Michael Cohen on the Epstein Files, and Amy Hinojosa talks about what's happening with the immigration raids

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Jim Acosta Show Episode Title: Michael Cohen on the Epstein Files, and Amy Hinojosa Talks About What's Happening with the Immigration Raids
Host: Jim Acosta
Release Date: July 21, 2025
Description: Don't give into the lies. Don't give into fear. Hold on to the truth. And hope. jimacosta.substack.com

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Overview

In this compelling episode of "The Jim Acosta Show," host Jim Acosta delves deep into two pressing issues dominating the political landscape: the enigmatic Epstein Files and the controversial immigration raids orchestrated by the current administration. Featuring an insightful conversation with former Trump associate Michael Cohen and a powerful interview with Latino civil rights advocate Amy Hinojosa, the episode unpacks the complexities and implications of these topics on American society and governance.

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Michael Cohen Discusses the Epstein Files and Trump's Defensive Maneuvers

Timestamp: 00:00 – 25:54

Jim Acosta opens the show by addressing the ongoing distractions from former President Donald Trump, particularly focusing on his attempts to divert attention from the Jeffrey Epstein case. Acosta highlights Trump's use of social media to disseminate misleading information, such as “AI videos of Obama being arrested” and controversies surrounding the Washington Commanders' name change.

Cohen's Insights:

Michael Cohen paints a vivid picture of the Epstein Files as a "12-legged octopus" with tentacles reaching every possible direction, symbolizing the extensive and multifaceted nature of the case. He criticizes public figures like Pam Bondi for mishandling sensitive information, arguing that such actions merely fuel conspiracy theories.

[00:54] Michael Cohen: "If you want to do something stupid, do it in private."

Cohen expresses his skepticism about Trump's concerns, suggesting that Trump is less worried about the contents of the Epstein Files and more about being implicated by them. He predicts that the refusal to release the files will inevitably lead to their public disclosure, either through congressional action or wider public dissemination.

[02:33] Michael Cohen: "I believe that he's more pissed at the fact that they put him in this situation."

The conversation shifts to the Wall Street Journal's recent reporting on Trump’s alleged birthday card to Epstein, which Cohen dismisses as non-criminal and trivial compared to the broader implications of the case.

[06:06] Michael Cohen: "It's stupid because there's no criminality in a stupid card."

Cohen also critiques the media's handling of the Epstein Files, suggesting that outlets are more interested in creating sensational headlines rather than focusing on substantial issues. He underscores the potential legal repercussions for Trump, highlighting ongoing lawsuits and the strategic maneuvering within the Department of Justice to weaponize legal actions against critics.

[08:49] Michael Cohen: "Trump has learned how to really weaponize the Department of Justice."

As the discussion progresses, Cohen rejects any notion that he is defending Trump, clarifying his position based on his 13-year association with the former president. He underscores the importance of releasing the Epstein Files to uncover the truth, emphasizing the need for transparency.

[20:23] Michael Cohen: "Everything is a possibility because they refused to release the file."

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Amy Hinojosa Addresses the Crisis in Immigration Detention Facilities

Timestamp: 27:11 – 45:18

Transitioning from political scandals, Jim Acosta introduces Amy Hinojosa, a Latino civil rights advocate and CEO of MANA, to shed light on the harrowing conditions within immigration detention facilities. Acosta references a recent report by Human Rights Watch and other organizations detailing inhumane treatment of migrants in South Florida detention centers.

Hinojosa's Perspective:

Amy Hinojosa vehemently condemns the deplorable conditions faced by migrants, describing them as "cruel" and "depraved." She criticizes the administration’s policies, which she argues are designed to instill fear within the Latino community, ultimately aiming to disrupt their economic and social contributions to the United States.

[30:38] Amy Hinojosa: "It's cruel, it's depraved. They want Latinos in the United States to be scared."

Hinojosa emphasizes the vital role that Latinos play in the American economy, contributing significantly to GDP and performing essential labor in various sectors. She highlights the irony of policies that aim to deport hardworking individuals who are foundational to the country's economic infrastructure.

[31:41] Amy Hinojosa: "We're the backbone of this country."

Addressing specific incidents, such as the deportation of an 82-year-old man to Guatemala, Hinojosa underscores the administrative failures and the emotional trauma inflicted on families. She calls for a reassessment of immigration policies, stressing the importance of humane treatment and the recognition of immigrants as integral members of society.

[34:19] Amy Hinojosa: "This is the country we're from."

Hinojosa also critiques the leadership behind the immigration policies, pointing fingers at figures like Stephen Miller. She argues that the enforcers' disdain towards immigrants is rooted in deeply ingrained prejudices, which must be challenged and eradicated through community solidarity and advocacy.

[40:35] Amy Hinojosa: "Who hurt you?"

The conversation delves into the historical context of migrant labor, referencing past failed initiatives and current policy discrepancies that ignore the lessons learned. Hinojosa calls for collective action and a strong community response to counteract the administration's oppressive measures.

[43:02] Amy Hinojosa: "You're absolutely right. [...] Without Latinos, it's just not possible."

Hinojosa concludes with a powerful message of resilience and unity, urging listeners to recognize the essential contributions of immigrants and to stand against policies that seek to marginalize and dehumanize them.

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Closing Remarks

In the final segments, Jim Acosta reinforces the need for transparency and accountability from leadership, reiterating the critical issues discussed with Cohen and Hinojosa. He challenges Trump to release the Epstein Files unredacted and condemns the administration's distractions and missteps in handling both political scandals and immigration policies. Acosta emphasizes the importance of informed public discourse and the unwavering pursuit of truth and justice.

[26:00] Jim Acosta: "Until he releases those files, we're not gonna stop asking the questions here."

The episode concludes with Acosta commending Amy Hinojosa for her courageous advocacy and underscoring the necessity of continued conversations on these pivotal issues.

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Key Takeaways:

• Epstein Files: Michael Cohen criticizes the mishandling and politicization of the Epstein Files, urging for their full release to uncover hidden truths and hold accountable those implicated.

• Immigration Raids: Amy Hinojosa highlights the inhumane treatment of migrants in detention facilities, emphasizing the economic and social contributions of the Latino community and calling for compassionate and just immigration policies.

• Political Accountability: Both guests stress the importance of transparency and accountability from political leaders, advocating for systemic changes to ensure justice and uphold human rights.

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This episode of "The Jim Acosta Show" serves as a vital exposé on the intertwining of political maneuvers and human rights issues, offering listeners an in-depth understanding of the challenges facing American society today.

Transcript

[Jim Acosta]

Welcome everybody, to the Jim Acosta show. It is Monday and Trump is still looking like a man with something to hide. He is doing everything he can to make us talk about something besides the Jeffrey Epstein case. He's tweeting out AI videos of Obama being arrested. He's talking about my Washington commanders. I got the hat right here. I got Michael Cohen on the show, Michael. I mean, you know, Trump is talking about holding up a stadium deal for the commanders in D.C. if they don't change their name back to the redskins. But in 2013, he tweeted this president should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name. Our country has far bigger problems. Focus on them, not nonsense. So, I mean, as you know, Michael, there's a tweet for everything. But he, to me, he looks like somebody who has something to hide. And he's looked this way for a couple of weeks ever since the DOJ tried to sweep things under the rug with that memo. But we haven't talked in a while about all this stuff. I gotta get your thoughts. What are you thinking right now?

[Michael Cohen]

So, you know, there's so many different aspects to this Jeffrey Epstein file. It's almost like the 12 legged octopus, right? It's got tentacles going in every single direction imaginable. So let's just start with the issue of the file, right? What a dumb thing. If you think about for Pam Bondi and the others to come out in front of the camera. You see, that's the whole thing. If you want to do something stupid, do it in private. But when you go out and you hold up, you know, a three ring notebook binder that actually on the front of it has the Epstein file with FBI and all that, and then you claim that you have all of this information, meaning Epstein's client list, on your desk and we are going to release it. Right. The President wants. And then all of a sudden you don't. Well, what are you doing? You are inviting conspiracy theory right into your home. And that's what they got. And that's what's bothering Trump. I don't think he's concerned about what is inside the file. Believe it or not. I believe that he's more pissed at the fact that they put him in this situation. And, and there is no way out other than releasing the entire unredacted file, whether that's to Congress or to the general public. But they're gonna have no choice but to release it.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, because he's trying to do this thing where, you know, it's too cute by Half. He says, well, we're gonna release the grand jury testimony. The grand jury testimony was in the Epstein case. There's not gonna be any. There aren't gonna be that many mentions of Donald Trump in there. That's not what we're talking about here.

[Michael Cohen]

In fact, there's not gonna be many. Anybody else other than Jeffrey Epstein, maybe Ghislaine Maxwell.

[Jim Acosta]

Right, exactly.

[Michael Cohen]

So, so, so when he.

[Jim Acosta]

When he does that, it just looks like, again, it's. It's the three Card Monty in Times Square.

[Michael Cohen]

Exactly. So to our viewers, so they understand the 302 is the grand jury information, the testimony. What is the purpose of an indictment? How does it work? Yeah, the way that it works is the prosecutors only. There is no defendant, there is no defense counsel. Because the whole purpose is to get the indictment. Which always goes back to the old adage, you could indict a ham sandwich. I could indict you. Tomorrow on stealing rainbow sprinkles from a Carvel. Right. I mean, and you.

[Jim Acosta]

I might have put in two scoops instead of one Carvel.

[Michael Cohen]

I'm lactose intolerant. Right. And you'd be like, I haven't been in the Carvel since I was 10 years old. No, no. You could be indicted for anything because you're not there to defend yourself. It's only what the prosecutors are telling the 12 jurors there, and it's only their side of the story. Okay. In this specific case, they went ahead and they needed to indict Jeffrey Epstein. Chances are, you're right. There is nothing about anybody else in those grand jury statements other than. Than Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, no. And, but I mean, here's the thing. It's reignited the story. It's launched a thousand reporters in ten different directions looking at everything that's under a rock. Mediaite's Tommy Christopher has a look at some of the comments Trump made on the Howard Stern show that have come back to haunt Donald Trump. This is what the story says. Amid the heightened scrutiny of Trump's past, unearthed recordings are being given new life and significance. One such recording is a 2006 interview on Howard Stern in which Stern and his co host Robin Quivers asked Trump about sleeping with younger women. Stern goes, do you think you could now be banging 24 year olds? TRUMP? Oh, absolutely. I have no trouble. Stern, would you do it? Trump? I have no problem. Quivers, do you have an age limit or would you, Trump, if I. No, no, I have no age. I mean, I have no age and Robin Quivers goes the upper bracket. And Trump says, I don't want to be like Congressman Foley with, you know, 12 year olds, reference to Foley, who had a congressional page scandal up on Capitol Hill. But he's talking about, you know, 12 year olds being a limitation there. I mean, this is, this is the issue with this story, Michael. And you know, because you were on the inside with Donald Trump, when these scandals start to bubble up like the Access Hollywood thing, reporters are just going to go in every different direction and they're going to dig up everything that he's ever said, go into every story. I mean, first of all, the fact that Trump said that on Howard Stern is absolutely disgusting. And to me, I mean, there's enough information out there that says Donald Trump has, has an issue in this area. I, I, I don't know how you feel about this, but I know we've talked about the Epstein case before. Are you thinking, with some of the new details that are coming out, the Wall Street Journal story that came out the other day with the drawing, are you any more concerned that you than you were previously about this?

[Michael Cohen]

Michael? No, in fact, I think, and I wrote about it in my substack.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Michael Cohen]

Yesterday, I think the Jeffrey Epstein birthday card, the wonderful secrets. I found it to be possibly the stupidest article that they could have written. Somewhere along the line, they made some sort of a calculation as to whether or not this is going to be good for them with clickbaits and so on. Let's just play it out for one quick second because I still believe that there are so many other things that we should be concentrating on now, other than a birthday card between two individuals. What the extent of their relationship is, I don't know. By the time I joined the Trump Organization, there was no relationship between the two. They allegedly had a massive falling out over the piece of real estate in Palm beach. The one that I was involved with, that was the sale of that property to dimitri roboloviev for $95 million. That's allegedly the thing that broke up their friendship. It's stupid because let's say hypothetically, it's true. Let's just turn around and say hypothetically it's true, it's a stupid card, we'll all acknowledge that. But there's no criminality in a stupid card. So why are we wasting our brain space on it now if in fact.

[Jim Acosta]

But that's my point. My point is, is that, Michael, this is the issue here, because they are trying to cover up the Epstein files for some reason, we don't know what it is, but they're trying to cover it up. It's just going to make the press dig into this stuff even more.

[Michael Cohen]

You know that it's not digging in, Jim, that's the big problem here. It's the conspiracy theories that emanate from it, that, that is the more damaging of the two. So just to finish my thought for a sec. So, okay, if in fact it's true, it's just a stupid card, right? If it's not true. What Wall Street Journal did is they gave Trump a Moab, a mother of all bombs within which to drop onto them. And I also, and I've predicted this and so far 90% of my predictions have come to fruition. I believe, I do believe that Wall Street Journal, Murdoch and so on, all of the various defendants will settle with Trump on this matter because like ABC, like CBS, they have so much more to lose than 10, $15 million. And that's what Trump has learned, how to really weaponize the Department of Justice. Justice to go against his critics and make them pay.

[Jim Acosta]

Well, you, you bring up a good point. The New York Times is explaining why many in MAGA have come to Trump's defense in recent days. It's, they say this, but when the Wall Street Journal published a story detailing a decades old letter and with a new drawing that Trump allegedly sent Epstein for his birthday, Trump got a respite from the revolt as some of his core supporters rushed to his defense. So there were some in maga. And you've seen this happen before, Michael. When, you know, Trump gets into hot water, the press starts digging stuff up. There's stuff there that just isn't quite a clean kill. And so then, then Trump can rally his base. He could the people. He'll circle the wagons and they'll circle around him and start defending him again. Which is part of what we've seen here with the.

[Michael Cohen]

Exactly what's going on. You nailed it. You nailed it with that one and it's, and it's true. So, yeah, it's a stupid, it's a stupid letter. Let me also be very clear about something I've been on television talking about and I want to say it here to our audience. Yeah, let me be very clear. I came into Trump's orbit around 2005, but at the time, I was a partner over at a law firm, the oldest law firm in New York called Philip Snieser.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Michael Cohen]

Remember the great Louis Nizer?

[Jim Acosta]

Oh, yeah, I do. Yes, of course.

[Michael Cohen]

It was Philip Snyser. I was There for about a year and a half before I ultimately, in 2007, joined the Trump Organization full time. So in all of my time from 2005 all the way through 2018, including the 10 plus years that I was there full time, literally in his office 24 7, I've never once seen Trump doodle. He's just not a doodler. I, on the other hand, I will scratch out. I'll doodle as I'm talking.

[Jim Acosta]

But he had those doodles that he donated for charity, for the raffle or whatever it was, you know?

[Michael Cohen]

Sure. Let me be clear. There's no doubt in my mind he didn't draw any of those. In fact, if I had to guess, and I'm pretty sure if he gave me two guesses, I would nail which one of his decisions.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, he sold the duties through that. And he drew on the. On the weather map, too. He did that, too. Remember when he drew the.

[Michael Cohen]

Okay, so what did he do? He took a Sharpie and he moved a line over. Right. And so on. He didn't draw anything. He moved.

[Jim Acosta]

I mean, but, you know, but, you know, he, he likes to go on to articles and he writes in his big, you know, pen Sharpie.

[Michael Cohen]

You know, I like this not doodling. He didn't get you out this naked woman's body.

[Jim Acosta]

All right, wait. Okay, so hold on, Michael. You and I haven't talked about. You're not telling me that you think that the doodle of the woman is not real.

[Michael Cohen]

You think that that's it's real? I just don't believe that he did it.

[Jim Acosta]

You don't think he did it?

[Michael Cohen]

One of two things happened here. Either it's not real at all, which I'm certain that it is, that it came from Trump's office. I don't believe he did it. I believe it was done by one of his assistants. And they probably gave him Jim. They probably told him these. Like Ghislaine was probably already came up with these different quotes and so on. So draw something that fits into this scene. And that's where they came up with this. He told one of his assistants, because every single one of his assistant Jim were not just good artists, they were fantastic.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. Well, let me ask you this. I mean, Michael, you and I are friends, and, you know, we talk to each other a lot over the years, but we haven't really delved into this very much. Don't you think, though, that Trump acts like a creep about women? Just in general? He. And he has. He has a history of it Right. You're not. You're not denying that.

[Michael Cohen]

Certainly.

[Jim Acosta]

You're not denying.

[Michael Cohen]

Certainly not the way that I speak about women. I can guarantee it's definitely not the way Jim Acosta speaks about women. Right. He has a different mo. A lot of the things that he says, believe it or not, like when he was on Howard Stern, they're factually inaccurate. They're factually. He says it many times for effect. Can I give you an example?

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, you can, but saying something for effect. I just don't know a lot of people who talk that way. It's immature and not be a creep at the same time, and you know what I mean? And when he talks like that and he hangs out with Jeffrey Epstein and there's video of them dancing together and Trump whispering in his ear and stuff like that, I just think that you worked with him for a long time. You were up close with him for a long time, but I just wonder if you just did not witness the behavior of yourself. And so you just don't.

[Michael Cohen]

It's impossible. I mean, I was literally with him. It's 10,000 hours, right? It's like, why I say that Jeffrey Epstein never called the office. He was never in the office. But if I can give you just, like, as an example, it's. Is it creepy? Sure, it's creepy. Is it stupid? Absolutely. Is it immature? 1,000%.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, but isn't. But the problem is, is that. The problem is, is that he. Is he. Before the campaign, before. Before the election in 2024, he. He and all the others in Maga were saying, release the Epstein files, gets into office.

[Michael Cohen]

Right.

[Jim Acosta]

They don't want to release the Epstein files. And when Trump was in that Cabinet meeting, what was it, two weeks ago, Tuesday, almost two weeks ago, and he's asked about it, he flies off the handle. And all of a sudden they're shutting this thing down. And I just. To me, I have to say, Michael, there's, you know, there's something there. There's something going on, and I'm a little concerned here that, you know, folks just don't want to see what's in front of their eyes.

[Michael Cohen]

Well, I think everybody sees it, in fact, that 70% of Americans say that they want to see the Epstein files released. That includes a number, a significant portion of maga. But if I could sort of just give you the example on why. Yeah, it's creepy. It's weird. It's immature. Not illegal, but it's immature. Like even the comment about, oh, I own the pageant, so I would go back to states and all the girls were naked and so on and so forth. That's not true, by the way. Why he said it, what effect he thought it was going to have. Was it supposed to make other guys jealous that he could go backstage and.

[Jim Acosta]

But, Michael, I just wonder if.

[Michael Cohen]

Do you know how I know that it's not true? Yeah, because I was on the board of the Mr. Universe organization, and for us to get to the back, which is where we had photos of all of the girls, because he chose the first 10 who got eliminated.

[Jim Acosta]

But there are women who said he did it. There are.

[Michael Cohen]

There are.

[Jim Acosta]

There are witnesses who said he did this. There are women who said he's assaulted them. There are women who say he's sexually abused.

[Michael Cohen]

That's a whole nother. That's a whole nother story.

[Jim Acosta]

I'm just saying there's. There's. There just seems. Michael, there just seems to be. I mean, I, you know, this is not what I anticipated happening, but on the show today. But I just wonder if, you know, maybe you just don't want to see something that was there.

[Michael Cohen]

No, no, no. I score. I score everything. Look, you also know my. I wrote about it in my book disloyal, that he made an incredibly creepy and a terrible, disgusting comment about my daughter when she was coming off the tennis court at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. I wrote about it, and my daughter actually was on CNN with Allison Camerado, you know, talking about it. So, yeah, I'm not blind. Right.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Michael Cohen]

But. But I don't believe that. I'm not. I'm not.

[Jim Acosta]

But even if you have your own personal. You have your own personal example of something that is.

[Michael Cohen]

I have a personal experience.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. So, I mean, why?

[Michael Cohen]

What? I know, I know. And I don't want. I'm not going to jeopardize my credibility by turning and say, you know, yeah, it's possible. Oh, yeah, he did this. And so, no, there's things that he does that are absolutely wrong. All right? And I call him out on that. But like I said, this. This letter, this postcard, this birthday card, I assure you, Donald Trump is not an artist. Donald Trump didn't draw those skylines. It is. It's.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, Michael, I mean, I just. Here's the thing. I. I'm a little worried about you. I. You know, you and I have been friends, and I. You know what? I thought, you know, was gonna happen. Your day was something totally different, but it just concerns me. Michael, it sounds like you're making excuses for Him?

[Michael Cohen]

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Jim Acosta]

And my thing is, he said it was okay to grab women by the pussy. Forgive my language here.

[Michael Cohen]

He said it.

[Jim Acosta]

He said it. Okay. He's on Howard Stern, talking about, well, as long as they're not younger than the age 12. He said it. Yeah, he said it. So, I mean. Yeah. Whether he says it for effect or what, I just don't know that many people who say these kinds of things unless they're just an absolute creep or jerk. Right. And I just. I just. You know, Anyway, I just.

[Michael Cohen]

No, my. My point is. So he said, for example, you know, with Billy Bush. Right. That you can. You can grab him by the pussy.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Michael Cohen]

Did he? Right. Well, did he what? Potentially. The E. Jean Carroll, again, he says things which are lewd. They're grotesque. There's something, as you said, creepy about it, but saying something creepy.

[Jim Acosta]

But, Michael, I think when we're done, you should maybe give some thought to whether you're just giving Trump a pass here and. I don't know. No, I mean, to me, like, why you would do that, I have no idea. I mean, you went to jail for that.

[Michael Cohen]

No pass at all here.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Michael Cohen]

In fact, I'm not here to defend.

[Jim Acosta]

Him, and I'm not trying to convince you that he's done these things. I'm just saying when he freaked out the other day, the way he did at that reporter, and I thought the Epstein thing was, you know, gone. It was just a. You know, the guy killed himself. I mean, that. That's what I thought. But the more you dig into this case, the more you think, okay, you know, maybe he didn't kill himself, and maybe there is something for Trump to hide. I don't know. Why would he be so defensive about this the other day? Why would he be remote controlling Pam Bondi like she's an Atari game, and, you know, saying, release this, release that, and do this and do that. You know, the President of the United States is not supposed to be in control of an attorney general in that fashion.

[Michael Cohen]

And he seems.

[Jim Acosta]

He seems to have taken a very vested interest in this Epstein case.

[Michael Cohen]

It's just 100%. Now, I want people to understand something, all right? I am not here to defend Donald Trump. You and I can have our conversation. We can agree, we can disagree on the importance of that birthday card. My position is, again, I sat with this man for 13 years, and I get it.

[Jim Acosta]

And when you guys had conversations, did he ever talk about being worried about Epstein or the Epstein case or.

[Michael Cohen]

Never. In fact, he never brought his name up. In the 13 years that I was by the man's side, he never mentioned Jeffrey Epstein. And that's the point I'm trying to make. So, you know, while there is no doubt what he said on Howard Stern, there is no doubt what he said with Billy Bush. I'm not here to defend stupid comments. I'm just here to turn around and to state a fact. And the fact is, do you think.

[Jim Acosta]

Maybe he just hid it from you? He just hid it from me. Because, you know. And, you know, this loyalty only goes in one direction with Donald Trump. So if he confides it in you that he's done these things or there's something to hide or there's something going on with Jeffrey Epstein, then you know about it, and then you are a problem for him. That's what I'm just wondering, Michael, if that is a possibility that he just.

[Michael Cohen]

Listen, anything, Jim, you know, the problem here, everything is a possibility because they refused to release the file. You see, again, if they would release the file, which I have been calling for, in fact, as a goof on cnn a couple of days ago, I said I would accept the position as special master to go through the entire file so that I could create a report and share it with not just Congress, but the entire country. I'm more than happy to dedicate myself and donate my time.

[Jim Acosta]

I just. Yeah. I mean, my thing is, is that if there's nothing to hide, release the Epstein files. This is what J.D. vance was saying. This is what Kash Patel was saying. This is what Dan Bongino was saying. This is what Pam Bondi was saying. This is what Donald Trump was saying. They were all saying this. Donald Trump Jr. Was saying. They were all saying it. Now they don't want to release. Says to me there's something to hide. And Donald Trump has something to hide. What is it?

[Michael Cohen]

What is it again? Again, I don't have.

[Jim Acosta]

He's in there somewhere. Something's. Something's in there he doesn't want us to see.

[Michael Cohen]

Well, that's one part of the. That's one side of the coin, right?

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Michael Cohen]

For maybe what. I have no idea why he wouldn't release it. And I have been calling since day one like everybody else. Just release the file.

[Jim Acosta]

Just release it.

[Michael Cohen]

If you would take that role and then just say, you know what? Fuck it. Release the file unredacted. And. Yeah, just put it out there for everybody to see. Like, he promised you and I wouldn't be having this conversation.

[Jim Acosta]

Because, you know, when he. Yeah. When he does the thing where he puts out the video of Obama being arrested and he talks, talks about the Washington commanders, he's talking about Rosie o', Donnell, he's tweeting about Stephen Colbert. He wants us to talk about everything but these files. And the thing he has to worry about. You're going to sue Rupert Murdoch for $10 billion. You and I both know that lawsuit, that lawsuit, where is that lawsuit going to go? To me? It's not going to go anywhere. He does not want to sit down for a deposition related to the Epstein case.

[Michael Cohen]

Right. But here's what's going to ultimately happen. He's going to end up getting discovery from Wall Street Journal and other name defendants before they ever sit down for deposition. Hundreds of thousands of documents, and if any of them have any comment, this is why ABC ended up settling. It's why cbs. If Michael and Jim happen to be communicating, we say, oh, you know, screw Trump. I hope this drives him batshit crazy. I hope, I hope he, you know, I hope.

[Jim Acosta]

I would much rather talk about the, the big beautiful blunder, because I think it is going to be a blunder for the Republicans. I'd rather talk about all these other. I mean, I'm going to be talking with Amy Hinohosa in just a few, few moments here. She's a Latino civil rights advocate about Trump's hateful immigration and detention operation that he's got right now. But, you know, I want to talk about those things, but I just think that he's acting like somebody who has something to hide. And until we know what that is.

[Michael Cohen]

It'S all we're all going to do is keep coming up with more and more conspiracy theories every single day. And that's why, if I was still on the inside, I would just say to him, release the goddamn file. Just, Just release it. Even your own hardcore MAGA supporters, all right, guys like Charlie Kirk, Tucker Carlson, right? I mean, they are all turning around. Even guys like Steve Bannon, they're all sitting there and screaming for the release of this file because forever and ever, this is what coalesced MAGA around each other. I want to see the file. I'm not here to defend him. I'm only here to tell you in the 13 years again, that I was in this guy's orbit, right?

[Jim Acosta]

And I wonder, I wonder, Michael, if he just, if he hid it from you. And let's, you know, let's. We'll, we'll, we'll circle back. I, I got to get moving because I've Got stuff to get to, and I want to get to Amy here. But let's. Let's. Let's move this conversation forward, Michael, and figure. See if we can figure this thing out. Because.

[Michael Cohen]

And by the way. Yeah, by the way, you and I will never figure this out without the release of the files, which, again, you know, can I just.

[Jim Acosta]

He's got to release. He's got to release him.

[Michael Cohen]

Yeah. Let me just say one last thing in closing here. You know, a lot of people turn around like, oh, Cohen, you're delusional. You're trying to protect him. You know, why are you bending the knee or kissing the ring? No, I'm not. The fact that I'm saying something which happens to be both legally and factually accurate. All right. It doesn't mean that I'm supporting anybody or that I think any different than you, that it's not a creepy comment, but there's the difference between a creepy comment and a criminal action. And the point is, you and I and all of the followers can sit here and we could give our two cents, our opinion on what's really going on here. You don't know. I don't know. Certainly they don't know. I probably know better.

[Jim Acosta]

I hear you. No, no, I hear you, Michael and I have to go. But what I do know is that Donald Trump is acting like somebody who has something to hide.

[Michael Cohen]

Absolutely.

[Jim Acosta]

And until he releases those files, all of the files unredacted, we're not gonna stop asking the questions here, because to me, there is a pattern of behavior that is very disturbing, and it's totally out of bounds for the President of the United States. The President of the United States can't be somebody who's implicated in all of this. And the only way. And maybe he's not implicated in this, but prove it. Put out the files like you said you would. Put out the files like your people said you would, and we'll find out the truth. Michael, good to see you.

[Michael Cohen]

Good to see you, too, Jim.

[Jim Acosta]

All right, buddy. All right, take care. All right, thanks. Okay. All right. Well, that's an interesting conversation that I had with Michael there. You know, listen, I'm a little concerned that, you know, Michael's just in the dark on this stuff, and, you know, it's been a while since he and I have spoken. It's been a few weeks, and I was curious what he would say in response to all of this nuttiness from Trump over these Epstein files. He's acting like somebody with something to hide. But anyway, I Want to talk about other issues. Amy Hinojosa is here. Amy, how are you? This is your first time on the show. Really appreciate you doing this. I think your first time on Substack.

[Amy Hinojosa]

It is a lot of firsts today. But Jim, I'm glad to be here with you and have this conversation because you're such a truth teller and it's just such a moment of timely issues. And I couldn't be prouder to have this conversation with you.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. You know, Amy, I know you work with Maria Cardona on these immigration issues and tell us about the organization that you're with because first of all, I think more people need to know about it and tell us what you do.

[Amy Hinojosa]

Sure, I wear many hats, just like any busy Latina. But my day job, I am the president and CEO of mana, a national Latina organization. We're the oldest and largest Hispanic women's organization in the country with chapters and affiliates and individual members who focus on mentoring, education and advocacy for Latinas in the community. And then our sister organization, the MANA Action Fund, that really serves to amplify that advocacy work on behalf of Latinas and women and families. And then one of my other many hats, I also have the great privilege of chairing the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, which is a coalition of all of our 40 national Latino organizations, all the ones that you would recognize, from Unidos Us to Maldef, Voto, Latino, Green Latinos, all of these organizations sit in coalition together to really make sure that we're speaking with one voice when we work on advocacy issues, when we work on public campaigns. And so the way our world is spinning is very fast right now, Jim.

[Jim Acosta]

No, there's no question about it. And Amy, I mean, one of the reasons why I wanted to talk to you about this issue today, I mean, I've been covering this on this show. These hate filled mass deportation raids that we've seen conducted by massed ICE agents all around the country. I mean, Trump deploying troops to Los Angeles, I mean, it looks like something out of a movie where the president's trying to take over the country militarily. I mean, it's just absolutely nutty. But the stuff that really, I think gets under my skin and I find to be highly disturbing and I don't think it gets enough attention is what is going on in detention when migrants are at these detention facilities. And the Guardian has a story out today. It says migrants at a Miami immigration jail were shackled with their hands tied behind their backs and made to kneel to eat Food from styrofoam plates, quote, like dogs. According to a report published on Monday into conditions at these three overcrowded South Florida facilities. And this report was put out by Human Rights Watch, Americans for Immigrant justice and Sanctuary of the south, from interviews with detainees. But dozens of men had been packed into a holding cell, according to this report, for hours, denied lunch until about 7pm they remained shackled with the food on chairs in front of them. And I guess one migrant, one detainee said that they basically had to eat like a dog during their detention. And I don't think enough people understand what's going on in this country right now. What's happened to migrants in some cases, are they going, are they arresting criminals and gang bangers and stuff like that? Yes, but it looks like that there's a very strong, perhaps majority of these detainees who are just, they overstayed a visa, they have documentation issues, perhaps they had a past criminal record like a drug charge from many decades ago, that sort of thing. But I mean, your thoughts on all this, you've been tracking this, it's just unbelievable.

[Amy Hinojosa]

It is cruel, it's depraved. And you know, they're even picking up folks who are members of the US Military who serve our country, right. And putting them in detention camps, making them wait day after day to see if they can get out. And in these horrific conditions, I mean, really, the fear and the depravity, that's the point, right? They want Latinos in the United States to be scared. But, and, and, and they want your community to be scared. They want you to stay indoors, they want you to not go to work. Because somehow in this twisted, you know, cracked mind frame of theirs, they want, they, they think that this is going to make for a better economy for all the rest of the citizens in the United States. But what I would love to do is kind of level set, right? Because eight, 10 Latinos in the United States are citizens, right? So you know, 80% more, upwards of 80% are citizens. So you're trying to scare a citizenry that contributes some $4 trillion to the US GDP every year. Right?

[Jim Acosta]

Right.

[Amy Hinojosa]

So, so if Latinos in the United States, Hispanic folks in the United states were a G4, were its own country, we'd be a right or a G5 country among the world's largest economies. And so then you're scaring those who are in the fields, right? If you're immigrants and you're doing work in the fields, immigrant workers, right. At any given time, somewhere between 900,000 and a million folks are picking and packing our food, all the food that we see, you know, that we eat every single day, and then serving it to you in restaurants, right? Or serving it to you at the grocery store or however the economy is bringing food into your homes, right? So why, what kind of twisted logic brings you from, let's get all these terrible criminals out of the way and at the same time, it's going to hit everyday pocketbooks, right? Because if the folks who are the generators of the economy, the backbone of the US economy, and I don't say that lightly, and I think that the statistics bear it out, without Latinos in the United States, the US Economy would crater. And so to say this is the community that we're going to target with the most depraved way of holding them, sending them to countries they know nothing of, holding them against, you know, against laws, and then the Supreme Court says this is all okay to send them places that they've never been before.

[Jim Acosta]

It's unbelievable. It's just, it's crazy.

[Amy Hinojosa]

And it goes against who we are as a country. And I think that it really is time. And I think you're starting to see where folks, everyday folks, are just starting to fight back because this is obscene.

[Jim Acosta]

Well, and there's another case. You're talking about people being deported to countries that they're not from. And this was also in the Guardian. It was reported by a local newspaper in Pennsylvania. An 82 year old man in Pennsylvania was secretly deported Guatemala after visiting an immigration office last month to replace his lost green card. According to his family, who have not heard from him since and were initially told he was dead. The family was initially told he was dead, but it turns out he's not dead. According to this newspaper, which first reported the story of the Morning Call, longtime Allentown resident Luis Leon, who was granted asylum in the US in 1987 after being tortured on the regime of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, lost his wallet containing the card. So he went to the immigration office. That's when he was picked up. And then the family was told he was dead. And then he ended up in Guatemala. It's just unreal. And, and, and this has been happening over and over where people are being deported to countries they're not from, they're not from.

[Amy Hinojosa]

And the only way that the family even found out that he was still alive is that he popped up in a hospital because he was deported without any of his medications. Right. This is a man who had documentation, legal status to be in the United States. And it just makes you wonder, what is the flex they think they're deriving from doing this to an octogenarian who's done everything right? And then that begs the question of what is the end goal here? What ultimately are they trying to do to the Latino community? And that's to demoralize us, to make us shrink, to make us think that maybe we should go back to the countries we're from. Well, guess what? This is the country we're from.

[Jim Acosta]

That's right.

[Amy Hinojosa]

And people come to the United States not because it's their first option, it's because it's their last option. Survival coming to the United States for most immigrants, most Latino immigrants, is because survival is not an option in their country. And the one chance they've got at it is to maybe come to the United States and make a life better for themselves. They come here as contributors. They come here as people who pay taxes that they'll never see any return on those investments because they're not eligible for, for Social Security, they're not eligible for Medicare, Medicaid. And the truth is that they pay into the system to the tune of billions and billions of dollars. And we just don't have any respect for that. And we don't have respect for the fact that these so many Latinos, so many immigrants, not just Latinos, but immigrants from all countries are doing the hardest labor that no one else is going to step up and do.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, no, that's absolutely right. And as a matter of fact, the Washington Post has a story. I'll tell you, it's a great story. Apparently in the mid-60s, they experimented with using high school boys to go out and work the fields when they decided they weren't going to allow migrants to come in from Latin America and work the farm fields. And so they try to use white teenage boys who were in high school to go work those fields. People should go look it up. It's in the Washington Post today. Apparently the program was a total failure. It did not work. And the young men who were in their 17, 18 year old range at that time are now giving interviews saying, yeah, it was horrendous work, it was terrible work. We didn't want to do it. And it just goes to show you, we're relearning lessons that we've already learned in the past. And the reason why we have these farm worker programs, migrant worker programs, is because, and I've talked about this on my show many times, they're doing jobs Americans just don't want to do. And we saw the Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, say, well, there are all these people on Medicaid. Maybe they can go work the fields if we round up all the migrants and deport them out of the country. Are you kidding me? Does she even know what she's talking. She has no idea what she's talking about. They don't know what they're talking about.

[Amy Hinojosa]

They don't know what they're talking about. And I think it's just really easy to vilify a community that you don't even know. And I think this is really this time and space to remind each other that we're talking about our neighbors. We're talking about the people that we see every single day, even if it's just the person who serves you your coffee. That's a human being, right? And to then think about them, think about that person, that immigrant that you see every single day, whether they clean your house or do your lawn or they're picking and packing fruit. Then think about them sitting in that cell, hands tied behind their back and eating as if they were an animal. This is really just cruel. And I think we need to take a step back, because then we also have a political climate where these same folks will turn around and quote a Bible verse and talk about, you know, talk about their Christian values when this. These actions run counter to everything that I ever read in the Bible. Maybe they're, you know, maybe they can't.

[Jim Acosta]

Say, no, no, you. You can't say you're pro life. You can't say you're pro life, but you're also pro detainees eating off of styrofoam plates in detention facilities like animals. You're not pro life in my book. You're just not.

[Amy Hinojosa]

You're not. And you're not pro life if you're cutting programs like SNAP benefits to make sure that kids who don't have food eat. You're not pro life if you're not providing educational opportunities for them. You're not pro life if you're taking away medical care that people desperately need. And it just all goes to, who are we as a country and who do we want to be? Right? Because I hear a lot of people saying, this is not who we are. Well, if it's not, this is the moment to step up, right? This is the moment to make your voice heard. And I love what we're seeing in Los Angeles where you have the sustained protest and you have folks who are just like, not today. Not on my watch, not against my family, not against my community. And I think that that's the value that Latinos bring to this country, is that we firmly believe in community. We believe in shared responsibility. We believe in working hard, but we also believe in protecting those around us. And I think that you're starting to see that in ways that maybe we hadn't seen previously. And I think in ways that initially, when this administration came in to office, that folks were scared because of the speed of it, because of the depravity of it, because they were just seeing things that they couldn't comprehend in real time. And I think now, six months in, we're getting to the point where they're like, hold on. We have civil rights, we are citizens. We are contributing to this economy, and we're not going to be treated like animals. That's just not acceptable.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, no. And it looks like. I mean, it seems to me that the immigration policy is being run by Stephen Miller. I mean, the White House is basically being run by Stephen Miller for all intents and purposes. And you know Steve. Yeah, and I. Exactly. And I've known Stephen for some time because I used to cover him in the first administration. He. He is a true believer in these kinds of white nationalist talking points. And he has been driving this train for some time now. And to me, you know, I. I would love to. You know, maybe people wouldn't want to hear it on my show, but I would love to ask him that question. Where does this hatred come from? What is it? What is going on? What's that?

[Amy Hinojosa]

Who hurt you?

[Jim Acosta]

Who hurt you? Where did this happen? Where did this come from? Why are you like this? And you know, a lot, you see, you talk, you hear, you see documentaries about white nationalists and neo Nazis and whatnot who get out of it. It's basically like a cult. And they talk about how they come from broken upbringings, broken backgrounds, and whatever hole that is in them was filled with hatred and it became a part of who they are. I don't know if that's Stephen's deal, but it can't become the deal of this country. It can't become who we are. We can't have a hole in our heart and our soul and have it filled with hatred or else this country is just going to fall apart. You can't have people being treated like this.

[Amy Hinojosa]

You're absolutely right. And I think that every Marvel Universe villain has an origin story, Right? And right that there's a story in there. Someone really hurt him. Someone made him feel left out, Someone made him feel less. He Felt like he missed opportunities. And, you know, I would say that my personal faith would say to pray for someone like that, but at the same time, we also have to fight that. Right. And I think it goes to a larger question of who's making the call inside the White House. Right. Who is actually running the show if he is in an unfettered way. Right. And maybe we're laying this all at his feet because he's so visible in the conversation. Right. But where does the buck actually stop with this conversation? Right.

[Jim Acosta]

Who has made me stops with the President. President of the United States stops with the president.

[Amy Hinojosa]

Right. And I think that he should be held to account for that. And, you know, I think that it's hard in this environment for advocates to be out there and out front and trying to hold this administration accountable. Right. Because we see, you know, folks getting canceled. We see burn notices being placed on whether they're organizations, universities, law firms, you know, major media companies. Right. We saw what happened to Stephen Colbert this week.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Amy Hinojosa]

That, you know, it is hard to go out front and have that conversation. But I think that when you see things like la, when you see the no Kings Day protest, you know, courage begets courage because people need to be reminded that they're not alone in this struggle. They're not the only ones seeing this and fearing what's going to happen, fearing for their families, fearing for their pocketbooks that are starting to take a real economic hit. Right. As these, you know, ever, ever evolving tariffs, you know, start putting tariffs on country, which. On the country.

[Jim Acosta]

Well, and people are starting to figure out how these policies are affecting them. The polling is starting to indicate this. And even, even on immigration, Trump is upside down on immigration. People are getting a fill of what he's shoveling out and they don't like what he's doing. And stories like the one that you and I were talking about at the beginning of this, you know, migrants being treated like dogs, migrants being deported to countries they're not from when they're 82 years old. That's not who we are as a country. And this one of the reasons, Amy, I've been talking about this is I really do believe, and people might say, ah, Jim, this is a pipe dream on your part. I think that we need like a million Latino Latina march on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. so people can see what exactly we're talking about at the beginning of this, Amy, that we are the backbone of this country. We helped build this country. We are still building this country. You know, go to any construction site, go to any highway project site. We're still building this country right now.

[Amy Hinojosa]

Absolutely. And then the way you look around you and everything from your music to your food to the. What you digest on TikTok. Right. All of those things have influences from Latinos in the United States because we are part of the fabric of the country. We are intertwined with the history and the future. And the country will not go anywhere if Latinos are made to scatter to the four winds. Right. Because we'll be able to take that brain power, that muscle that, you know, all of those things to other countries and make someone else successful. Right. And then, you know, they can talk about making America great all they want, but without Latinos, it's just not possible.

[Jim Acosta]

It's just not possible. Well, Amy Hinojosa, thank you so much for joining me today. Really appreciate it. Let's keep this conversation going. I really enjoyed it, having you on. And we really need to continue to talk about this. It's. It's just. It's really. It's got my blood boiling right now. What? The way migrants are being treated in this country. We cannot allow this country to become a place where human beings are treated in this fashion. It's not who we are. But thank you.

[Amy Hinojosa]

Thank you, Jim. Yeah, no, thank you. And thank you for keeping that conversation going. Because you're right. It's not who we are, it's not who we aspire to be, and it's not who we're going to be. Because we can change that.

[Jim Acosta]

Exactly. All right. Thank you, Amy. Good to see you. Nice to talk.

[Amy Hinojosa]

Thanks, dude.

[Jim Acosta]

I appreciate it. All right. Yeah, it's Amy Hinojosa. Really appreciate her time. And I just want to say, as I put my commander's hat on right now, you know, Donald Trump. Keep your. Keep your damn hands off my Washington commanders. Keep your damn hands. Keep. Keep my football team's name out of your mouth. We're just not gonna fall for these distractions. Donald Trump's talking about what the name of the Washington commanders is gonna be. My God, how dumb do you think we are? We're in the second term now. We figured it out. We have figured you out, Donald Trump. And your distractions just aren't going to work anymore. The distractions just don't work. The only thing that will work is if you release the Epstein files. The Epstein files contain the answers to the questions we've been asking for the last two plus weeks. And we're gonna continue to ask those questions. You can Put out these AI videos of Obama being arrested and they'll do a little touchdown dance on the five over on Fox News and all of that other crap. But you're just not fooling anybody. Steve Bannon knows. Elon Musk knows. Everybody seems to know that you have something to hide. Well, maybe except for one person who was on earlier in the show. But everybody seems to know that you have something to hide. And my challenge to you, Donald Trump, is to put out the ultimate. Maybe you should just look at this as the ultimate distraction, the ultimate catnip for the media. Release the Epstein files unredacted, in totality, 100%. All of them. Let's see it. Let's find out what is going on in those files. Why are you so nervous? Apparently, the breaking news was just happening right around. We came on House Speaker Mike Johnson again stating he's going to block the House of Representatives from passing a resolution calling for the release of the Epstein files. Now, why would the speaker of the House do that? Why would Republicans in Congress do that? My understanding, over the last several years, you talked to just about you could swing a dead cat in Washington, D.C. you could hit a Republican congressman calling for the release of the Epstein files. Now they're running for the hills. Oh, my God. It's the Epstein files. They're coming to get us. Katie, bar the door. The only thing that they're trying to bar the door to is the Epstein files. They don't want us to see him. Why is that? Why is that? And while you throw out these distractions about Obama and my Washington commanders, we'll continue to play in that dump FedEx field or whatever they call it now if we have to. And we'll win a Super bowl while we're doing it. If you don't want to give us our new stadium here in Washington, D.C. we'll totally do that. But we're not going to fall for your distractions anymore, Donald Trump. We're not going to fall for them. Just like we're not going to fall for the lies that you told. You told a lie during the 2024 campaign and said you were going after criminals and gangbangers in your mass deportation raids. And now we have migrants and detention facilities in Florida eating off of styrofoam plates like dogs, according to Human Rights Watch and other organizations who put out a report. Don't be distracted. There's too much at stake right now. All right, thanks, everybody, for watching. Still reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. Have a good evening, everybody. Good night.