The Tara Palmeri Show
Episode Title: The FBI Was Watching More Than Just Epstein
Date: December 30, 2025
Host: Tara Palmeri
Guests: Nicole Wallace, Andrew Weissmann, Christy Greenberg
Episode Overview
This episode dives into recent revelations that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI may have surveilled not just Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, but also investigative journalists covering the case—specifically Miami Herald’s Julie K. Brown. Tara Palmeri, a deeply-sourced reporter who has extensively covered Epstein, explores the troubling pattern of journalist surveillance, the implications for press freedom, and how recent document dumps are reigniting scrutiny of the DOJ's handling of the Epstein investigation. The episode also investigates the timing, redactions, and potential political motivations behind the DOJ's release of Epstein-related files, with analysis from prominent legal experts.
Key Discussions & Insights
1. Shocking Revelation: DOJ Tracked Journalist Julie K. Brown
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(00:29, 09:49, 11:05, 16:40)
- Tara Palmeri recounts the news that the DOJ had Julie K. Brown’s airline itineraries in their subpoenaed Epstein files, suggesting direct surveillance of her movements during her pivotal reporting.
- Palmeri reflects on her own experiences being potentially surveilled alongside survivor Virginia Giuffre—mentioning the eerie timing of FBI calls during witness interviews and unexplained phone malfunctions.
"It turns out the Department of Justice was tracking [Julie K. Brown's] flights in July 2019, right before they arrested Jeffrey Epstein... This is really revelatory. And it gave me the chills..."
— Tara Palmeri (00:29)- Palmeri wonders aloud if this means other journalists (or even survivors themselves) were also being tracked, noting the atmosphere of intimidation and the chilling effect on investigative work.
2. Pattern and History of DOJ Surveillance of Journalists
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(09:49, 13:33)
- Palmeri points to a longstanding, bipartisan history of government surveillance of journalists, spanning from the Obama through Trump administrations; she emphasizes that this isn’t new, but each revelation raises alarm bells for press freedom.
"The DOJ has a history of tracking journalists. We know that even during the Obama administration, it's been a problem for the past 15 years."
— Tara Palmeri (09:49)- Legal analyst Andrew Weissmann details formal DOJ policies limiting such surveillance, highlighting that subpoenas for journalist records are supposed to require extensive, high-level review and are not to be undertaken lightly.
"The Department of Justice... has had very significant restrictions on when... DOJ can subpoena or go after or obtain records relating to journalists."
— Andrew Weissmann (13:33)- Weissmann explains these rules may have been bent, or broken, with unknown oversight at the time.
"The normal rules are that... you can't just do that at the line level... you'd need much more levels of approval."
— Andrew Weissmann (16:40)
3. The Chilling Details and Impact
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(10:52, 12:13, 11:05)
- Palmeri shares the unsettling details of her fieldwork, particularly the simultaneous arrival of FBI calls and compromised witness phones while interviewing key players in the Epstein saga.
- She and Nicole Wallace discuss how witnesses like Juan Alessi, Epstein’s former houseman, played critical roles—his testimony corroborated survivor accounts, and the timing of law enforcement contact felt conspicuously coincidental.
"He was a major witness in the case against Ghislaine Maxwell... he hadn't really heard from the feds in months... and it just so happened to be that day while we were with him, when he got a phone call..."
— Tara Palmeri (11:05)
4. The DOJ Document Dump: Timing, Content, and Redactions
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(04:14, 23:15, 25:19)
- Nicole Wallace notes that the DOJ’s Christmas-timed mass release of documents—in violation of a Congressional mandate to have files released ten days prior—appears designed to minimize scrutiny during a period of low public attention.
- Christy Greenberg criticizes DOJ’s habit of issuing misleading statements regarding redactions and the withholding of names; she highlights inconsistencies in public statements vs. document content.
"If you wanted to hide information, you would release information on Christmas Eve... an email among the 30,000 released last week... reflects that Donald Trump traveled on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet many more times than previously has been reported..."
— Nicole Wallace (23:15)
5. Political Motivations and High-Level Involvement
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(16:10, 19:06, 26:34)
- The panel explores potential involvement from high-level DOJ officials or even the White House, noting that the normal attorney general review procedures should have precluded line prosecutors from unilaterally tracking a journalist.
- Greenberg references Jeff Berman’s book, which details internal efforts to keep the Epstein probe secret from higher-ups to avoid interference, questioning whether the proper, mandated oversight ever occurred.
- Reports of the White House influencing DOJ communications on social media are referenced, raising questions of politicization and undermining of trust.
"When this whole process gets weaponized that causes the public to trust the Department of Justice less and ... allows for these kinds of questions and thinking that there are nefarious motives..."
— Christy Greenberg (19:06)
6. Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Suppression of Records
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(04:14, 25:19, 26:34)
- Wallace highlights how Trump sought to downplay the DOJ's Epstein investigation, focusing on "Democrats associated with Epstein" while ignoring survivor testimony and evidence implicating himself or allies.
- New reporting is cited in which Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene details a heated phone call with Trump, who feared that disclosure of Epstein-related names would, as he put it, “hurt my friends.”
"Trump replied, 'My friends will get hurt.'"
— Nicole Wallace recounting Marjorie Taylor Greene's story (04:14)- The episode critiques the ongoing withholding and selective redaction of files, and points out that emails revealed Trump traveled with Epstein more often than previously acknowledged—contradicting his public denials.
"The documents released by his own Department of Justice... has that email... the flight records... reflect that Donald Trump traveled on Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously has been reported..."
— Nicole Wallace (25:19)- Palmeri addresses Trump’s motives, suggesting efforts to protect reputations—potentially his own—and the likelihood that further document releases will continue to unveil damaging truths.
"President Trump was worried about how these files would expose his friends. And I think when he says his friends, he probably is also reflecting himself…"
— Tara Palmeri (26:34)
Notable Quotes & Moments
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On DOJ's chilling effect on journalism:
"They were probably following us around. I know that sounds conspiratorial... but it gave me the chills."
— Tara Palmeri (00:29) -
On the need for transparency and damage from obfuscation:
"It would behoove the Department of Justice to communicate more, not less, to tell us about these kinds of things, get ahead of it so that if there is nothing nefarious about it, just tell the public why."
— Christy Greenberg (19:06) -
On DOJ’s redactions and misinformation:
"The Deputy Attorney General said the only redactions being applied to documents are those required by law, full stop. That is just not true… DOJ is claiming the information is privileged. They are asserting the privileges and then redacting them."
— Christy Greenberg (19:06) -
On Trump’s response to the prospect of victim transparency:
"When she, Marjorie Taylor Greene, urged Trump to invite some of Epstein's female victims to the Oval Office, she says he angrily informed her that they had done nothing to merit the honor."
— Nicole Wallace (04:14)
Key Timestamps
| Timestamp | Segment/Event | |---|---| | 00:29 | Tara Palmeri introduces the revelation about DOJ tracking Julie K. Brown's flights | | 02:27 | Palmeri recounts bizarre coincidence of FBI calling witness during field interview | | 04:14 | Nicole Wallace contextualizes the Epstein document dump and recent developments | | 09:49 | Palmeri and panel discuss the history of surveillance of journalists | | 11:05 | Palmeri details her firsthand experience with FBI interference | | 12:13 | Nicole Wallace shares a rundown of Brown’s Miami Herald headlines at the time | | 13:33 | Andrew Weissmann explains DOJ restrictions on subpoenaing journalist records | | 16:40 | Weissmann: DOJ rules require high-level sign-off before surveilling journalists | | 19:06 | Christy Greenberg discusses Berman’s internal secrecy and DOJ’s lack of candor | | 23:15 | Wallace shares damning email regarding Trump’s repeated presence on Epstein flights| | 25:19 | Palmeri addresses the politics and motives behind redactions and narrative control | | 26:34 | Palmeri unpacks Trump’s personal motivations for keeping files hidden |
Conclusion
This episode of The Tara Palmeri Show exposes unsettling new details about the DOJ's surveillance of journalists involved in the Epstein investigation. Tara Palmeri and her panel contextualize the risks to press freedom, the possible politicization of justice, and the dangerous opacity with which government power is sometimes wielded against the very people working to expose the public truth. The episode is a must-listen for anyone following the ongoing Epstein revelations or concerned about government accountability in high-profile cases.