The Tara Palmeri Show

Episode: Bondi Won’t “Get in the Gutter” on Epstein Victims

Date: February 12, 2026

Host: Tara Palmeri

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the contentious Congressional hearing featuring Attorney General Pam Bondi and her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case files and the victims of sex trafficking. Tara Palmeri, together with analysts Nicole Wallace, Tim Miller, and Christy Greenberg, dissect Bondi’s combative testimony, her failure to meet with survivors, the lack of accountability and transparency, and what all this says about justice under the Trump administration. The show highlights survivors’ ongoing quest for recognition and justice, and the government’s continual deflection and politicization of their suffering.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Bondi’s Disregard for Epstein Victims

• Bondi’s Testimony: Instead of addressing survivors and their allegations, Bondi speaks dismissively, saying she “won’t get in the gutter” with them—a phrase Tara and panelists call out as dehumanizing and offensive.
• Failure to Apologize or Engage: When prompted repeatedly, Bondi refuses to turn around and even acknowledge the survivors present, let alone apologize.
  • [13:17] Tara Palmeri: “Will you turn to the survivors? This is not about anybody that came before you. It is about you taking responsibility for your Department of Justice and the harm that it has done to the survivors who are standing right behind you…”
  • [13:48] Nicole Wallace: “Describing the victims as the gutter. That’s new. For the record, there was no apology.”

2. Transparency, Accountability, and Redactions

• Redaction of Powerful Names, Exposure of Victims
  • Rep. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna discovered that names of powerful individuals, like Sultan Ahmed bin Suleiman, who were referenced in incriminating emails (“I loved the torture video”), were redacted, while victims’ identities were revealed—violating the supposed intent of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
    • [04:03] Tara Palmeri: “An entire list of [survivors] did not have it redacted. But his [Sultan's] name was redacted... Makes you wonder who else are they redacting?”
  • Massie and others see this as a deliberate effort to shield the powerful and expose the vulnerable.

3. Administration’s Deflection and Gaslighting

• Pam Bondi’s Deflections: When pressed about not meeting with survivors or the DOJ’s release failures, Bondi pivots to irrelevant topics, notably the economy and stock market.

  • [03:24] Tara Palmeri: Comments on “soothing” Americans by referencing high Dow Jones numbers instead of addressing sex trafficking.
  • [22:21] Tara Palmeri (quoting Bondi): “The Dow, the Dow right now is over. The dow is over $50,000. I don’t know why you’re laughing.”
  • [23:12] Nicole Wallace: “We’re laughing because we’re not on cnbc, sweetie...You’re in a room with survivors. Some of them were children at the time of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex trafficking ring.”

• Gaslighting from DOJ: Panelists note the astonishing claim by federal investigators that Epstein wasn’t running a trafficking ring for powerful men, in direct contradiction to extensive evidence and witness testimony.

  • [19:17] Christy Greenberg: “That’s the gaslightiest, gaslighting I’ve ever heard in my life.”

4. Nonpartisan Nature of Survivors’ Demands

• Survivors’ Political Leanings: Tara emphasizes that survivors came from across the political spectrum—and have always viewed their fight as not partisan.
  • [04:19] Tara Palmeri: “Some...were Republicans...They have always believed this is nonpartisan, which I’ve always believed, because it’s been decades and decades and decades of failure...”

5. Bipartisan Congressional Frustration

• Both Democrats and Republicans (Massie, Nadler, Khanna) express dismay at Bondi’s evasions and the DOJ’s lack of accountability in both protecting powerful Epstein associates and mistreating the victims.

6. Failure to Meet Basic Standards for Victims' Rights

• Victims Denied Access: None of the survivors or their representatives have been allowed to meet with the DOJ or submit their testimony or evidence, despite repeated outreach.

  • [29:27] Tara Palmeri:
    • Q: “How many of you or your loved ones actually have met with the Department of Justice...?”
      A: “None.”
    • Q: “How many of you have reached out...to offer testimony?”
      A: “All of them.”
    • Q: “How many…were denied or ignored?”
      A: “All of them.”
  • [30:19] Tara Palmeri: “Any normal prosecutor would have turned around...shown them that basic decency...said, make sure to leave all your information...I’ll make sure someone from the DOJ reaches out to you this week.”

• Violations of the Crime Victims Rights Act: The DOJ is legally obligated to confer with crime victims; Bondi’s refusal constitutes a violation of both the letter and spirit of the law.

  • [30:38] Tim Miller: “They said case closed without conferring with the victims. And that does violate their Crime Victims Rights Act.”

7. Political Gamesmanship and "Performance"

• Orchestrated Zingers, Performative Anger: The panel repeatedly notes Bondi’s focus on producing viral “zingers” for conservative outlets, rather than leading or investigating.

  • [20:04] Christy Greenberg: “It felt like a very not of the moment performance by Pam Bondi...just trying to get clips for Fox News primetime.”
  • [24:21] Tim Miller: “She sounded like a mean girl...when we’re talking about child predation. It’s so off script. It’s so weird...This is not the face [the GOP] want.”

• Bondi as "A Puppet":

  • [30:39] Tara Palmeri: “She had, for each member of Congress, what she was going to say...It’s all scripted. She doesn’t have independence...Donald Trump doesn’t want to be with these victims...She’s taking her cues from him.”

8. Public and Political Backlash

• Universal Outrage: There’s mention of how Americans across party lines crave transparency and accountability, with polling showing 81% believing Trump has something to hide in the Epstein files.

  • [21:50] Nicole Wallace: “You’ve got 81% of all Americans who believe Donald Trump is hiding something in the Epstein files...no partisan divide in questions about transparency...”

• Impact on GOP’s Image: Tim Miller notes that the callous handling of this issue weakens the party’s image, especially ahead of the upcoming midterms.

  • [32:38] Tim Miller: “A thousand victims, by the way, all with the same stories. And yes, she didn’t seem to care at all. And I don’t see how that’s going to help the Republicans...today was an embarrassment…”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Instead of acknowledging the victims of child abuse...she said she didn’t want to go into the gutter with them.”

  • Tara Palmeri [00:23]

• “Describing the victims as the gutter. That’s new.”

  • Nicole Wallace [13:48]

• “Are you able to track who it was that obscured Les Wexner’s name as a co-conspirator in an FBI document? Do you have that kind of accountability?”

  • Tim Miller [14:29]

• “Any victim who comes forward. Of course, we would love to hear from them. 1-800-Call-FBI.”

  • Tara Palmeri (sarcastically quoting Bondi’s response) [15:39]

• “It is just such a grave miscarriage of justice...She won’t even turn around and acknowledge us as people. She won’t even look at us after we have gone through so much and the DOJ has failed time and time again.”

  • Survivor Danny Bensky [18:03]

• “They said case closed without conferring with the victims.”

  • Tim Miller [30:38]

Timestamps for Essential Segments

• [00:23] Tara Palmeri’s opening condemnation of Bondi’s “gutter” comment and overview of the administration’s neglect of survivors.
• [03:24] Bondi pivots to economic bragging during the hearing when asked about meeting with survivors.
• [04:03] Discrepancy in redactions—powerful names removed, victims’ identities exposed.
• [13:17] Direct exchange with Bondi, repeated demand for apology to survivors.
• [15:39] Bondi’s dismissive referral of victims to a hotline.
• [19:17] Christy Greenberg calls DOJ’s claims “the gaslightiest, gaslighting I’ve ever heard in my life.”
• [21:50] Discussion of overwhelming public demand for transparency, across party lines.
• [29:27] Christy Greenberg establishes that none of the survivors have been heard by the DOJ.
• [30:19]–[30:38] Tara and Tim reiterate that Bondi’s actions violate the Crime Victims Rights Act.

Conclusion

This episode paints a damning portrait of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s conduct regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case. The conversation is rich with first-hand knowledge of victims’ experiences, legal context, and the broader political stakes. The hosts emphasize the nonpartisan nature of the survivors’ quest for justice, the administration’s pattern of evasiveness and prioritization of powerful interests, and the urgent need for transparency, dignity, and genuine accountability.

For Further Listening & Reading:

• Subscribe to Tara Palmeri's newsletter, The Red Letter, on Substack
• “Broken: Jeffrey Epstein” and “Power: The Maxwells” podcasts for deep dives on the case.