Why Epstein’s Lawyers Went to the CIA

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Tara Palmeri Show

Episode: Why Epstein’s Lawyers Went to the CIA
Date: February 15, 2026
Host: Tara Palmeri

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the newly revealed links between Jeffrey Epstein and top U.S. intelligence agencies, prompted by his lawyers’ attempts to request CIA and NSA records allegedly documenting Epstein’s connections. Tara Palmeri uses her investigative lens to expose the evolving narrative: Epstein as not just a trafficker protected by power, but a hyper-connector whose value to intelligence networks might explain not only his impunity, but also the system’s inability or unwillingness to bring accountability for his decades of abuse.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Epstein’s Suspected Ties to Intelligence (00:32–03:50)

• New Documents Emerge: Newly released records reveal Epstein’s lawyers made formal requests to the CIA and NSA for files on Epstein’s contact with these agencies from 1999–2011—spanning years even after his conviction (00:32).
• Nature of Government Responses:
  • The CIA issued a “Glomar response,” refusing to confirm or deny the existence of any records, especially if related to classified matters. Similarly, the NSA declined, citing national security risks (01:15).
• Tara’s Interpretation:
  • “They didn’t say no. They said classified.” (01:23, Tara Palmeri)
  • These law firm requests were not idle curiosity, but tactical, presumably to surface affiliation that could mitigate Epstein’s liability or explain government leniency.

2. Epstein as a “Hyper Fixer” & Leverage Holder (01:45–03:50)

• Palmeri’s Evolving Perception:
  • Through years of reporting, Tara identifies Epstein’s real currency as “access”—serving as a fixer who opens doors for elites across politics, finance, tech, royalty, and intelligence (02:34).
• Blackmail and Leverage:
  • Epstein “opened doors, but he also managed to have leverage over them, some in the form of blackmail.” (02:54, Tara Palmeri)

3. The Bodyguard’s Chilling CIA Account (03:50–05:24)

• Notable Quote:
  • “‘You don’t know who you’re messing with … You are on Jeffrey’s radar and somebody that Jeffrey pays a lot of attention to, which is not good.’ … And that’s when he looked across the table and whispered three letters. ‘CIA.’” (03:50, Igor Zinoviev recounting to Brad Edwards)
• The Alleged CIA Mission:
  • Epstein’s Russian-born bodyguard, Igor Zinoviev, described an incident where, during Epstein’s 2008 jail term, he spent a week at CIA headquarters, received a book with a handwritten note for Epstein, and was instructed not to open it (04:08–04:51).
• Verification Attempts:
  • Palmeri tried to independently verify the story with the CIA and other journalists, but met stonewalling—consistent with the “classified” stance (05:24).

4. Meetings with William Burns — The Diplomacy–Intelligence Gray Zone (05:24–06:59)

• Epstein’s Access to State and CIA Leaders:
  • Epstein shows up repeatedly on the schedule of former CIA Director William Burns—some meetings coinciding with Burns’ tenure as Deputy Secretary of State (05:24).
• Expert Analysis:
  • John Cipher (former CIA clandestine officer): “Someone who can be of assistance that can help make those … connections … intelligence, like most anything else, is networking.” (06:38, John Cipher)
• “Hyper Fixer” as an Intelligence Asset:
  • Palmeri and Cipher agree Epstein’s role as a “hyper fixer” fits the model of someone valuable to intelligence because of their connective power (06:57–06:59).

5. Why Did Epstein Remain Untouchable? (06:59–08:00)

• Comparison to Protected Criminals:
  • Epstein’s case is compared to Whitey Bulger: “This starts to resemble something closer to Whitey Bulger — committing crimes while being protected because he provided value to the system.” (07:38, Tara Palmeri)
• Hypothesis:
  • Epstein wasn’t a classic informant, but a “broker … keeper of secrets … indispensable” due to his utility to the intelligence world (07:49).

6. Devastating New Evidence, Public Reaction, and Lack of Accountability (11:22–15:12)

• Disturbing Documented Crimes:
  • Evidence now points to victims as young as 9 years old (11:45).
  • Palmeri shared that survivors described Epstein’s abuse in terms only very young children would use—proof of their youth (12:24).
• Quote:
  • “One of the girls called Epstein’s penis a ‘wee wee.’ … that was how young they were.” (12:24, Tara Palmeri)
• Contrast in International Responses:
  • The UK faces major political consequences over ties to Epstein (“they took down a prince”), while “we have had zero, zero repercussions here” (13:40, Tara Palmeri).

7. The Ongoing Fight for Justice & Noteworthy Public Advocacy (15:12–18:24)

• Survivors Demand Justice:
  • Survivors remain active, including ad campaigns (notably during the Super Bowl) and upcoming Capitol Hill appearances (14:55).
• Quote:
  • “Those are kids in those ads. … 16, 14, 15. Courtney, Wild Jane, do. One showed up with braces on her teeth…” (18:06, Tara Palmeri)

8. Strategic Legal Moves & the CIA Connection (18:29–20:48)

• Washington Post Reporting:
  • Confirmed that Epstein’s lawyers pursued proof of intelligence “affiliation” with the agencies, receiving only classified denials—interpreted as highly significant (18:29–19:34).
• Direct Line to CIA Director:
  • Evidence of “messaging with Bill Burns, the former CIA director, a lot… There are messages, there’s texts” (18:29, Palmeri).
• Why This Matters:
  • Palmeri interprets this as key to Epstein’s lenient legal outcomes and his continued protection: “He had these types of relationships with the former CIA director … his bodyguard wasn’t wrong.” (22:29–23:04, Palmeri)

9. Larger Implications: “The Epstein Class” (20:03–20:48)

• Structural Power Dynamics:

  • Senator Jon Ossoff labels this phenomenon “the Epstein class”—elites protected by their interconnectivity and usefulness to power (20:03, Interviewer).

• Epstein as Systemic “Feature,” Not a Fluke:

  • Palmeri suggests the case exposes not a system failing, but a feature of power shielding itself (08:00).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They didn’t say no. They said classified.”
  (01:23, Tara Palmeri)

• “You don’t know who you’re messing with… CIA.”
  (03:50, Igor Zinoviev to Brad Edwards)

• “He spent a week [at Langley], assistant director gave me a book with a handwritten note… told not to read it, just deliver to Jeffrey in jail.”
  (04:51, Zinoviev via Palmeri)

• “Intelligence, like most anything else, is networking… a hyper fixture is someone who can find ways to connect you with who you need to be connected with.”
  (06:38, John Cipher)

• “He wasn’t an informant in the traditional sense. He was a broker… a keeper of secrets… If that’s true, then this wasn’t just a failure of justice. It was a feature of the system.”
  (07:49–08:00, Tara Palmeri)

• “We have had zero, zero repercussions here … we were once the leaders of just civility and justice. … It feels wrong right now.”
  (13:40, Tara Palmeri)

• “He was obviously in very close connection with Russian expats to the point where Poland is now investigating his connections to Moscow… this is global.”
  (20:48, Tara Palmeri)

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Key Segment Timestamps

• Intro & Theme Setup: 00:32
• Lawyers request CIA/NSA records: 00:32–01:23
• Bodyguard’s CIA story & verification attempts: 03:50–05:24
• Expert analysis on “hyper fixer”—Epstein’s role: 06:38–06:59
• Whitey Bulger comparison/systemic impunity: 07:38–08:00
• Evidence of abuse of especially young victims: 11:45–12:24
• Global consequences vs. US inaction: 13:40–14:55
• Public survivor advocacy & Super Bowl ad: 15:12–18:24
• Washington Post’s reporting on CIA/NSA responses: 18:29–19:34
• “Epstein class” and system complicity: 20:03–20:48

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Conclusion

Tara Palmeri’s latest reporting brings into sharper focus the web of strategic relationships, intelligence ties, and legal maneuvers that kept Jeffrey Epstein shielded despite overwhelming evidence of his crimes. The episode is a powerful, disturbing portrait of how power maintains itself, how the intelligence community’s interests can override justice, and why survivors and journalists must keep pressing for transparency and accountability.

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Transcript

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[Tara Palmeri]

Welcome back to the Tara Palmary Show. The Epstein files are starting to tell us something that I have long suspected. This wasn't just a sex trafficking operation protected by wealthy and powerful people. As we see the documents dribble out, what's becoming clearer is that Jeffrey Epstein didn't simply survive because he had access. He survived because he was useful to the elites, to foreign governments, and to US Intelligence. Newly released records show that Epstein's own attorneys formally asked both the CIA and the nsa, that's the National Security Agency, for files documenting Epstein's contact with the agency between 1999 and 2011. Let's just pause there. That request covers years after Epstein had already served time for sexually abusing minors in 2008. His lawyers weren't asking whether the government had records. They were asking for proof of affiliation. The CIA responded with what's known as a glomar response, saying they could neither confirm nor deny the existence of records, particularly if they involved classified connections. The NSA issued a similar denial, warning that confirming or denying intelligence materials would expose sources and methods and threatening national security. So they didn't say no. They said classified. Now, at the same time, the Polish government is now investigating Epstein's connections to Russian expats. They are so alarmed by his proximity to figures tied to Moscow. And now, suddenly, the picture widens beyond just Palm beach and the Upper east side and subreddit conspirators conspiracies, you can see a global trafficking operation. I first started reporting on Epstein in 2019 for the Broken Jeffrey Epstein podcast. And over time, I came not just to see him as a predator, but as someone I would call a hyper fixer. Someone whose real currency wasn't just his money, but his access. Someone who could open doors to presidents, royalty, tech founders, scientists, hedge fund billionaires, foreign dignitaries. Epstein could connect people who wanted to meet each other but couldn't pick up the phone themselves. Well, it seems clear that also includes law enforcement. He opened doors, but he also managed to have leverage over them, some in the form of blackmail. So when you control access at that level, you become powerful in a way that doesn't show up on bank statements. Although his name does show up on a number of bank statements of very powerful men. And this, this isn't just a theory. This is what I've heard from survivors, attorneys and people who actually crossed Epstein's orbit, including his own bodyguard of five years. During my reporting for Broken Jeffrey Epstein, a an attorney for the victims, Brad Edwards told me about a conversation he had with Epstein's Russian born bodyguard. He was a former UFC fighter named E. Igor Zinoviev. And Zenoviev warned Edwards to back off his Crime Victims Rights act case. And then he told him something extraordinary. Take a listen here.

[Igor Zinoviev]

You don't know who you're messing with and you need to be really careful. You are on Jeffrey's radar and somebody that Jeffrey pays a lot of attention to, which is not good. You don't want to be on Jeffrey's radar. And I said, well, give me some examples me, who am I messing with?

[Tara Palmeri]

And that's when he looked across the table and whispered three letters. CIA. Zenobi have said that during Epstein's brief 2008 detention, just 13 months in a Palm beach county jail with work release, that one of his first assignments was to visit CIA's headquarters in Langley, Virginia. He claimed he spent a week attending classes there as the only private citizen in the room. And, and at the end, a senior official handed him a book with a handwritten note inside and instructed him not to read it, just to deliver it to Epstein in jail. Edwards later wrote about this warning in his book Relentless Pursuit.

[Igor Zinoviev]

Take a listen here, he said. Listen. When he was in jail, one of the first things that I had to do was go to Langley to the CIA and sit in these classes for a week with CIA. I was the only private citizen there at the end, the assistant director or director, I don't remember which, gave me a book with a handwritten note in it that I was told not to read and go deliver it to Jeffrey in jail. Everybody there knew who he was. He's an important person. And I said, is he in the CIA? He said, I don't know.

[Tara Palmeri]

I tried to independently verify this. I contacted the CIA which keeps logs of everyone who enters Langley. After some initial communication, they stopped responding. Zenovia. I've never returned my calls or messages, but my former colleague at the New York Post, ML Nestel, he interviewed Zenovia for New York magazine, told me that he found him to be very credible. And now, years later, we're seeing Epstein's own lawyers formally trying to extract intelligence records about him. That matters, because this wasn't curiosity. This was legal strategy. Now, let's add another piece. Epstein appears multiple times on the schedule of former CIA Director William Burns, including meetings that occurred when Burns was serving as Deputy Secretary of State. Now, State and CIA work very closely together, as many diplomats work in clandestine services. Former CIA clandestine officer John Cipher, who spent nearly three decades recruiting foreign sources under diplomatic cover, told me that if Epstein was meeting someone at that level without analysts involved, it likely points to an informal relationship sharing insight and foreign contacts directly. Take a listen here.

[John Cipher]

Someone who can be of assistance that can help make those. Those connections. Because that, I mean, intelligence, like most anything else, is networking, right? And so it's personal relationships. It's relationships. It's networking.

[Interviewer / Host]

It's.

[John Cipher]

So a hyper fixture is someone who can find ways to connect you with who you need to be connected with.

[Tara Palmeri]

Sounds like something that Epstein could do.

[John Cipher]

Yeah.

[Tara Palmeri]

Officially, the CIA told the New York Times that those meetings between Epstein and Burns were about private sector opportunities as Burns was leaving government. But now we're seeing additional exchanges and messages in the latest document dump. And suddenly, Epstein doesn't look just like some financier who hosted creepy dinner parties. He looks like someone operating in the gray zone between diplomacy, money, and intelligence. Which helps explain how he stayed untouchable, how he secured a sweetheart deal in Florida, how he continued to travel freely, how he kept powerful friends even after his crimes were known. This starts to resemble something closer to Whitey Bulger committing crimes while being protected because he provided value to the system. But Epstein wasn't an informant in the traditional sense. He was a broker, connector, a fixer at the highest level, a keeper of secrets. And if that's true, then the Epstein story isn't only about abuse. It's about how power shields itself, how intelligence operates in shadows, and how a man accused by hundreds of girls managed to remain indispensable. And they raised the most uncomfortable question of was Jeffrey Epstein allowed to operate because he was useful? Because if that's true, then this wasn't just a failure of justice. It was a feature of the system. I'm going to get into even more of this on Don Lemon's show, but first, a moment from our sponsor. Look, I think we can all agree that Medicare is confusing. Talk to anyone over 65 and they'll tell you the same. Even after hours of research, you don't end up Coming up with the right plan that fits your needs cost thousands of dollars every year. And then there's the whole keeping track of the enrollment periods, understanding all your plan options, making sure you're on the right plan that matches your time and energy. That's why I want you to know about my Medicare Partner Chapter. They're the only national Medicare advisor that compares and recommends every plan helping people save on average 1100 dollars on health care costs. People are relieved when they talk to chapter because they will search through all of these plans in under 20 minutes and it's easy and it's free. They won't push you to buy a plan. All of these advisors their salaried, they don't make any money from it. So their support is completely free. So if you're turning 65 soon or you have questions about your Medicare coverage, call them to get the most out of Medicare for free and unbiased Medicare help that file 305-515-5237 to speak with my trusted partner chapter or go to.

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[Interviewer / Host]

Tara Palmeri is here and I'm happy to have her. I wish it was better. Look, I'm always happy to have you on, but you know what I'm saying. Veteran journalist, author of the Red Letter on Substack and the host of the Tara Paul Mary show here on YouTube. So, Tara, I think this is one of the biggest bombshells yet. I mean, a nine year old. They're nine year olds and I don't know.

[Tara Palmeri]

There'S a nine year old. Wait.

[Interviewer / Host]

According to Chad Pergram, who's a reporter over at Fox News, says Jamie Raskin said in this Tron. In this tranche, it was. Again, that's their reporting. After reviewing.

[Tara Palmeri]

That's a really good reporter. I've known him my entire career, you know, as well, obviously.

[Interviewer / Host]

Yeah. Evidence of victims as young as 9 years old. That's what he's saying. He's saying that Raskin said that.

[Tara Palmeri]

Wow. Okay.

[Interviewer / Host]

Yeah.

[Tara Palmeri]

That's amazing. I, that's really sad.

[Interviewer / Host]

And you remember we were talking about, I just played Megyn Kelly, remember when she was like, well, I hear this. And he liked them older, but they weren't quite 10 or barely legal.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah, yeah, that was horrible. I mean, I, I remember listening to the, the audio from the interviews that the Palm beach police had conducted with these high school girls. And, you know, I played them on my, on my, on my Instagram because I wanted people to hear their voices. One of the girls called Epstein's penis a wee wee. You know, like that was how young they were. They were 14, 12, you know, 13 high school girls. And the younger, the better. Nine. I mean, it's revolting. But then again, you see that they collected child pornography in his house as well. So, I mean, I don't see how the pictures that he took of these girls were not considered child pornography either. I mean, they are, but it's revolting. It really is.

[Interviewer / Host]

What, why are they, what is the COVID up here? Like, what is the reason? Why are they dragging their feet with this? Because it just keeps getting worse. And the person who has mentioned the most in the files beyond the main, you know, Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein is Donald Trump.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah, he's really mentioned probably the most, a lot.

[Interviewer / Host]

And they're redacting with his name on it.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah, he's really, really up there. It's, it's crazy. And to think that it's causing like, such shockwaves in the UK to the point where they're Talking about toppling a prime minister because he selected an ambassador who had very, you know, very, very, very troubling ties to Jeffrey Epstein. They're going to take down the leader of their country. They took down a prince. We have had zero, zero repercussions here because of it. It's, it's really sad. It's a, it's a sad moment that the US Is falling behind on such a basic human right and the right for these victims to face some justice. And also just, we were once the leaders of, of just civility and like justice. And I just, it just feels, I don't know, it feels, it feels wrong right now. But the survivors aren't stopping. They had their, they had that very powerful advertisement during Super Bowl. You know, they're still, they're not stopping. And they're going to be on Capitol Hill this week, I'm pretty sure. I think on Wednesday they'll be there.

[Interviewer / Host]

Yeah.

[Tara Palmeri]

And they know that they have to keep the story alive. There's something that really caught my eye. Some new files before you go. That.

[Interviewer / Host]

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[Interviewer / Host]

Oh, my gosh. So I did not see that because it ran towards the end of the super bowl, if I'm not mistaken. And so I was in transit trying to get home so I could wake up the. But.

[Tara Palmeri]

Did you go to the Super Bowl?

[Interviewer / Host]

No. No, I went to a Super bowl party.

[Tara Palmeri]

Grammys. Super Bowl.

[Interviewer / Host]

I was supposed to go to the Grammys, but I was supposed to go to the super bowl, but, you know, some things happen. And I decided, oh, too much travel. But, yeah. But, yeah, I was gonna go to the super bowl, but you know what? I just decided it was too far. And then. Not that it was too far to go to San Francisco, but having to drive from San Francisco to where the. It was just too much. I couldn't do it.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah.

[Interviewer / Host]

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[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah, they were. They really were. I mean, I. 16, 14, 15. Courtney, Wild Jane, do. One showed up with braces on her teeth like this. This. This was. This was his MO. Like, this wasn't a barely legal thing. And even if it was, it's disgusting.

[Interviewer / Host]

Like, it's gross. Yeah.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah. It's really foul.

[Interviewer / Host]

What were you gonna say, though? You said you were looking. Yeah. Or something.

[Tara Palmeri]

There was. Okay. Yeah. So there was some stuff that came out in the Epstein files, and actually, Washington posted some great reporting on it. Just sad that they were losing basically their entire editorial team. But they found that Epstein's lawyers contacted the CIA and the NSA to ask for proof of his affiliation with the agencies. Okay. And they got back to them with a glomar response, which was basically a neither confirm or deny or we can't. You know, the NSA said we. We can't say anything because it would give up sources, classified information, etc, and that's. That's pretty significant. And the latest tranche found that he was actually messaging with Bill Burns, the former CIA director, a lot. Like, you know, there are messages, there's texts. He had this relationship with, you know, major intelligence agencies in the US And I think it explains why he received these sweetheart deals. And you know, why. Why these victims still to this day feel like there was something very dark and nefarious that continues to go on and why power is policing itself to this day and protecting itself in this story. So I felt like that was a pretty significant file, you know, that his, his lawyer. This was a strategic decision by his lawyers to try to get information that showed that he was helpful to intelligence agencies.

[Interviewer / Host]

Yeah. Which reminds me of something, by the way, if you're just joining us, Terraform Mary is here. Terraform Mary is a great reporter and she is the author. You can say her. Her substack is Red Letter and it's over on substack, obviously, but it's called Red Letter. And also she has a YouTube show, the Terrapl Mary Show. So. And that's who we're talking to today. You know, I don't know if you happen to see Tara, the John Ossoff this weekend. John Ossoff said when he talked about this is the Epstein class that we're in. And when you were saying that about, you know, being able to curry favor or whatever with all these organizations, Jon Ossoff is right. This is the Epstein class. And they are getting away. They, many of them probably got away with it. That's what we're in right now.

[Tara Palmeri]

Right, exactly. And here's the thing about Jeffrey Epstein. People are like, was he a spy? I don't think he was a spy. I think he was useful. I think he was a hyperconnector. He could connect intelligence agencies with people, foreign dignitaries, presidents, powerful hedge fund managers. He had information that could possibly help them with their files. He was obviously in very close connection with Russian expats to the point where Poland is now investigating his connections to Moscow. So I think, like, it shows that this isn't just a Palm beach, you know, Caribbean island, Upper east side sex trafficking operation, that this is global. And that he was been able to operate without impun. With, you know, without any recourse because he offered something that the government found to be more valuable than protecting young women and girls. It was the information he could provide. And it's really troubling. I mean, we've seen this throughout history. Whitey Bulger playing both sides of the law while killing people, but offering the FBI information. But I think it's just, it's really affirmative. And when I was working on the Broken Jeffrey Epstein podcast in 2019 with Virginia Giuffre, I spoke with her lawyer, Brad Edwards, who told me a story about interviewing, not interviewing, but like a warning. He got from Epstein's bodyguard, Igor Zenoviev, who is this like Russian born UFC fighter. He was his bodyguard for five years, the height of the sex trafficking operation. He said, back off, you don't know who you're messing with. And he said CIA. And then Igor told him that he went to Langley for a week to pick up some files for Epstein while he was in a, in that Palm beach county jail serving his 13 month sentence and that he brought them back and he was told not to look at them. And you know, I called, I reached out to CIA, I emailed, you know, back and forth. They would not, they would not ignot, they would not tell me whether Igar Sovia was on the property. I reached out to Igor, who wouldn't get back to me. I reached out to also ML Nestell, who I worked with at the New York Post. He was a really good reporter and he interviewed Igor and I was like, do you think Igor is a reliable source? And he said that? Yeah, he, he did. And so it's just interesting to kind of see this all sort of becoming full circle, you know, to see that he had these types of relationships with the former CIA director, to see that even his lawyers were trying to show that he was helpful in some way or had an affiliation with these agencies and that his, his bodyguard wasn't wrong.

[Interviewer / Host]

Yeah. Tara, thank you. I appreciate you joining us. And you said Wednesday we're going to hear more from the victims of this on Capitol Hill and we will be covering that for you. Thank you. Tara Palmeri Red letter over on Substack in the Terrapl mary show and YouTube. Thank you. And on all socials, Tara Palmer.

[Tara Palmeri]

Thanks.

[Interviewer / Host]

Hi.

[Tara Palmeri]

That was another episode of the Tara Palmary show. Thanks so much for tuning in. If you like this show, please rate Follow subscribe Share it with your friends. If you are more interested in this reporting, go to tarapalmary.com it's where you can get my exclusive reporting and investigative journalism like this on my website. And it's a way to support my independent journalism. I want to thank my producer Eric Abenate. I want to thank Abby Baker who does my research and social media, Adam Stewart on the graphics and Dan Rosen, my manager. See you again soon.

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[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

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[Tara Palmeri]

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[Lifelock Representative]

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[Lifelock Announcer]

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