Melania Trump, Epstein — and the Photographer in Between

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Tara Palmeri Show

Episode: "The Photographer Who Helped Launch Melania Trump’s Modeling Career And His Ties To Epstein"

Host: Tara Palmeri
Date: March 1, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into explosive new reporting by Tara Palmeri, exploring the connections between Melania Trump’s modeling career and the world of Jeffrey Epstein. At the center of the investigation is renowned ‘90s fashion photographer Antoine Verglas, whose close professional relationship with Melania Trump overlapped—after her rise—with troubling ties to Epstein. The episode situates these revelations within the broader context of Congressional hearings featuring testimony from Bill and Hillary Clinton, and increasing calls for Donald and Melania Trump to be similarly scrutinized.

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Main Discussion Points & Key Insights

1. Congressional Testimonies & the Push for Transparency

• Bill and Hillary Clinton before House Oversight (07:19–09:00):
  • Lawmakers and journalists discuss the precedent-setting testimonies of Bill and Hillary Clinton regarding any connections to Epstein.
  • Strong bipartisan calls for further transparency and the release of the full Epstein Files.
• Calls for Trump Testimony (09:05–10:30, 15:51–18:43):
  • Multiple commentators argue that if the Clintons appear, Donald Trump—mentioned hundreds of times in the Epstein files—should be compelled to testify.
  • Discussion about the potential for Melania Trump and even Marla Maples being called, given their own peripheral links to Epstein’s circle.

Quote

"He has not taken the Fifth Amendment. He's been actually quite comfortable and he's actually given very long deliberate answers to all these questions."
— Tara Palmeri on Bill Clinton’s testimony [08:40]

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2. Antoine Verglas: Linking the Elite Fashion World and Epstein

• Verglas’s Role in Melania Trump’s Career (00:50–02:18, 24:33–26:49):
  • Antoine Verglas, influential ‘90s fashion photographer, shot a dozen of Melania Trump’s most iconic photos, including her infamous GQ nude spread and MAXIM shoot.
  • Credited with propelling Melania into fashion’s top tier, acting as a pivotal figure in her modeling trajectory.
• Verglas’s Epstein Connections (02:18–04:30, 24:33–26:49):
  • Emails and files show Verglas had ongoing professional dealings with Epstein from 2012–2017, after his sex crime conviction.
  • Verglas was hired to photograph several of Epstein’s girlfriends—some sessions described as nude shoots; the ages of the subjects remain unclear.
  • Verglas also assisted Epstein’s girlfriend Karina Shuliak in obtaining a visa, illustrating a reciprocally beneficial relationship.

Quote

"He is the reason that [Melania] became famous... He is just so happens to be the man who made Melania.”
— Tara Palmeri [24:33]

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3. Disturbing Correspondence: Scopolamine & Questionable Exchanges

• The Scopolamine Email (04:30–05:05, 24:33–26:49):
  • An email from Verglas to Epstein references scopolamine, a drug known to eliminate free will and render individuals highly suggestible—a “zombie drug,” as described.
  • Epstein was reportedly cultivating the plant used to produce scopolamine at the time.
  • Verglas claims no recollection of why this email existed, saying he was “alarmed by the drug” but denies any involvement.
• Other Concerning Aspects
  • Email records show 600+ contacts between Verglas and Epstein.
  • File transfers labeled “Antoine Verglas, nude, black and whites” among 65 other files sent to Epstein; however, actual content remains undisclosed.

Quote

"What is probably one of the most chilling emails, though, in their correspondence is about a drug called scopolamine... It leaves you extremely suggestible, almost like a zombie. They actually say a childlike state. Why is that email in Jeffrey Epstein's inbox?"
— Tara Palmeri [04:00]

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4. Congressional Dynamics: Partisan Tensions & Precedents (18:43–22:33, 27:46–30:24)

• Political Overtones:
  • Lawmakers debate whether the proceedings are truly nonpartisan or simply new fronts in partisan warfare.
  • The decision to question former presidents and first ladies could open the door for both Donald and Melania Trump to be interrogated about their ties to Epstein.
• The Broader Network:
  • References to other powerful figures (Howard Lutnick; Les Wexner) and their place in the Epstein saga, raising questions about selective scrutiny.
  • Increasing pressure to depose current and former senior officials, business figures, and even spouses mentioned in the files or seen in Epstein-associated photographs.

Quote

"What should be a nonpartisan quest is then immediately bogged down in partisanship.”
— Katie Tur [27:46]

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5. Victims and Survivors: The Central Focus

• Plea for Clarity (27:46–29:10):
  • Survivors continue to campaign for a full accounting and justice, expressing hope that Congressional investigations and transparency will finally yield answers regarding their own experiences and trauma.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It really downplayed it all. But I really think that it's another example of the very thin line between the White House, President/First Lady, and Epstein and his world."
  — Tara Palmeri [05:05]
• "If you've got Clinton, why are you not asking for Trump? Or even more than that, if the committee wants to ask spouses...why are you not also asking Melania Trump, who, by the way, is actually pictured in some of the Epstein files and has at least one correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell?"
  — Katie Tur [18:10]
• "He [Verglas] says he did not know Jeffrey Epstein when he was working with Melania."
  — Tara Palmeri [04:40]
• "We've been asking the former president the hard questions. To his credit, he has answered every single question. He's not taken the Fifth Amendment."
  — Tara Palmeri [08:35]

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Key Timestamps

• 00:50–05:05: Tara Palmeri outlines her new reporting on Melania Trump, Antoine Verglas, and Epstein.
• 07:19–14:17: Analysis of the Clinton testimony, legal implications, and calls for Trump to testify.
• 15:51–18:43: Debate on the political ramifications and precedent of calling spouses to testify.
• 24:33–26:49: Deep dive into Antoine Verglas, his role in Melania's career, and his Epstein ties.
• 27:46–30:24: Reflection on survivors’ demands and the impact of politicization in the ongoing investigations.

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Conclusion

This episode brings a new dimension to the ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s vast network, spotlighting an under-examined but crucial figure at the intersection of elite modeling and the darker corners of power. Tara Palmeri’s reporting reveals not only the complex web linking Melania Trump and Antoine Verglas to Epstein, but also highlights the unprecedented—and increasingly partisan—direction of Congressional probes into historical abuse and misconduct among the political and social elite. The episode emphasizes the importance of transparency, accountability, and centering victims, amid a climate where justice and political strategy are deeply intertwined.

Transcript

[Tara Palmeri]

Hey, guys. So these days, I am all about quality over quantity, especially in my closet. And that's when I found Quince. The fabrics just feel really elevated. The cuts are thoughtful, and the pricing makes a lot of sense, which is why when you're watching this show on YouTube, you can see me in a lot of quint items. Silks, T shirts, cashmere, linen. It's European linen, 100% silk. Organic cotton, poplin. It's lightweight, it's beautiful, it's well made, and it's from ethical factories. Really great prices because they cut out the middleman. So you're not paying for that brand markup from fancy retail stores, just quality clothing. I feel like I have gotten the best quality cashmere, linen, silk, and I'm not paying for it, which is a great feeling. So right now go to quince.com tara that's T A R A for free shipping and 365 day returns. It's a full year to wear it, and if you don't love it, you just send it right back with. But I know you well because I keep the clothes. It's now available in Canada too. So don't keep settling. For clothes that don't last. Go to Q U I n c e.com Tara that's T A R A for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com/tara welcome to the Tara Palmari Show. We've all seen that Hillary and Bill Clinton had to sit down and testify before the House Oversight Committee. And it's got everyone thinking, well, this, If Hillary and Bill Clinton have to sit down, then what about Melania and Donald Trump, Right? After all, they too knew Glenn and Jeffrey Epstein. I mean, in my latest piece in Vanity Fair, which just dropped on Friday, I explained one degree of separation between Melania Trump and a fashion photographer who made her career, who remained close to Jeffrey Epstein after his 2008 conviction. He's found in the files hundreds of times, 600 times, to be precise. His name is Antoine Bear Gloss. He was a huge photographer in the 90s. He photographed Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Claudia Schiffer, Tyra Banks. He also made Melania Trump in the late 90s. He was the one who photographed her for that racy GQ shot, the nude one where she's lying on, I think, nothing but fur in Donald Trump's plane. You know, he also photographed her in Nothing for Golf, Maxim, just. She's just covered in golf balls in a, in a bathtub. So he did some of her most iconic shoots. He did A dozen with her. Actually, he shot her between it was 1999 and 2011. There's a ho living shot that he did with her. But he's very much a part of the elite ecosystem of modeling that brought Melania into the place that she is now. President Trump was proud of her that she was an elite model. And it was this man, Antoine Verglass, who basically made it happen. Now, Antoine. The emails show an uncomfortably close relationship between Antoine and Epstein. For example, Epstein hired Antoine to shoot to do photo shoots of his girlfriend, Karina Schuliak, and other girls. We don't know their ages. He says they were not minors. He pays them. In one email, it says that they won't need styling because it'll be nude. He claims that it wasn't nude. He also sends a file that says, Antoine Vergloss, nude, black and whites. He also sends him just like almost 65 files of we don't know what. They're all blanked out. He asks him for help with his son Julian, getting an intern an internship in finance. Julian went on to be a day trader. And according to the emails, Epstein met with him in. In return, Vergloss actually helped Epstein's girlfriend, Karina Schuliac, get a visa. So there was certainly a symbiotic relationship between the two of them. Epstein reached out to him, saying that Woody Allen was looking for a girl for his movies between 20 and 24 and. And then Vera Gloss responded with some ideas. What is probably one of the most chilling emails, though, in their correspondence is about a drug called scopoline, a lethal drug that eliminates free will. Now, there's an email from Vergloss that is forwarded to Jeffrey Epstein, and it's a. It's quoting a Daily Mail article that explains scopoline and how it basically eliminates, like I said, free will. It leaves you extremely suggestible, almost like a zombie. They actually say a childlike state. Well, that email, why is it in Jeffrey Epstein's inbox for. And it was originally a very Gloss email. Also, Jeffrey Epstein just so happened to be growing the plant that creates that drug, scopoline. It's called the trumpet plant. It's known for its beautiful bell shape. It is seen in a number of gardens, but it's just a little convenient, right? It's seen in two emails that Jeffrey's asking about these plants. Now, Vera Glass says he doesn't recall what this was all about. He says that he was alarmed by this drug and he doesn't Remember how it ended up in Jeffrey Epstein's in moxie claims that their contact was limited, that they only met a number like a few times, maybe a dozen or so contacts between the two of them. And that is the extent of it all. It really downplayed it all. But I really think that it's another example of the very thin line between the White House President first lady and Epstein and his world. So please go check it out. It's@vanity fair.com you can also go to the Red Letter to find it. That's my newsletter, Tara palmary.com you can keep me in business though by subscribing. Just hit that little button right there and go to tarapaulmary.com and sign up for my newsletter the Red Letter. It's where you get great reporting like this straight to your inbox. And it supports independent journalism. Take a listen to this episode of Katie Tur show on Ms. Now we discuss Bill Clinton's testimony. We talk about what that means for President Trump, who's been asked about it, whether he should testify. Seems a little scared actually. And I share my reporting about Antoine Vergloss and his relationship with Melania Trump and then his subsequent close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. He says that he did not know Jeffrey Epstein when he was working with Melania. Take a listen here and thanks again for listening to the show.

[Katie Tur]

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[Tara Palmeri]

The American public deserves to hear and see these answers for themselves and ultimately this demonstrates that nobody is above the law.

[Lisa Rubin]

And my top concern at this moment is the ongoing White House cover up.

[Tara Palmeri]

It is deeply concerning that we are seeing a very coordinated machine from the President of the United States continuously repeating that he has been exonerated.

[Lisa Rubin]

He just repeated that today to members of the Republican Party on the Oversight Committee repeating that lie as well. There are very credible allegations that have

[Tara Palmeri]

been looked into, investigated by the FBI that the Department of Justice is illegally withholding. Please do not stop asking about this. Why is the DOJ continuing to defy the Epstein Files Transparency act by refusing

[Lisa Rubin]

to release the full Epstein files, by

[Tara Palmeri]

illegally withholding information, by deleting photos and videos of people like Howard Lutnick?

[Lisa Rubin]

This is unacceptable. Donald Trump must be deposed immediately in

[Tara Palmeri]

front of this committee, as do many senior level officials from this administration, Congressman Suhas Sivarmonium from Virginia. If there was any doubt before today that oversight Democrats are treating this investigation in a nonpartisan way, it will be put to rest when the transcripts come out. We've been asking the former president the hard questions. To his credit, he has answered every single question. He's not taken the Fifth Amendment. He's been actually quite comfortable and he's actually given very long deliberate answers to all these questions. And so we appreciate the former president being here today and we would like to see the current president come before us as well and give the same kind of transparency that President Clinton has given us today.

[Ali Vitale]

And we're going to continue to demand

[Tara Palmeri]

the release of the files and continue

[Ali Vitale]

to demand transparency of this administration. Two quick points. Wesley Bell, Congressman, Missouri's First District first and foremost, President Clinton came here and answered tough questions. I think the victims and survivors, the American public deserve those deserve a serious investigation because thus far what we're seeing from Republicans is a very non serious, as one of my colleagues referred to it as a clown show. And having led serious investigations, I can't disagree. When we hear members from the other, other, other side coming into a deposition with conclusions, get no evidence to support those conclusions and then announce to the world that these conclusions must be true, that is unprofessional, it's unethical. And at the end of the day, what we're trying to do is get to the bottom of what actually happened so that we can hold any offenders accountable. Democrats are doing that. The president and former first lady have done that. And now it's time for President Trump to do the exact same thing under oath. Not when you can just make statements randomly on X or truth Social, but under oath, where your right hand is in the air and there are consequences if you don't tell the truth. And so we're going to continue to push for transparency, we're going to continue to push for justice because that's what the American people and the survivors deserve. Just make a couple of brief comments, then I'll answer one or two questions and then the deposition right now is on a break. And so we'll reconvene. There'll be at some additional hours of questioning by both the Democratic side and the Republican side as the afternoon goes on. I want to just reiterate a couple of things that are that have been made, which are important. The first is that we are thankful that President Clinton came in and answered tough questions from both the minority party and the majority Party. We also think it's important to note that, and he made some of these statements in his opening statement. He made it clear once again, that he does not understand, nor do we, why we spent so much time yesterday grilling Secretary Clinton when she obviously had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein and had never met Jeffrey Epstein. We also want to reiterate, and I want to think it's important for us to know our call yesterday because of transparency, it is so important that we continue to release both Secretary Clinton's deposition and President Clinton's deposition. Both of the Clintons are committed to these records getting out as soon as possible and oversight. Democrats agree the best way of going forward is for there be transparency and a full public record. And we're demanding that that record not be edited, but just a full recording of what transpired yesterday and what will continue to inspire today for the course of the day. And finally, let me just also say once again that we have a new precedent in this country where we can now demand President and former presidents to testify in front of the Oversight Committee. So we are once again demanding that now President Trump was in the Epstein files almost more than anyone else besides Ghislaine Maxwell. Answer our questions. This is not a hoax. He has not been exonerated. And we have serious questions for President Trump. And with that, we'll answer a couple questions.

[Tara Palmeri]

Chairman Comer just came out, said that in this last hour of questioning, you asked President Clinton if he thought President Trump should come and testify. And Chairman Comer said President Clinton's response was that it was for you to decide.

[Katie Tur]

And the president. And Clinton went on to say that President Trump has never taken, said anything

[Lisa Rubin]

to him to make him think he was involved.

[Katie Tur]

Now, obviously we don't have the transcript

[Unidentified Reporter]

of that position, but I would love your.

[Ali Vitale]

I.

[Tara Palmeri]

And what.

[Ali Vitale]

Yeah, I think, I think the best response to that is for you to, to view the complete record of what actually he said, which, look, we're not going to disclose what was said because that's not in the rules. The Republicans keep breaking the rules. But I think to, to what Mr. Frost said earlier there was, I think that the president, President Clinton did bring up some additional information about some discussions with President Trump. I think that the way Chairman Comer described it, I don't think is a complete accurate description of what actually was said. So let's release the full transcript so you can get all. Get a full record of what actually was said, which brings up some very important new questions about comments that President Trump has actually said in the past Any other questions? Hosing yes, Mr.

[Unidentified Reporter]

Member, I know in the former president's statement he says that there may be times where he says he can't recall

[Tara Palmeri]

has that I know you can't really give a lot of details about what was said in the deposition, but how would you characterize what you say?

[Unidentified Reporter]

He's being cooperative. Is he answering the majority of questions or a lot of his responses more?

[Ali Vitale]

I can't I think everybody would agree that he's been very cooperative and he's actually answering the questions fairly, I mean, to the best of his ability. There's he has not taken a pass on on pleading the Fifth for any questions. He's been very thorough. He's been asked some questions multiple times over. I think you'll see that in the transcript. So he's been very cooperative and in fact is I don't think he's given any sense that he's been uncomfortable to be there. In fact, I think he's been he's been pretty interested in answering, I think, all the questions of both the Republicans and the Democrats. With that, we're going to wrap up. Everyone's going to break and then Republicans will continue. Thank you very much.

[Tara Palmeri]

Angel, anything you want to say?

[Unidentified Reporter]

All right. What you were just watching just there is the Democrats giving a bit of a gaggle to reporters in the middle of a break in the Bill Clinton testimony regarding Jeffrey Epstein. I'm Katie Tur. Thanks for joining us. It is 207 right now. An interesting back and forth there with Congressman Comer. Well, an indirect back and forth between Congressman Comer and Congressman Garcia regarding something that Bill Clinton said about Donald Trump. Let's get into that. Joining us Ms. Now, senior Capitol Hill reporter Ali Vitale in Chappaqua, Miss. Now senior legal reporter Lisa Rubin and host of the Tara Palmeri podcast and author of the Red Letter on Substack, Tara palmeri, All right. So Ali, let me play what Comer said just a few moments ago regarding some testimony from Bill Clinton.

[Tara Palmeri]

I want to make a statement because

[Unidentified Reporter]

they'll probably not mention this when they come out here.

[Tara Palmeri]

Ranking member Garcia asked President Clinton, quote,

[Ali Vitale]

should President Trump be called to answer

[Tara Palmeri]

questions from this committee? And President Clinton said, that's for you to decide. And the president went on to say that the President Trump has never said anything to me to make me think he was involved.

[Unidentified Reporter]

Okay. So, Ali, that was Comer's characterization of what President Clinton said. Congressman Garcia just was speaking a moment ago and he said that's not quite accurate.

[Katie Tur]

That's exactly Right. And I think there's two things that struck me because this was also the exchange that I think I pulled out as the most important and, like, substantively impactful of what we just heard from lawmakers as they gaggled with us and then went into a deposition break. To me, it says two things. First is that Democrats keep trying to respect this idea that they are not supposed to talk about the substance of what's happening in these depositions, like truly specifics about what's happening in these depositions until the transcript and video are released. What we've seen now is Republicans in Colmer doing a pretty good job of trying to set the narrative of what is said inside. And the reason that I think what Colmer said there is important and also gives us some insight into how he might be thinking about the future of this investigation, is that they are trying to use Bill Clinton as a way to rebut claims from Democrats and others who say, okay, if you got a former president and Bill Clinton, why are you not asking President Trump, who has mentioned hundreds of times in the files, potentially more than any other person in there or one of the top mentioned people in the files, and Colmer, by trying to use Clinton to say, well, Clinton says he never had any reason to think that Trump was involved with Epstein, they're basically trying to cut that line of inquiry off at the pass. Obviously, Garcia and Democrats were not going to just let that go. They very much want to use the fact that Clinton is here before the committee as leverage for why Trump himself should be called before the committee. But to me, it tells me that Colmer is aware of the door that he may have opened by getting the Clintons giving the conservative red, red meat of these favorite villains for Republicans, putting them back in the deposition spotlight, that he's also now aware of the door that it opens for people to say, okay, if you've got Clinton, why are you not asking for Trump? Or even more than that, if the committee wants to ask spouses who don't have insight into their husband's actions, for example, as Hillary Clinton didn't into Bill, then why are you not also asking Melania Trump, who, by the way, is actually pictured in some of the Epstein files and has at least one correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell. Right. So it opens up this, this sticky line of partizan questioning. And that's what I saw in Colmer. They're trying to rebut or frankly, or

[Unidentified Reporter]

frankly, Marla Maples, who is said to have found Epstein to be off and odd why would she? He was at her wedding as well, and at Melania Trump's wedding to Donald Trump. So if the spouses are now fair game, what about those two women? I want to get to that in a moment because, Tara, you've got some interesting reporting regarding somebody else linked to Melania Trump and Epstein, and I do want to drill into that. But first, let's talk a little bit more about Bill Clinton. He had an opening statement today that laid out, I guess, the parameters of what he thinks he had to offer the committee. And he says, I'm going to paraphrase it, I didn't see anything. I didn't know anything. I didn't do anything wrong.

[Lisa Rubin]

I think that's a pretty good distillation of what both Bill and Hillary Clinton have each said previously, Katie, and not just said it, they swore to it in declarations that they offered to the committee mid month, last month in lieu of testimony. And he said in his declaration, I'm going to read to you to state plainly, I had no personal knowledge of Mr. Jeffrey Epstein or Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal activities, including those to which Mr. Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008, those for which he was investigated and charged in New York in 2019, and those for which Ms. Maxwell was found guilty in 2021. However, I do think that there were some legitimate questions to be asked of President Clinton notwithstanding that statement, and those include questions not limited to, but those include questions about his 2002 travel with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. They traveled together on multiple occasions that year, including sort of an infamous trip to Africa on Jeffrey Epstein, where many other notable people were present. One of the things that I think we need to better understand about that trip, as an emergency room physician who accompanied them on the trip to ensure that Bill Clinton, as the former president, was adequately taken care of, he said, look, everybody else on the trip, and he said this in a statement to the FBI, everybody else on the trip had a designated purpose or a reason to be there. You could explain why they were on that plane.

[Unidentified Reporter]

And.

[Lisa Rubin]

And yet there were four women there whose presence I could not explain. They were all in their early 20s, appeared to be 20 to 22. One was described to me as a ballerina, another a former model. But everybody else was there for philanthropic reasons because they had policy expertise. And of course, Epstein was there because he contributed the plane. That ER doctor honed in on something that I think is legitimate to ask Bill Clinton about. What did you think those four girls were doing? On the plane. And should you have asked more questions or disassociated from Jeffrey Epstein as a result of that?

[Unidentified Reporter]

I'm sorry, I misspoke a moment ago. He was not at Melania's wedding to Donald Trump. My bet on that. But he was at Marla Maple's wedding. The back to Bill Clinton and the. The women on the plane. Okay, he's got four young women on the plane. They're not. They don't appear to be underage. And maybe he thought, this guy is a playboy, fine. But Bill Clinton was around Jeffrey Epstein more than that. And Jeffrey Epstein had a certain reputation even in 2000 before about liking. I mean, we've saw the birthday book about liking young girls.

[Lisa Rubin]

Well, let's talk about the infamous New York magazine profile. I mean, again, if you want to draw some connective tissue about Clinton and Trump, both of them were aware of that reputation. How do we know? Because in 2002, when New York magazine wrote one of the first sort of now infamous profiles of Jeffrey Epstein, there was that quote from Trump where he says, it's been said that Epstein likes beautiful women as much as I do. And then he flags that he likes them on the younger side. So that was part of Epstein reputation that was trailing him around Palm beach and certainly New York society at the time. Hillary Clinton was obviously a senator from New York. The Clintons had already set up base in Chappaqua, even if that was not yet his national reputation. Anybody who operated in the New York circles in which the Clintons, as a former president and first lady, were then active would have sort of known the scuttlebutt around him.

[Unidentified Reporter]

Okay, did Clinton. Does he appear in the files post Epstein conviction?

[Lisa Rubin]

I have not seen any showing that Bill Clinton himself, in relation to an ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell appears in the files after that period of time. However, I want to flag. We are all aware of the fact that Ghislaine Maxwell attended Chelsea Clinton's 2010 wedding after Epstein's original conviction and after he was done serving his time as the guest of a Clinton friend named Ted Waite. We understand from both Clintons that she was there solely in the capacity as Ted Waits plus one, essentially. But again, there is no indication that Epstein was maintaining a correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell. I'm sorry. That Epstein was maintaining a correspondence with Bill Clinton or that he was maintaining a correspondence with Glenn Maxwell independently after that.

[Unidentified Reporter]

All right, let's talk about the slippery slope here and the precedent being set. Democrats say Tara that the Republicans are calling in a former president. They're calling in his spouse who had. Who says she didn't even know Jeffrey Epstein. Aren't you setting a precedent, they say, to allow us to interview Donald Trump, to allow us to interview, potentially his spouses? You've done some reporting about another person that links Melania Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. We've seen her in photos, obviously. We keep showing them. We've also seen that correspondence between her and Ghislaine Maxwell, which was short and innocuous, at least on the outside. Who is this guy that you're writing about and what link does he have?

[Ali Vitale]

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[Tara Palmeri]

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[Ali Vitale]

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[Tara Palmeri]

So this is Antoine Burglass. He is a. Was a huge fashion photographer in the 1990s. He photographed Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Claudia Schiffer, all of the biggest models. And in fact, he propelled Melania Trump's career. He is the reason that she became famous. He did that famous GQ spread of her naked in Trump's plane. He also did a few other photographs of her Maxim Golf, where she's again naked just covered in golf balls. They did about 12 sessions together. And he is responsible for her fame. And he was found through her modeling agent. And this is around the same time that she was getting a visa. Now, at the same time, he maintained a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein from 2012 to 2017. That's after his conviction. He was photographing Epstein's girlfriends and their friends. In some of the pictures, in some of the emails, it suggests that they were nude. He sent nude photos to Jeffrey Epstein. He sent many photos to Jeffrey Epstein. They worked together on shoots a number of times. And then there's a really concerning email that was forwarded to Jeffrey Epstein that was sent by him about this drug, scopoline, that takes away free will. It's basically a zombie drug, almost like leaves a person basically incapacitated. He said he doesn't remember the context of that drug and that he said that they never did anything together with it. But there are a number of like, very concerning, you know, interactions, especially the fact that he was still working for Jeffrey Epstein, you know, after his conviction in 2008. And so, you know, this is someone who made Melania Trump's career. And while it doesn't suggest that, you know, Melania did anything wrong, it does show one degree of separation between the world, Melania and the world that made her this elite modeling world and Jeffrey Epstein, a world that he was. That he easily exploited through visas. I mean, actually, this photographer, Julian Fergluss, helped Epstein's girlfriend, Karina Shulia, get a visa. That's how close they appeared to be in these emails. So he's a reoccurring character. He shows up almost 600 times in the Epstein files, and he is just so happens to be the man who made Melania.

[Unidentified Reporter]

Well, I mean, he would be interesting to question. Melania would be interesting to question about that as well. Ali, one last question to you regarding the politics here. I think it's just kind of sad to insert politics into this. And it's something that Marjorie Taylor Greene was doing a good job of having some dignity with. She was talking about everybody needing to come and answer questions, regardless of political parties. I don't feel like I'm seeing much of that right now among the lawmakers who are questioning these witnesses. You have Bill Clinton there today. Lots of Republicans showed up, lots of Democrats. Les Wexner the other day, who was, you know, arguably the source of much of Jeffrey Epstein's wealth. Lots of Democrats, but only Republican staffers showed up to interview him. So. So what is the actual desire to get to the bottom of this? Or is this just another round of Partizan politics?

[Katie Tur]

You know, I think these members, Katie, have been trying to use the word that this is nonpartisan. And certainly when I've talked to the survivors, when they've come up repeatedly to Capitol Hill to urge members just for transparency and accountability and justice. Some of these women have been so clear about the fact that they've given statements over the years or they've tried to talk to law enforcement, and some of them don't even know what has happened to them. They want clarity on their own situations and on their own traumas that they are healing from. Right? And so that is, as always, at the center of this. And I think that all of us keep coming back to that. But what should be a nonpartisan quest is then immediately bogged down in partisanship. And I think I've been thinking about that often, because over the last two days, I asked Chairman Comer about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Right. And the idea that Lutnick himself has offered up details about living next door to Jeffrey Epstein for a time, about seeing things in Epstein's apartment, about cutting ties with him when he really didn't cut ties with him. And I think that's why I asked the following line of questions this morning. I just want to play for you a small part of the conversation I had with Comer and Macer earlier. Watch yesterday, you both told me that you were planning on asking about an email that Howard Lutnick sent to Jeffrey Epstein, I presume, about a Hillary Clinton fundraiser. I think that was the one. If he's worth asking about. Is he not worth asking in to talk about what he might know?

[Unidentified Reporter]

I think it'll be interesting when we

[Tara Palmeri]

hopefully get that video out later today

[Unidentified Reporter]

or tomorrow as quick as we can get it out.

[Tara Palmeri]

I think it'll be interesting what Hillary Clinton said about Howard Lutnick and how she said it. We're going to continue to, you know, ask questions of everyone that's that shows up in photos on the island and things like that.

[Lisa Rubin]

I will be asking for him.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yes.

[Katie Tur]

So we're going to see the substance, Katie. I don't want to dwell too much on that though. We're starting to get a little bit of a clue as to what they might have been asking in regards to a Lutnick Hillary Clinton relationship of some kind that might have revolved around Clinton as a senator trying to help with 9, 11 victims and the company and bank that Lutnick worked with that was centered at the World Trade Center. But I want to focus on the results of that exchange, which is that Congresswoman Nancy Mace, a Republican, said that she wants to call Lutnick and Democrats that I've spoken to since now say, okay, they think they have the votes to do that and that would be significant. You talk about the partisan politics. It's one of the things that's gummed up the process. But should we see the Commerce Secretary, the current commerce secretary to this Republican administration, come in at a Republican led committee? I do think that would be significant. It's not the president, but it is significant.

[Unidentified Reporter]

Yeah, I agree. Ali Vitale, thank you so much. Tara Palmeri, always good to have you.

[Tara Palmeri]

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[Ali Vitale]

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[Tara Palmeri]

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[Ali Vitale]

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[Tara Palmeri]

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[Tara Palmeri]

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[Ali Vitale]

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[Tara Palmeri]

Ruben that was another episode of the Tara Palmieri Show. Thanks so much for tuning in. I hope you appreciate this investigative reporting. It takes time and that's why I need your support. So please follow, subscribe, Share Tell all your friends about this. Go to Tara Palmeri.com Sign up for my newsletter the Red Letter. It's how you become a supporter of independent journalism like mine. You can get exclusive reporting too, like this straight to your inbox. I want to thank my producer Eric Avenante. I want to thank Abby Baker on the socials and research. And I want to thank Adam Stewart who does my graphics and Dan Rosen, my manager. See you again soon. This podcast is supported by MIDI Health. Are you in midlife? Feeling dismissed, unheard or just plain tired of the old healthcare system? You're not alone. In fact, even today 75% of women seeking care for menopause and perimenopause issues are left entirely untreated. But it's time for a change. It's time for Mitti. MITI's not just a health care provider, it's a women's telehealth clinic founded and supported by world class leaders in women's health. Their clinicians provide one on one face to face consultations where they truly listen to your unique needs. They offer a full range of holistic, data driven solutions that isn't one size fits all care. This is care uniquely tailored for you. At miti, you you will find that their mission is clear to help all women thrive in midlife, giving them access to the healthcare they deserve. Because they believe midlife isn't the middle at all. It is the beginning of your second act. Ready to feel your best and write your second act script? Visit joinmidi.com today to book your personalized insurance covered virtual visit. That's joinmitty.com MIDI the Care Women Deserve.