The Rubin Report

Episode: "Dems Regret Epstein Files Release as Major Dem Names Come Out"

Date: November 19, 2025
Host: Dave Rubin
Special Guests/Voices: Jesse Kelly, Josh Hawley, Tom Homan, Timu Obama, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Scott Jennings, Chuck Schumer, Mohammed bin Salman, Jamie Raskin

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the political and cultural fallout following Congress’s near-unanimous vote to release the so-called “Epstein Files,” a cache of documents rumored to name prominent figures associated with Jeffrey Epstein. Dave Rubin and a rotating panel of guests analyze the implications of the files’ release, criticize the double standards employed by both Democrats and Republicans, discuss new revelations involving Democrat operatives and Epstein, and touch on broader themes of transparency, free speech, and American political realignment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Release of the Epstein Files

• Congress Votes for Release: Congress voted overwhelmingly to release the Epstein files to the public, a move that Trump also supports. Both parties appear to back transparency, but Rubin argues the Democrats may regret this as their own complicity becomes evident.
  (02:10) “They end up blowing all of that and dying early because they’re drug addicts ... the Epstein files are really about, if anyone did anything illegal, particularly with kids, it should be exposed.” – Dave Rubin

• Uncertainties and Limitations: Rubin cautions that, despite expectations, the files probably won’t provide “smoking gun” evidence implicating high-profile figures in a clean, legally actionable manner.
  (07:05) “There isn’t gonna be a moment where everybody ... just gets their file and all the evidence.” – Dave Rubin

2. Prominent Democrats Entangled

• Hakeem Jeffries' Name Linked: News reports reveal an email from a political consulting firm promoting a fundraiser to Epstein; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries denies any direct connection. Panelists suggest the optics are bad regardless.
  (04:14) “Yeah, of course. I have no recollection of the email. I’ve never had a conversation with him, never met him, know nothing about him other than the extreme things that he’s been convicted of doing.” – Timu Obama as Jeffries
  (05:13) “This is a perfect example of two things can be true at the same time ... Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” – Dave Rubin

• Josh Hawley’s Warning: Hawley points out this level of transparency is a double-edged sword that could backfire on Democrats.
  (06:11) “They’re going to regret ... ever playing around with this. They thought ... the files would never become public. Well, guess what? ... Anyone can go in and read the files.” – Josh Hawley

3. Democrats’ Double Standards Exposed

• Stacy Plaskett Case: Epstein was found to have texted Virgin Islands delegate Stacy Plaskett real-time advice during a 2019 hearing. Plaskett admits receiving texts but claims she didn’t know about any investigation at the time.
  (10:04) “I got a text from Jeffrey Epstein, who at the time was my constituent ... who is sharing information with me.” – Stacy Plaskett (notable paraphrase via Scott Jennings)
  (10:26) “How was he in your circle so tightly that you felt you should take questions ... in a congressional hearing?” – Dave Rubin

• Jamie Raskin’s Response: Rubin critiques Rep. Jamie Raskin for holding Democrats and Republicans to different standards regarding their Epstein interactions.
  (12:36) “Where is the ethical transgression? ... What other congressperson has their phone readily available to them during a hearing so a constituent can tip off questions?” – Dave Rubin

4. Broader Theme: All Sides Dirty

• Political Fallout: The bipartisan vote is seen as rare and positive, but Rubin predicts more conspiracy and disappointment as records prove less absolute than expected.
  (07:05) “If anything, this just opens up the conspiracy stuff even more.” – Dave Rubin

• Both Parties Implicated: Jasmine Crockett (Democrat) lists Republicans who received donations from a Jeffrey Epstein, but is corrected when it’s revealed a different Jeffrey Epstein (a physician) was involved in one cited donation.
  (14:27) “It was a different Jeffrey Epstein ... No freaking relation, you genius.” – Dave Rubin

5. Marjorie Taylor Greene v. Trump

• Internal GOP Strife: Marjorie Taylor Greene criticizes Trump for not releasing files; Trump’s camp rebuffs and some panelists mock Greene.
  (16:54) “It should have been the easiest thing ... to release all the information, every single file, on behalf of these American women.” – Marjorie Taylor Greene
  (19:59) “Let me tell you what a traitor is ... An American that serves foreign countries and themselves. A patriot ... serves the United States of America.” – Marjorie Taylor Greene

• Rubin’s Take: Rubin sees the Greene-Trump clash as symptomatic of larger rifts on the right and believes the focus should be on governing successes, not purity contests.
  (20:51) “There is this contingency on the right that seems to be doing that ... What would a more pro America president be doing?” – Dave Rubin

6. Cultural & Gender Commentary

• MSNBC and Gender Politics: Panel discusses media framing of women in power, ridiculing arguments that misogyny is solely to blame for lack of female presidents.
  (25:05) “They only mean ... they’re for Democrat women.” – Dave Rubin

• Locker Room and Trans Issues: Joy Reid and others discuss discomfort with transgender bathroom/locker room policies. Rubin notes the disconnect between progressive ideals and practical realities.
  (29:19) “You would prefer not to see a man with a wang with giant dangly boobs in the female locker room?” – Dave Rubin

7. Immigration & Law Enforcement

• Chicago & Sanctuary Policies: Chicago’s mayor and Democrat leaders resist ICE operations, drawing harsh criticism for conflating immigration enforcement with racism and the legacy of slavery.
  *(32:25) “They have not accepted that the north actually won ... it's an attempt to relitigate the Civil War.” – Brandon Johnson (via Hawley);
  (32:59) “If you wanna look at who’s the modern-day slave trader, it actually is you guys.” – Dave Rubin

• ICE Protests and Deportation Stats: Tom Homan touts high numbers for deportations and rescued children, criticizing protestors for misunderstanding ICE’s legal mandate.
  (38:35) “650,000 deportations by the men and women of Borbaton ICE ... and we’re just getting started.” – Tom Homan
  (41:24) “Every time they do this, they achieve more officers are sent ... more arrests are made.” – Tom Homan

8. Trump Foreign Policy & Economic Wins

• Saudi Investment: Trump welcomes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, announcing an escalation of Saudi investment in the U.S. from $600 billion to nearly $1 trillion.
  (46:58) “The 600 billion will be 1 trillion ... by details in many areas ... technology, AI ...” – Mohammed bin Salman
  (49:25) “Formally designating Saudi Arabia as a major non NATO ally ... signing a historic strategic defense agreement.” – President Trump (via Tom Homan)

• AI and Regulation: Trump posts about the need for federal standards in AI, warning against state-level “woke” interventions.

9. Looking Ahead: GOP 'Bench'

• 2028 Presidential Speculation: Discussion about the depth of the post-Trump Republican bench, with mentions of JD, DeSantis, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard, etc.
  (52:39) “I’m not thinking about anything because ... we've got a lot that we’ve got to accomplish.” – Ron DeSantis
  (53:40) “Reporters are going to write headlines that get clicks ... but the wins we are getting are historic.” – Ted Cruz

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [05:02] Timu Obama: “Of course, sunlight is the best disinfectant. And we’ve maintained from the very beginning that the American people just deserve the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth as it relates to the Epstein files.”
• [06:11] Josh Hawley: “The President’s been right all along ... make public everything you can that’s not classified. Now Congress is finally gonna do it, and I think we’re gonna learn a lot ... it’s gotta be a searchable database, so any American can go in and read the files for themselves.”
• [13:00] Dave Rubin (re: Timu Obama defending Plaskett): “That man is a robot. I am telling you, he is a humanoid robot ... That aside, she is a great, what was it? Great. A woman of great intelligence and integrity. Neither one of those are true.”
• [14:27] Dave Rubin: “The Jeffrey Epstein who you said donated to Lee Zeldin—well, sorta. It was a different Jeffrey Epstein. No freaking relation, you genius.”
• [20:51] Dave Rubin (on Greene v. Trump): “What I would say is ... we got the guy back we all wanted, and it was pretty damn close ... this is the moment. How is it ever going to get better than having Trump as president?”
• [29:19] Dave Rubin (on trans locker rooms): “You would prefer not to see a man with a wang with giant dangly boobs in the female locker room? Because actually, Joy Reid, that’s the first time you’ve ever said anything that makes sense.”
• [37:30] Tom Homan: “We already found over 30,000 of these kids ... President Trump saving lives every day. Most secure border in the history of the nation.”
• [38:35] Tom Homan: “650,000 deportations by the men and women of ... ICE. That’s your record. We beat the last record by a couple hundred thousand. And we’re just getting started.”
• [46:58] Mohammed bin Salman: “We’re going to increase that 600 billion to almost $1 trillion of investment. Real investment and real opportunity.”
• [52:39] Ron DeSantis: “I’m not thinking about anything because I think we have a president now who’s not even been in for a year. We’ve got a lot that we’ve got to accomplish.”

Key Segment Timestamps

• Epstein File Vote & Context: [02:10] - [07:30]
• Hakeem Jeffries & Fundraiser Emails: [03:46] - [05:30]
• Transparency & Bipartisan Motives: [06:11] - [07:20]
• Stacy Plaskett Texts w/ Epstein: [09:30] - [10:45]
• Double Standards: Trump vs Dems: [11:30] - [13:10]
• Crockett’s Epstein Claim Debunked: [13:56] - [14:40]
• Marjorie Taylor Greene Attacks Trump: [16:54] - [20:51]
• GOP, Gender, Culture & Media: [24:26] - [30:00]
• Chicago, ICE, Civil War Rhetoric: [32:25] - [33:00]
• ICE Protests, Deportations: [39:37] - [41:50]
• Saudi Investment & Foreign Policy: [44:40] - [47:15]
• 2028 GOP Presidential Bench: [52:28] - [54:10]

Episode Tone and Style

The episode blends irreverence, sarcasm, and pointed political critique. Rubin and guests maintain a characteristic "no sacred cows" ethos, frequently mocking political correctness, hypocrisy, and what they see as the failures of both the left and sometimes the right, all under the banner of promoting free speech and transparency.

For Listeners

If you missed the episode, this summary provides a comprehensive guide to the unfolding political drama surrounding the Epstein files, the exposure of cross-party misconduct, shifting fault lines within the GOP, and significant moves in immigration and foreign policy. Expect more revelations ahead as the fallout from the Epstein release continues and the road to 2028 heats up.