the Daily Beast, and the headline, trump Nemesis Is Bringing Epstein Victims to Capitol to Push for File Release. This article was authored by Ewan Palmer, and this is the way of it. The survivors should be involved in anything that's going on. I mean, are you kidding right now? You're going to have these meetings, these committees, all of these press opportunities, and not one survivor showing up to talk about Epstein and what happened. But sure, let's have libs of Tick Tock and Drano, D.C. and Scott Pressler show up and let's give them some stupid ass white binders about Jeffrey Epstein and promise transparency for the whole world to see. And then a few months later, it's like, ah, come on, guy, I'm just kidding. We're not gonna have transparency. That's basically what Trump did, right? And the fact that people are still buying into it and giving the administration the benefit of the doubt is mind boggling. A rebel Republican congressman has invited multiple victims of Jeffrey Epstein to a press conference at the US Capitol as part of a bipartisan push to force the release of of legal files linked to the late pedophile. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a thorn in Donald Trump's side for his frequent objections to the president's spending bills and foreign policies, said that he and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna will be hosting the September 3rd conference. Well, it's about time somebody talked about the survivors, huh? I mean, holy. Let me be clear. These women are not happy about what's going on. And the more bullshit stunts that we see from the administration, the harder the pushback's going to be. I don't think MAGA or Trump really understand who they're dealing with here and the sort of persistence that these folks have. The event will feature survivors of abuse by Epstein and his associate Glenn Maxwell, several of whom will be speaking out for the first time, according to the lawmakers. Well, that's cool. That's a good thing and this is a positive move. I know I sit here and give you doom and gloom lately, but unfortunately that's all there is to report. But this is a step in the right direction. Let's get the survivors involved, let's have them give their stories in their own words and let's let the people decide. And that's what I've always said to you folks. I'm not here to convince anybody of anything. I'm here to open some doors and if you choose to walk through them, that's up to you. But nobody can say that the information wasn't out there for them. Nobody can say that they didn't know. Massie and Khanna will also provide an update on their discharge petition, which would force a House vote on releasing the Epstein files, as well as discuss the Epstein File Transparency act, which if passed, would require Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all documents related to to the billionaire financier in a searchable and downloadable format. Yo, I am 100,000% behind that. That's what needs to occur and it needs to occur yesterday. The survivors deserve justice and the American people deserve transparency. Massa and Khanna both wrote on X. Even before Massie helped pile on the pressure on Trump over the administration's backpedaling on its promise to release the Epstein files, the Kentucky congressman had felt the wrath of the president. Massie has made a name for himself for dissenting on GOP backed legislation, including voting twice against the president's one big, beautiful spending bill. Well, yeah, Massie's always been this way. He's a social conservative. That's what he does. This is the kind of thing that he votes on and votes against all the time. This is nothing new. Trump, a longtime friend of Epstein whose name is reported to feature in the files, has been unable to shake off claims of a cover up over the pedophile who died in a Manhattan jail in August 2019, despite his multiple distraction attempts. And let's be real, that's what all this was, just a big old distraction. Last week, Trump denied reports that several of the top officials in his administration and including Vice President J.D. vance Bondi and FBI Director Cash Patel, held a secret meeting to discuss the best way to handle the Epstein crisis. Trump suggested the whole thing is a hoax orchestrated by the Democrats. It's put out by the Democrats because we've had the most successful six months in the history of our country, and that's just their way of trying to divert attention to something that's totally Trump said. The White House Massie and Khanna did not immediately respond to a request for further comment from the Daily Beast. So look, this is a positive step. Now, the motivations might not be positive or pure, but guess what? Giving the survivors a platform is the way to go. So we'll see what happens before then and what other news breaks. But I certainly applaud Mr. Massey and and Mr. Khanna for this move. And I think that more people with platforms should be interested in hearing from the survivors because they're the ones who know what happened and they're the ones that know the truth. All of the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box. What's up, everyone? And welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna are pushing hard to get this discharge petition over the finish line. And while Thomas Massie is hoping that he'll get the signatures from his own colleagues in the Republican Party, he might not even need their help. And that's because there's some special elections coming up and it looks like the Democrats are going to win those seats. So when everything's all said and done, Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene might not need any of their colleagues to help them out because they're gonna get over the line here with these Democratic supporters. And it's like we live in the upside down world. Up until recently, it seemed like the GOP was the one making the push when it comes to Epstein and transparency. But all of a sudden, in the upside down world we live in, the GOP all of a sudden has had a change of heart and they want to protect Jeffrey Epstein and his friends. Seems a bit weird, no? And I have no idea why anyone would be against signing this petition, especially those that are confident that Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein and abusing girls. You would think that you'd want this stuff released to clear your name, to show everybody, look, I had nothing to do with this. But your boy Bill Clinton, on the other hand, he most certainly did. You know, you would think that's what they want to do, right? But no, instead it's pushback. Instead it's argue. And then, not only that, but now it's on the survivors, right? Oh, well, they're just people looking for money. They're just people who are lying. A few years ago, you were saying those very people were telling the truth when you thought it was going to bring down Bill Clinton, when you thought that Bill Gates was caught up, when you thought that Tom Hanks was going to get set to get mo. But now you're singing a different tune. Well, that tune is straight garbage. And, and nobody wants to hear it. And at this point, all these people that are refusing to sign this discharge petition, I don't want to hear anything from them ever again about how they're the champions of children and about how they're defending the American people. This article was published by the Hill and the headline, the Epstein Discharge Petition is Headed for Success with a Nudge from the Dems. This article was authored by Mike Illis. Incoming Democrats are poised to advance legislation forcing the Trump administration to release the the federal files on Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. Up to now, the focus on Capitol Hill has been on which Republicans might buck President Trump and GOP leaders and endorse a procedural tool known as a discharge petition to force that proposal to the floor, even over the objections of Speaker Mike Johnson. The effort, sponsored by Thomas Massie the has support of 216 lawmakers too shy of the number needed to compel the vote. Imagine being one of these members of Congress and playing this game. Just sign the petition and let's see what happens. Let's see what's in there. And the more you protest, the more you act like there is nothing to see, the more people are going to have questions about the actual contents of the files. So instead of making things more difficult for yourself, why don't you just release everything you have and let the chips fall where they may. And as a congressman or woman, how could you be against that? Like, I don't think there's any quality explanation for being against transparency when it comes to something like this. We're not talking about national security. We're not talking about anything here that should necessitate this kind of silence and secrecy, unless, of course, you're hiding something. But there are currently four vacant seats in the House, and three of them cover deep blue districts where the Democrat is expected to prevail in special elections slated for later this year. Two of those elections will happen this month, and both of the Democratic candidates are vowing to sign the petition as soon as they arrive on Capitol Hill enough to hit the magical two at number required to force the Epstein bill to the floor. And you already know people are going to be like, oh, this is all political. Look at all the Democrats who signed. Well, how about having some backbone and hopping the aisle and signing as well? Again, we're not talking about your usual disputes here, folks. We're not talking about some kind of back end loaded bill that's filled with all kinds of pork, nothing like that. We're talking about a petition to release all of the files. And do you really think that we're going to get full transparency unless they're forced to do it? I mean, come on already. In Virginia, Democrat James Wilkinshaw is running to replace late Representative Gerry Connolly in a special election scheduled for September 9th. After a number of Epstein accusers appeared on Capitol Hill this week to urge Congress to pass the bill, Walkinshaw made clear that he would help in in the effort. We cannot ignore the calls from these survivors he posted Wednesday on Social Platform X. If elected, I will sign the Epstein files discharge petition to a vote on releasing the files. Why is that such a difficult thing to do? Why do we have to wait for these people coming in to do it? You mean to tell me that all of these GOP representatives that talked all that big talk about kids, this, that, the other thing, all of a sudden they don't have any backbone, huh? Absolutely pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Wilkinshaw then challenged his GOP opponent, Stuart Whitson to do the same. In Arizona, the special election to replace late Representative Raul Grilava is slated for September 23rd. The favorite in the blue district is his daughter, Adelita Gravala, whose office said this week that she, she was also on board. And what's wild to me is that the GOP has let the Democrats steal this narrative from them. This has been one of their biggest talking points right I mean, we all heard the talk about Pizzagate. We all heard the talk about, you know, Wayfair. We all heard the talk about this one and that one being arrested. We all heard about the storm that was coming. And now that they have the chance to really rip the curtain back and show us what's in the room, all these cowards punk out. Cool. You can support that if you want. I'm certainly not going to. Instead, I'll continue to sit here and call for transparency and for the truth. Adelita would sign the discharge petition, a spokesperson for her campaign said on Thursday in an email. A third special election to replace late Representative Sylvester Turner in Texas in a deep blue Houston district is slated for November 4th. The Walkinshaw and Gravala signatures alone would put the discharge petition over the top with 218 endorsements, unless one or more of the Republican supporters pull their name before the Democrats arrive. And I'd say there's a chance of that happening, right? With the pressure coming from MAGA influencers, with the pressure coming from the president himself, a lot of these people are gonna buckle. A lot of these people rode into power on Donald Trump's coattails. Currently, there are four GOP lawmakers on the petition. Massie, Nancy Mace, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lauren Boebert. But Johnson and the White House have both been pressing other GOP lawmakers not to add their names. And Greene said the lobbying campaign extends to those who have already endorsed. So basically what they're saying is fall in line or else. And you're already seeing it. Look at what Laura Loomer has to say about Marjorie Taylor Greene out here talking all kinds of crazy. I got a lot of pushback. I got phone call after phone call last night. Green said in an interview with Real America's Voice on Wednesday, a day after she had endorsed the petition. The White House didn't want me to sign the discharge petition. They want to focus on the oversight investigation. You mean they want to focus on what they have control over. That's because they want to curate the news that's coming out. They wanna make sure that you're getting only what they want you to get. They don't want you to see just how fucked up this really was. And I think that's really at the core of all of this. I know there's people out there that think that Trump is trying to protect his own secrets when it comes to, you know, devious behavior with Epstein. I don't believe that. What I think Trump is doing is protecting the Institutions themselves, the rot itself, and that's because I know a lot of you don't want to hear it, but Trump is part of the swamp. I mean, there's no other explanation, no other explanation whatsoever. There is no reason for Donald Trump to be doing what he's doing unless he's protecting someone or something. The Oversight Committee investigation, led by Chairman James Comer, is the preferred route of Johnson, Trump and other GOP leaders. The panel has already subpoenaed the Justice Department and Epstein's estate for documents. Earlier this week, Comer released more than 30,000 files turned over by the DOJ. Supporters of that strategy say it's the better route because, unlike Massie's effort, it can proceed unilaterally without House and the Senate having to pass it. It goes further, and it has a force of law. Because we have subpoena authorities, it makes the discharge irrelevant and unnecessary, Johnson said this week. The speaker also predicted that Massie won't succeed in finding the additional two signatures he needs to compel his legislation to the floor. I don't expect he will, he said. Well, I think he's going to, and I think that Mr. Johnson is going to look real stupid when it happens. And again, just to reiterate, if you're a big fan of Donald Trump, you should want this stuff to come out because it'll clear him, Right? He didn't do anything wrong. According to him. According to his supporters, he has nothing to worry about. So why call it a hoax? Why say that all of this is fake? Why the major pushback? Why cause the rift in your own base? None of it adds up, and it certainly doesn't add up with the narrative that we're being fed. Massie has rejected those arguments. He says the oversight investigation is a farce because. Because the vast majority of the DOJ files turned over to the committee had already been made public and they were heavily redacted. He also accused the Trump administration of selectively curating those releases to avoid any embarrassing revelations about the president's friends and donors. That's what it comes down to, point blank, period. And I've told you this from day one, the real enemy here, the real scumbag in the room, the financial sector, These are the people that are being protected. These are the people they're talking about when they say, oh, his friends are being protected, his donors. Yeah, the people that actually run the world. You know, the people that are excited that we're all fighting with each other all the time. Yeah, those very same people. The doj release to the Oversight Committee was completely managed by the White House, massie said this week. It's not like they refused to give over the documents. They were subpoenaed and the Oversight Committee went over and seized those documents. No, they said, listen, that's a pain and it's not necessary here. Why don't we give you some documents? We'll make sure the redactions we want to make and that the subpoena will be unnecessary. The Kentucky Republican added, that's what's happening. It's a negotiated exchange, 100%, just like with Maxwell. And there's still people out here that refuse to accept it because of politics. Massey's legislation, sponsored with Ro Khanna, would require the DOJ to release virtually all of its files on investigation into Epstein, a convicted sex offender who killed himself in prison in 2019 allegedly, and his longtime associate, co conspirator, fellow child abuser and bipedal serpent Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison for crimes related to the sexual abuse of minors. Massie did not mention the looming special elections poised to send more Democrats to Capitol Hill, but he predicted he'll cross the threshold of signatures and he's ready to play the long game. I think it's a matter of time, the lawmaker said. But this discharge petition is going to be live until the end of Congress, and it's going to be sitting there and and it just needs two signatures. And I think he's going to get it. Whether it's with the new Democrats that come in or whether it's a few GOP defectors who decide to do the right thing one way or the other. I think this is going to pass. And when it does, Mike Johnson and the doj, they're going to look pretty stupid because the American people, they're going to see that they were being hustled and they're going to see that the 33,000 pages that were released was nothing more than a distraction, considering we've seen most of it. And make no mistake, that's what this all comes down to. This comes down to the DOJ wanting to control the narrative. And the way to do that is to leak what they want to leak. It can't just be a downpour, right? They can't have everything come out at once because that's too many fires to put out. So instead what we see is a control burn where they can manage which corridor the blaze range runs down, and that's what they're attempting to do here. And thankfully Thomas Massie isn't falling for it. And I think when all is said and done, that Mr. Massey is going to be successful and this is all going to come to a vote. So like usual, we're going to continue to follow along as the battle over transparency and Jeffrey Epstein continues to rage. All of the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box. What's up, everyone? And welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. So, as you all know, Thomas Massie has been facing a whole lot of pushback by his own party because he wants to have this discharge petition move forward. And according to Thomas Massie, he said that some of the powers that be, including Mike Johnson, are in panic mode right now about it. And that's because Thomas Massie says he has the votes. So according to him, and this is a quote directly from him, they came back and tried to get the four of us to take our names off of the petition. Massie told SEMAFOR after an event in his Northern Kentucky district. They asked some of my colleagues who are co signers, and they actually threatened them politically, not physically. Can you imagine? And for what? Because they want these files to be public knowledge. They want them to be released. So let's have some kind of witch hunt within the GOP and threaten people professionally because they're demanding the accountability that the administration said they were going to give us. Look, I'm not naive. I didn't expect anything different. But when you see it and you hear it coming directly from people like Thomas Massie or from Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert or even Nancy Mace, you have to ask yourself why they so scared of these files being released. And I know I've said it a bazillion times at this point, but if you're innocent and there's nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about. Release the files and be done with it. And if people are embarrassed because of their relationships with Jeffrey Epstein in the past, well, that's on them. They should have gotten ahead of it. They should have come forward. They should have went to the investigators and said, look, we might have some information that could be helpful in your investigation. They didn't do that. So don't show up now talking about, oh, I don't want to be embarrassed, because I really don't care if you're embarrassed. In fact, I think you should be. I mean, is it too much to ask that people are embarrassed about hanging out with known child predators? But, yeah, we should be worried about your level of embarrassment. And. And while most people are running away from this issue, not only is Thomas Massie standing firm, but also Rand Paul has now thrown his support behind Thomas Massie, and he is voicing the same kind of concerns. Unfortunately, it's not being echoed by enough of their colleagues. So we have to wait for this special election so that they can get the votes that they need to get this to move forward. And that in itself is pathetic. Imagine being a member of Congress and not putting your name to paper when it comes to this. Why? Because you might offend the President? Give me a break already. Because I don't know about you, but I'm tired of watching the same sorry circus play out on Capitol Hill. These are the very same people, folks who swore these oaths to the Constitution, who love to pound their chest about truth, accountability, and now are doing everything in their power to smother what? One of the few honest efforts that we've seen, maybe ever when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein. And that, of course, is the discharge petition being backed by Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, all in hope that it will force sunlight onto the Epstein files. And what do the so called leaders of the GOP do? You already know? They circle the wagons, twist arms behind closed doors, and strong arm their own colleagues to abandon not just the petition, but. But the survivors themselves. Survivors who have been silenced, mocked, gaslit and ignored for decades. Survivors who have had the courage to tell their stories while politicians hid behind excuses. Now, we're not talking about some minor procedural squabble. We're talking about the most infamous sex trafficking operation maybe in modern history. One that reached into the highest levels of power, finance and influence. It's about the network that's so corrupt, so vast, that the very thought of daylight sends shivers through boardrooms, royal palaces, and yes, my friends, the halls of Congress. And yet, when one lawmaker or two like Massey and Khanna have backbone and say, enough. Let the people see the truth, what happens? Well, Thomas Massie's own party leadership was moves to crush him. Not the Democrats this time. Not some shadowy deep state enemy, his own colleagues in the GOP terrified that the floodgates might open. Because make no mistake, this is not about procedure. I mean, they'll tell you that it's not the right time, not the right mechanism, that the discharge petition is too divisive. That's the COVID story. The truth is much simpler. They don't want this petition to succeed because it threatens the cozy architecture of silence they've built brick by brick over the years. It Threatens the donors, the lobbyists, the elite, connections that cross party lines. They'd rather keep you in the dark than risk exposing the names, the flights, the deals, the dinners, the phone calls that tie back to Epstein's disgusting empire. These same politicians will stand up tomorrow and. And preach about family values. They're going to lecture you about morality. They'll hit the campaign trail, promising that they're fighting for the forgotten American. Meanwhile, in the back rooms, they're fighting tooth and nail to keep the survivors of Epstein forgotten, to bury the evidence, to squash transparency, to protect themselves and their benefactors. They'll tell you what they think you want to hear while doing the exact opposite. When? When the cameras are off. This is why people hate politics. This is why trust in institutions has collapsed. Because every time the moment comes to actually deliver, to actually show that truth matters, to actually side with the abused instead of the abusers, well, they'd rather police their own members into silence than risk accountability. And, yo, think about the optics. Here you got Thomas Massie, a man who, whether you agree with him on every issue or not, has shown independence, principle, and a willingness to buck his own leadership. He looks at this discharge petition and says, this is about survivors. This is about justice. This is about transparency. And instead of rallying behind him, his own party leadership tries to break him down. They try to isolate him, shame him, pressure him into compliance. Why? Well, because the truth terrifies them. And here's the thing. It's not even about winning or losing a vote. The petition doesn't guarantee anything other than a chance for debate, Just debate. Just an opportunity to put the Epstein files on the floor and let the chips fall where they may. That's it. That's the grand, dangerous, unspeakable act that the GOP leadership is trying to kill? Letting Congress talk about it openly. Imagine being so afraid of sunlight that you'll stab one of your own in the back just to keep the curtains drawn. And look, we've seen the pattern before, haven't we? Every time it comes to Epstein, the powerful move with one voice. Delay, deny, distract. Oh, they'll give you excuses. They'll talk about process. They'll change the subject to anything else under the sun. They did it when Epstein was arrested. They did it when Epstein died. They did it with Glenn Maxwell's trial. They did it when they moved her to a different facility, and now they're doing it again with a petition that threatens to drag their dirty laundry into public view. Same playbook, same rotten instincts. And what are you, if not A coward. If you fight harder to silence survivors than expose predators, in my estimation, that makes you part of the machine. When you put more energy into protecting Epstein's network then dismantling it, you. You've picked your side. And the side that you've picked is not the American people. The side that you've picked is not justice. The side that you've picked is the predators, the enablers, and the protectors of the corrupt. What does that tell you about the GOP's leadership? Priorities? They'd rather strong arm Thomas Massie than strong arm the truth. That they'd rather cover for Epstein's world than cover for the survivors who live through hell. They'll spend their political capital defending lobbyists, donors and unnamed figures in flight logs. But God forbid they spend a dime defending the survivors who beg for years to be heard. And while our so called kings and queens are playing their games, survivors once again are being told that they don't matter. That justice for them is too inconvenient. That truth for them is too dangerous. That their voices can be sacrificed on the altar on of political expediency. Imagine the insult. Imagine the betrayal. After everything that these women have endured, Congress still finds new ways to spit in their faces. And folks, this is what corruption looks like. Not in some cartoonish form of bags of money being handed over in smoky rooms, but in the grinding, relentless suppression of the truth. In the way party leadership tells a member of Congress. Don't you dare shine a light. Don't you dare give survivors hope. Don't you dare upset the balance of power. That's corruption. That's rot. And it's on full display right now. So let's drop the polite pretense. The GOP leadership is not protecting the integrity of Congress. They're not defending proper process. They're not thinking about timing, strategy, or unity. They're protecting themselves. They're protecting their friends. They are protecting the donors. They're protecting the same elite class that has been protected at every stage of this scandal. And it's shameful because the American people are watching. They know the score. They see the hypocrisy. They understand that when the chips are down, most of Congress folds. And every time it happens, trust erodes further. Every time it happens, the distance between the governed and the governing widens. And every time it happens, the. The anger grows. The leadership of the GOP is playing with fire. They think they can keep the lid on this forever. They think they can muscle one member into silence and the whole problem goes away. But that's not how this works. Truth doesn't work like that. You can stall, you can suppress, you can bully. But eventually, like I always say, this dam is going to break. And when it does, the question will be asked. Where were you when justice was on the line? And Thomas Massie, love him or hate him, will be able to say, I tried. I stood up. I put my name on the line. What will the rest of them say? That they sat in the back room and twisted his arm? That they protected Epstein's network instead of his victims. That's going to be their legacy. That's what they're going to be remembered for. So let's be crystal clear. The GOP leadership, when it comes to Epstein, is not fighting for you. They're not fighting for survivors. They're fighting for the powerful. They're fighting for silence. They're fighting to keep the system of protection intact. And they're doing it so openly, so brazenly, that it should make your blood boil. Because remember, this is not just a story about politics. This is the story about survivors and us versus power. And right now, power is winning because the leadership of the Republican Party is. Is doing everything in its power to crush one man's attempt to bring daylight. And that's what this fight is. That's why it matters. And that's why every single one of us should be furious. Because when the day finally comes. And, boy, I hope it will. When the secrets spill out, when the truth can no longer be denied, every name that tried to kill this petition will be dragged into the light along with Epstein's. And history will not forgive them. History will not remember them kindly. History will remember them as enablers, cowards, and protectors of the corrupt. So buckle up, because this is not over. And no matter how hard the leadership tries to choke this off, no matter how many arms they twist or threats they make, the truth has a funny way of clawing its way out of the dark. All of the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box.