Why Trump Is TERRIFIED of the Full Epstein Release

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Tara Palmeri Show

Episode: Why Trump Is TERRIFIED of the Full Epstein Release

Date: November 18, 2025
Host: Tara Palmeri
Guest Host: Jim Acosta (in joint discussion format)

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Overview

This episode dives deep into the political and cultural stakes of the imminent vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, focusing on why former President Donald Trump appears increasingly desperate to control or delay the disclosures. Tara Palmeri, a veteran investigative journalist who has covered the Epstein story extensively, joins Jim Acosta to cut through the noise and unpack the bipartisan implications, the potential for continued cover-up, and the central role of survivors in demanding justice. The conversation balances reporting, analysis, and advocacy, while exposing the internal power dynamics in Washington and the psychological toll on Epstein’s victims.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Political Machinations Around Epstein File Release

Timestamp: 00:30–03:31

• Trump’s Sudden Shift:
  Tara Palmeri highlights the abrupt change from Trump’s months of resistance to suddenly endorsing file release, interpreting it as political catch-up after several GOP lawmakers signaled support.

  • “Rarely do 90% of people agree on anything... they all realize that this is something that they are going to have to vote on.” (Tara Palmeri, 01:27)
  • Suggests Trump is losing party grip and “following” events rather than leading them, especially in conflicts with figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene.

• Senate as Possible Roadblock:
  Palmeri warns that while the House may overwhelmingly support the measure, the Senate is historically “the graveyard for bills,” leaving uncertainty about the final outcome.

• Redactions and DOJ Nontransparency:
  Even if the files “are released,” skepticism remains about the true extent of disclosure, anticipating heavy DOJ redactions:

  • “I worry people are going to be disappointed in the level of what they consider to be sensitive information...” (Tara Palmeri, 03:31)

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2. Trump’s Response and Deflection

Timestamp: 04:35–06:19

• Trump Blames Democrats:
  The episode features a clip of Trump claiming; “We have nothing to do with Epstein. The Democrats do,” listing prominent Democrats associated with Epstein (Clinton, Hoffman, Summers), while boosting his administration’s unrelated “successes.”

  • “All of his friends were Democrats... all I want is, I want for people to recognize a great job…” (Donald Trump, 04:35)

• Palmeri & Acosta Call Out Hypocrisy:
  Both note Trump himself was a Democrat when he befriended Epstein. His effort to blame “the other side” cuts both ways:

  • “Trump was a Democrat when he was friends with Jeffrey Epstein... He wasn't really a political guy until around 2000.” (Tara Palmeri, 05:30)
  • Palmeri underscores that political alliances have shifted and that technology and business figures also span both parties, making partisanship beside the point.

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3. What’s Really In the Files?

Timestamp: 08:09–09:36

• Emails Released ≠ The Files:
  Palmeri clarifies the distinction between previously leaked emails and the actual Epstein files. The files are vastly more extensive—estimated at 330GB, with only 1% so far public; their potential content (documents, photos, video) may be explosive.

• Evidence of Surveillance and Abuse:

  • “Virginia... said that [in FBI HQ] they showed her pictures of girls with men because everything was being recorded... There is video footage. There are real files.” (Tara Palmeri, 08:48)
  • The structure of Epstein’s operations was intended for blackmail, further raising stakes around disclosure.

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4. Why Full Accountability Still Seems Distant

Timestamp: 09:36–11:56

• DOJ Evasions and Political Games:
  Palmeri points out how “open investigations” offer a convenient excuse for delay or limited release. She slams inconsistent and dismissive statements from officials, highlighting systemic disregard for victim testimony:
  • “FBI Director Tash Patel admitted that he did not read witness testimony. Neither did Alex Acosta. None of these men care about what happened to these women.” (Tara Palmeri, 10:08)
  • Frustration peaks over the power imbalance; survivors’ accounts are ignored or minimized.

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5. Centering Survivors: Their Pain and Resilience

Timestamp: 12:37–16:52

• Powerful Survivor Testimony:
  Audio from a video featuring survivors—many of whom Tara knows personally—emphasizes the enduring pain and psychological aftermath.
  • “I suffered so much pain. I was 14 years old. I was 16 years old. This is me… when I met Jeffrey Epstein.” (Survivor video, 12:37–13:05)
  • Palmeri offers rich context: survivors often faced addiction, depression, and some spent more time in prison than Epstein himself (e.g., Courtney Wilde).
  • “It just breaks my heart that she spent more time in prison than Jeffrey Epstein.” (Tara Palmeri, 14:06)
  • The act of returning to Capitol Hill—“they were glowing... they felt like they had some power again”—is framed as a pivotal moment of reclaiming agency. (Tara Palmeri, 16:52)

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6. Public & Political Shifts, and the Reluctance of Some Elites

Timestamp: 20:21–21:41

• Extraordinary Bipartisan Movement:
  Acosta and Palmeri highlight the near-unanimous, rare legislative alignment on file release.

  • "I can't think of the last time anything was near unanimous vote when it was something that was once this contentious.” (Jim Acosta, 20:21)

• Changing Senatorial Positions:
  Palmeri reports on Lisa Murkowski’s reversal—her prior vote against release and now her public support, despite past connections to Ghislaine Maxwell.

• Trump Allies On the Run:
  Formerly resistant Republicans, who “were going to line up behind Trump,” are now distancing themselves as the story builds.

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7. Trump’s Outbursts and Signs of Panic

Timestamp: 22:12–23:23

• Deflection and Aggression:
  Trump lashes out at a reporter for questioning, calling her “fake news,” and attempts to downplay criticism from Rep. Thomas Massie.

  • “I don't want to talk about it because fake news like you, you're a terrible reporter...” (Donald Trump, 22:21)
  • Acosta observes, “When he acts that way, he knows he’s in trouble.” (Jim Acosta, 22:52)

• White House Evasion:
  Palmeri identifies a pattern of non-answers and narrative spin from Trump’s team. She bluntly dismisses their claims as pure fabrication.

  • “I just don’t believe any of the stories they make up. I just like, yeah, okay, cool. Thanks.” (Tara Palmeri, 24:51)

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8. Final Thoughts: The Fight for Truth

Timestamp: 25:18–26:09

• Both Palmeri and Acosta reiterate that until there is a full, unredacted release, skepticism is warranted about any political claims to “transparency.”
  • “You can't buy it, in my view, until there's a full release of the files.” (Jim Acosta, 25:18)
  • Tara closes expressing gratitude and emphasizing the importance of ongoing, independent reporting.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Palmeri on the bipartisan momentum:
  “Very rarely do 90% of people agree on anything, like, including that the earth is round... They all realize this is something that they are going to have to vote on.” (01:27)

• On DOJ redactions:
  “I worry that people are going to be disappointed in the level, what they consider to be sensitive information...” (03:31)

• Trump’s attempt to shift blame:
  “We have nothing to do with Epstein. The Democrats do. All his friends were Democrats.” (Donald Trump, 04:35)

• Palmeri on party switching:
  “Everyone who was a Democrat then is now a Republican. So I don’t really think it matters anymore.” (06:19)

• On the nature of the files:
  “From Virginia... She was brought into FBI HQ and they showed her pictures of girls with men because everything was being recorded.” (08:48)

• Survivors’ pain:
  “I suffered so much pain... I was 14 years old. This is me when I met Jeffrey Epstein.” (Video, 12:37–13:05)

• On institutional dismissal:
  “None of these men care about what happened to these women. They do not care about their accounts. Their accounts are not valid.” (Tara Palmeri, 10:08)

• On Trump’s panic:
  “When he acts that way, he knows he's in trouble.” (Jim Acosta, 22:52)

• Palmeri, on the necessity for full truth:
  “I don't think you can be friends with someone for decades and not know what they're up to.” (24:29)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|---------------| | Political stakes in Epstein file release | 00:30–03:31 | | Trump’s evasive statements & blaming others | 04:35–06:19 | | Discussion on content of the files | 08:09–09:36 | | DOJ & political manipulation | 09:36–11:56 | | Survivor testimony and impact | 12:37–16:52 | | Senate, bipartisan surprises | 20:21–21:41 | | Trump’s aggressive deflection | 22:12–23:23 | | Final reflections and skepticism | 25:18–26:09 |

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Tone & Language

True to Palmeri’s reputation, the tone throughout is sharp, candid, and empathetic toward victims, with little patience for political games or media obfuscation. The discussion unapologetically challenges hypocrisy on both sides, strips away PR spin, and consistently underscores the human toll. Sarcasm and frustration are present, especially regarding institutional failures and media complicity, while moments centering survivor voices are sensitive and deeply affecting.

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Conclusion & Next Steps

This episode puts a spotlight on the unprecedented pressure facing Washington to end decades of secrecy around Jeffrey Epstein, with Survivor voices, bipartisan political shifts, and public scrutiny combining to break through old systems of impunity. Yet the hosts remain clear-eyed: only a full, unredacted release—free from DOJ or political manipulation—can provide justice. The fight is ongoing, and the real victory belongs, ultimately, to the survivors taking back their power.

Transcript

[Tara Palmeri]

A mochi moment from Mark, who writes, I just want to thank you for making GLP1s affordable. What would have been over $1,000 a month is just $99 a month with mochi. Money shouldn't be a barrier to healthy weight. Three months in and I have smaller jeans and a bigger wallet. You're the best. Thanks, Mark. I'm Mayra Amit, founder of Mochi Health. To find your mochi moment, visit joinmochi.com Mark is a Mochi member, compensated for his story.

[Jim Acosta]

Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Jim Acosta Show. And it's another day that ends in Y and the Epstein gate cover up. Donald Trump is claiming he's all in for the vote in Congress this week to release the Epstein files. But I don't think a lot of people are buying that. At least I'm not. Trump can release the Epstein files right now. He can do this right now as we're speaking. He could have done this yesterday. He could have done this months ago as he promised. Make no mistake. It appears at this point he is playing games on this. My big guest at the top of the hour is independent journalist Tara Palmeri, who has been one of the few leading reporters on Epstein in the world. And, and Tara, great work as always on all of this. I mean, you know, that is the thing that everybody's talking about right now is that Trump has said, oh, no, you can go ahead and do it after months and months of delays and calling it a hoax, and so even called it a hoax again today while he's indicating that he's okay with this. What are your thoughts on all this? Because, I mean, to me, it just, this doesn't add up.

[Tara Palmeri]

It's very strange. Why would they waste so much political capital on this story to then eventually cow down? I think he's playing catch up. I don't think he wanted it to go this way. I think he realizes this is what's going to happen. And I saw it last week. I'm sure you did, too, once you saw Don Bacon Burett stub like a handful of Republicans said that they were going to have to vote to release the files if it actually came down to the floor. It's just too tough to vote. I mean, very Rarely does do 90% of people agree on anything, like, including that the earth is round. I mean, so they all realize that this is something that they are going to have to vote on. And President Trump, realizing that this is not a train he can stop, is following them, which shows that he's losing grip, I think, on his party and also in his fight with Marjorie Trader Greene, as he likes to call her. When you look at X, if you want to stick your head in that cesspool, you notice that a lot of the followers of Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene, they're really siding with her in this fight. They are, yeah. So I think they're starting to catch on that the online wars, that he's losing them right now. And I think that he knows that this is one. Now here's another caveat. I always think, and you know this, having covered Washington for a really long time, that every bill goes to die in the Senate. Right. Like that is a graveyard for bills. So what happens next? But this is the Epstein story. I mean, this is not, you know, this is, this is not that your typical bill. Can you really let it die? So we'll see what John TH does. Does he put the bill on the floor by the end of the week and just get it over with. Now, once it hits Trump's desk and say it's a veto proof majority because he's given permission to the entire GOP to vote on it, basically. Right. He said he'll release the files. He just said that even if he releases the files, does the DOJ actually release them in full or does it redact a lot of it?

[Jim Acosta]

Right.

[Tara Palmeri]

They're not very good at self policing, as we know. And we already have a number of files on the FBI's website right now they're just all black lines. So that's what I think. And that's why as much as everyone's like it's going to be a Trevor treasure trove, it's going to be Pandora's box. I, I worry that people are going to be disappointed in the level, what they consider to be sensitive information and maybe.

[Jim Acosta]

No, I, I agree. Let's play a little bit of Trump this afternoon. He was talking this afternoon in the Oval Office and, and just everybody's aware of this. His voice is very raspy in this video. I don't know why that is. But here's Trump being asked whether he's okay with the things that Tara just mentioned, which is, does he approve of this going through the Senate? Will you sign this and then, you know, have these files come out? Let's listen to this, we'll talk about it. You urged House Republicans to vote in favor of this Epstein release bill they're going to vote on tomorrow. I just want to be super clear on your position. Do you want to see that pass The Senate. Would you sign that bill if it gets to your desk?

[Donald Trump]

I do want to. Here's what I want. We have nothing to do with fc. The Democrats do. All of his friends were Democrats. You look at this, Reid Hoffman, you look at Larry Summers, Bill Clinton, they went to his island all the time. And many others, all Democrats. All I want is, I want for people to recognize a great job that I've done on pricing, on affordability, because we brought prices way down, but they're going way lower.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, there's a lot of lying in there. What is your reaction? He does a little bit later on indicate yes, he would sign it. You know, they almost had to pull it out of. So who knows, you know, what he thinks he's answered yes to. But, you know, that was not very clear cut to me. And he's still trying to point the fingers everywhere but himself, especially at Democratic figures.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah, I mean, Trump was a Democrat when he was friends with Jeffrey Epstein, so. So, like, we all have to remember that that's true. Writing checks to Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer. And this is why Jeffrey Epstein could brag so much about the fact that he was friends with Donald Trump. I mean, he wasn't really a political guy until, I think, around 2000. Well, he's always been political. Like, he's always thought that he could run because of his, whatever you want to call it.

[Jim Acosta]

He flirted with the Reform party back around 2000.

[Tara Palmeri]

The blank, whatever it is about his personality that makes him think that he could lead people. But, you know, when did he really become a Republican? When he latched on to the birther movement, I would think.

[Jim Acosta]

Exactly. And then he came out and endorsed Romney in 2012. But yeah, that was in that time frame. Exactly. That's right.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah. So let's, let's remember that. And yeah, there's terrible things about Democrats in those files, for sure. Based on what we already know. Virginia Duffrey, what she said about Senator Bill Richardson, Senator Mitchell, I mean, she said that she was trafficked to them. And these are prominent Democratic senators, colleagues of former, you know, President Joe Biden, which I've always wondered if that was part of the reason why the files never came forward was because that even in Virginia's depositions alone, she had these really damning details about prominent Democrats, prominent Democratic donors. But at the same time, a lot of people who were Democrats, a part of the tech, like the tech Illuminati, the techno, oligarchy, whatever you want to call them. Peter Thiel, the Sergey Brins, the That entire circle, I mean, they're all Republicans now. And even Elon Musk, like he was hanging out with Jeffrey Epstein. You saw on the calendar, they said, well, Elon may come to the island, we're not sure. So everyone, everyone who was a Democrat then is now a Republican. So I don't really think it matters anymore.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, Hoffman put out a statement, we should point out he didn't. He tweet over the weekend that this is, this is false, what's being said about him and so on. But Trump has been pointing the finger at him. He's been pointing the finger at Larry Summers. I mean, it's kind of irrelevant right from the standpoint of the survivors terror, because they don't, they're, they're not partizan in this. They want these files released. They want the truth to come out, they want justice. Doesn't matter if it's Democrats or in there, Republicans in there. And the other thing that Terry, you and I should talk about is the emails that came out last week, not been able to do a show. You and I have not been able to do a show since that happened. But I saw your comments out there that this is not the files, that the emails are not the files. It's not the same thing. The files, There's a lot more in the files.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah, I mean, some of these emails will probably be in the files because they would have been used in discovery for various cases. But the files are way more expensive, as we know. 330 gigabytes, apparently. And we've only gotten 1% of them so far. These, these are just emails from the estate. We're just putting pieces together based on Jeffrey Epstein's correspondence, not even during the period in which he was prosecuted. We don't even know why he got the sweetheart deal based on these files. And so we're just putting it all together right now.

[Jim Acosta]

And so what the Justice Department is holding back, what Trump is holding back is a whole lot more. Could be pictures, could be videos.

[Tara Palmeri]

Oh, definitely. Well, I know that from Virginia. I mean, she said that Trump, she was brought into the FBI's headquarters and they showed her pictures of girls with men because everything was being recorded. She was asked to try to identify her body. She couldn't. There's video footage. Like there are real files and that, like that, that was even in the pictures. Like the New York Times when they went in there and took pictures, you could see there were little cameras all over the house. This was his KGB tactic style. So I think everybody needs to understand that there's a lot in there. And that's why I'm very dubious about how much we're actually going to see from files. I've always been very dubious and suspicious of this. I think ultimately the truth comes out through a whistleblower, and then that person's going to have to, like, leave the country for a really long time, unfortunately.

[Jim Acosta]

Because I. I agree with you. And then there's what Congressman Thomas Massie was saying over the weekend. He was saying that he doesn't buy what Trump is saying, no matter what, basically, no matter what he says. Because, you know, they've. Trump has already ordered investigation into Democratic figures by the Justice Department. Pam, Bonnie has apparently said that she's going to do this. And Thomas Massey was saying over the weekend on one of the Sunday talk shows that, well, they may not be able to open up the Epstein files if there are open investigations now into, let's say, Larry Summers or Bill Clinton or whatever.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah, convenient way to close again. You went from case closed, there are no third parties, to guess what, we're reopening it again based on some emails. You know, it's all so shady. I mean, everybody in that Justice Department. How can we. How can anyone take. How can anyone trust anyone in the Justice Department? Right now you've got Pam Bondi running the place, saying, I've got the Epstein files on my desk. Then months later, there are no Epstein files. There were no third parties. There was nothing. Case closed. It's all a figment of our imaginations, okay? And by the way, that's impossible. Like, I. The depositions of the girls, which are publicly available even right now, show that there are other men that they accused of being trafficked to. So it's like, you can't say that this is all some sort of figment of the imagination, unless you are saying that a witness testimony is not evidence. And in that case, you are literally saying that these people do not matter, that what they are saying is not applicable. It is not permissible. And that is what they have been saying. I mean, FBI Director Tash Patel admitted that he did not read witness testimony. Neither did Alex Acosta. None of these men care about what happened to these women. They do not care about their accounts. Their accounts are not valid. Which shows you exactly how they think about this story, how they value the how. Sorry, Jim, it just gets me kind of worked up. But, like.

[Jim Acosta]

No, I. Me, too.

[Tara Palmeri]

How they. How they value victims, how they value these. These women. It's the power imbalance. The Justice Department supposed to be working for the people, but instead, they are silencing them. And these women are just knocking on the door, begging. And now they're going back to Washington. This week. They made this beautiful video.

[Jim Acosta]

Oh, yeah, we should play that video.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah, it's Mag.

[Jim Acosta]

We have the video. Let's play the video and let's talk about. Because to me, this is. This video is extreme.

[Tara Palmeri]

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[Jim Acosta]

I suffered so much pain.

[Tara Palmeri]

So much pain. So much pain. I suffered so much pain. I was 14 years old. I was 16 years old. I was 16, 17, 14 years old. This is me. This was me. This is me when I met Jeffrey Epstein. This is me when I met Jeffrey Epstein.

[Jim Acosta]

There are about a thousand of us.

[Tara Palmeri]

It's time to bring the secrets out of the shadows. It's time to shine a light into the darkness. And that is from Lisa Bryant, who was the producer of the Filthy Rich Epstein documentaries. I actually worked with her on the second one on Glenn Maxwell. Since I've done a lot of reporting on Glenn, I have a podcast on her. Well, I have two podcasts, but one's on Jeffrey, the other one's on Glenn. And so, yeah, it's. I'm really, really, really proud of them. I obviously know a lot of these survivors really well. Jenna, who was holding up, she's, like, visibly shaking. She was wearing the brown shirt.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Tara Palmeri]

Really looks young with the hoop earrings. I mean, when I first met her back in 2000 2019, I mean, she struggled to, like, sit through a, like, dinner with me. It was really hard for her. I don't think people understand how many of these women end up having drug problems, committing suicide, having severe mental problems after being trafficked so young, it. My heart broke for them. Courtney Wilde came to his doorstep 14 braces on, and she, you know, ended up spending all of the money that she won from a sensible case with him, which was, you know, I don't know how many, maybe a million dollars. She blew it. But on drugs to not feel, and then she ends up in prison. She's the one who ends up in actual prison, like a real prison, not a county jail, like what Epstein stated. And she fought from prison for the Crime Victims Rights act to fight to reverse that sweetheart deal, claiming that they were never notified of this Crime Victims Rights act, that they were never notified of the sweetheart deal, and therefore the case needed to be overturned. And it just breaks my heart that she spent more time in prison than Jeffrey Epstein, because the money, she said, made her feel like she was just being paid over and over and over again. It made her feel like she was a prostitute. And he offered her a. He offered her lawyers. He offered all these girls lawyers, telling them that they were the teenage prostitutes and that they needed representation, and he could say help them. And a lot of them took them, the lawyers. Courtney did originally, because they were so young, they didn't know any better. They were groomed, they were manipulated, they had no home. They. They came from broken homes and they had no self esteem. They didn't even think they were worth fighting for. And it wasn't until Courtney read her best friend's deposition, who had brought her to Epstein's house, that she decided that she was going to fight and she was going to make sure that he spent the rest of his life in jail. And she did it from behind bars. And now the Crime Victims Rights Act. She was there with Nancy Pelosi when it was finally unveiled. And it was like a huge. I mean, when I see her, I'm like, I'm just so proud of her. I did a bunch of episodes just on her because her story is incredible. Some broken Jeffrey Epstein. But yeah, this is a podcast I did with Julie K. Brown and Adam McKay. And, yeah, it's just. This is a really big moment for them. And I could see when I was there on the Hill, they were just like. They were glowing. They were so happy. They felt like they had some power again. And I think this is what the story is about, these women taking back power.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, no, I agree with you. And the heartbreaking. I mean, there's so many heartbreaking parts of that video for such a short video is. You know, they say I was 14, I was 15, you know, and there was this Megyn Kelly thing last week where she was trying to redefine, you know what? I don't know what the hell she was doing. But this. This. There shouldn't even be a conversation about this when girls are that young. There's just. There's. I don't get that. I don't understand where that comes from. This, like trying to Justify or explain it away thing that people do. And she was trying to do it lately.

[Tara Palmeri]

I just thought it was, it was heinous. It really was. I, you know, I, Jim, I, I made a video. It just like hit me really hard while I was working on a magazine piece do. And I had this and I was writing and I was going on these shows and it's just me. I was like, oh my God. When I worked on this on the Epstein podcast and the magazine pieces for it, I remembered listening to the, the voices of these girls talking to the detective Rickari. He was the defect, the Palm beach detective who worked on this case relentlessly, by the way. And when I heard their voices, I was like, oh my God, these girls are so young. I have to get the audio of these voices and play them on my short, on my reel, wherever I can put it out so people can hear, so that they're not confused by what Megyn Kelly is saying. And I remember that one of the girls called his penis a wee wee. Like that is how young she was. They were. And so I, like, I, I put it out on a reel and you know, people really responded to it because I don't, I think, like you, that's what was so brilliant about that video is that you see their faces, you know, you hear your voices. You have to be reminded that, yes, they're adult women now, but they were children then. And.

[Jim Acosta]

Exactly.

[Tara Palmeri]

There are a lot of apologists out there for Jeffrey Epstein, believe it or not. And they, they, they say like, these girls were teenage prostitutes. I mean, literally the crime that he pled guilty to was, I think it was the word teen and prostitute were, were the same. It was soliciting a 14 year old for prostitution.

[Jim Acosta]

Right, right, right, right.

[Tara Palmeri]

As if a teen could be a prostitute. So it was just over and over again that these girls were in the wrong, that they were the, they were, you know, they had done something wrong. And so I, I feel like it was, it felt like it came over me. I'm like, I got to get this out there, got to get the sound out. And honestly, Megan Kelly should go listen to the sound. She should go listen to those positions.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Tara Palmeri]

She hear what they had to say, what, what they went through and hear in their voices as kids. They're like, there were girls there and you know, they're children. Like, yeah, there's nothing sophisticated about them. They, there were a lot of them were poor girls. He created a pyramid scheme inside of a high school.

[Jim Acosta]

Right. Well, she wouldn't be talking that way Megan Kelly, if we were talking about somebody else besides Donald Trump.

[Tara Palmeri]

Right.

[Jim Acosta]

And she's just doing this because, I mean, and, and maybe that is some of the good news that we're seeing, you know, develop over the last, you know, couple of days, which is he's just running out of, he's running out of real estate here. He's running out of Runway on this. He's lost Marjorie Taylor Greene. He's attacking Marjorie Taylor. They try to bring in Lauren Boebert to the Situation Room. And that didn't work.

[Tara Palmeri]

Phone on and how intimidating, too. Right. We're trying to look. It's like a shakedown.

[Jim Acosta]

It's a shakedown. And it didn't work. And it didn't work. And now the word on the street is, is that it may be a near unanimous vote in the House of Representatives. I can't think of the last time anything was near unanimous vote when it was something that was once this contentious. And, you know, it's, it's extraordinary to me. And I don't know how they can vote against it in the Senate either. If it comes out of the House like gangbusters, which is the way it's going to look. It's going to look like a jailbreak.

[Tara Palmeri]

No. And you know what? I did a big, like, investigation on Lisa Murkowski, the senator from Alaska. Yeah. And how she had this really tangled web of connections to Glenn Maxwell and they spent a lot of time together and she voted against releasing the Epstein files in September on the day that Charlie Kirk was murdered. Well, last night she made it clear that she'll be voting to release the files. So.

[Jim Acosta]

Right.

[Tara Palmeri]

This is a really big deal, everybody. And I think not. You know, I think I'm going to.

[Jim Acosta]

Go up there because I think they're going to be, some of these folks are me running scared. They're still going to be running from the cameras. It's going to be very interesting to, to observe the behavior up there up on Capitol Hill because there are a lot of Republicans who were just dead against this. They didn't want to. They didn't. They were going to line up behind Trump. And it fell apart for Donald Trump.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah.

[Jim Acosta]

He's still freaking out. We have the video from. I think it was Friday evening or was it Friday or maybe it was last. It might have been last night. He was still getting pissed. Yeah, it was last. He got pissed off at somebody Friday night. I, I posted that video. But this is last night. He freaks out. A reporter, I believe they're leaving Palm beach. And he's being asked about Thomas Massie and what he's been saying about how, you know, this is, you know, they're still trying to play games over there. Listen to. He calls her fake news. Listen to the way he treats this reporter. He's still freaking out.

[Tara Palmeri]

Matthew says he's concerned that the Epstein probe you are calling for could be a smoke screen to block the release of our files. Is that the case?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I don't want to talk about it because fake news like you, you're a terrible reporter, and fake news like you, they just keep bringing that up to deflect from the tremendous success of the Trump administration. So a guy like Massie, his poll numbers are showing is that 6% approval rating right now. And we call him Rand Paul Jr. Because he never. He never votes for the Republican Party. So they're using Jeffrey Epstein as a deflection from the tremendous success that we're having as a party.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, I mean, Tara, to me, I know his behavior when he acts that way. He knows he's in trouble.

[Tara Palmeri]

Right.

[Jim Acosta]

It's not looking good, you know, and that's when he starts to flip out like that, call people fake news.

[Tara Palmeri]

I mean, yes. You've been there. We've all been there.

[Jim Acosta]

And so something's up. I mean, that's. I did not talk about emails last week. Right.

[Tara Palmeri]

Go ahead. All right. No, no. I just feel like he's losing his grip. That's what I'm seeing right now.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And what did you make of that 2011 email where, you know, Jeffrey Epstein is saying he was over at my house for hours with victim redacted. They alleged there were allegations that it was Virginia Giuffre. Until I see the email without the redaction there, I don't believe what anybody says. I just want to see it for myself. But how does he spend hours at Jeffrey Epstein's house and there not be something untoward going on? It just seems to me it, you know, that email is just so damning.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah, no, it's really. It's really something else. Especially because there wasn't. It wasn't exchanged to be one day dug up by a, you know, a House oversight committee or to be.

[Jim Acosta]

Right.

[Tara Palmeri]

These are just two people having a conversation, Bonnie and Clyde, casual, you know, preparing, trying to collude, actually, about how to handle their own cases. And they're wondering, how did Donald Trump not got caught in all of this? So it's like, it's really something.

[Jim Acosta]

We'll see.

[Tara Palmeri]

I don't. I think you can't be friends with someone for decades and not know what they're up to. It's like, yeah, we were real. We were. We were in the same town together. We spent. I mean, he wasn't even a member. This whole time they've been saying he's a member of Mar a Lago.

[Jim Acosta]

Right. And then actually says one of these emails wasn't so.

[Tara Palmeri]

They were so close. He didn't need a membership. I mean, what.

[Jim Acosta]

Right. Something does not make sense.

[Tara Palmeri]

I don't believe anything that comes out of the White House because of the fact that I was told that there is literally no merita. On. On Jeffrey Epstein. And so they cannot ask him questions about it. Trump doesn't want to talk about it. Like, you know, interesting aids where they don't want to ask tough questions of Trump, how to respond to the press. So it's like it's a hoax, you know, and then that's it. So I just don't believe any of the stories they make up. I just like, yeah, okay, cool. Thanks.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And this is in this thing that they're doing now where he says, oh, yeah, I'm in favor of it. Go ahead and vote for it. This is, this, this is his latest coping mechanism. The next coping mechanism would be completely different. He just, he's just making this up as he goes along, it just seems to me. And he's going to keep flipping out every. He's going to be drag, kicking and screaming every step of the way. And you just, that's why you just can't buy it, in my view, until there's a full release of the files. Tara Palmieri, as always. Oh, sorry. One last. Did you want to make one last comment?

[Tara Palmeri]

No, no, I was just agreeing with you. This is just, it's insane. But thank you for having me, Jim, and I appreciate your dedication to the story. You've been really all over it and.

[Jim Acosta]

It'S, it's you, too. No, not as much as you. I've just, you know, to me, like, you know, it's obvious he's hiding something. It's obvious they're hiding something. And you can't hide this. This is not, this is not something that should be hidden.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yeah.

[Jim Acosta]

When it involves President, United States or really any powerful figure or anybody.

[Tara Palmeri]

No, no, no.

[Jim Acosta]

And make sure to follow Tara's reporting on substack all of the socials. You have a very important substack, Tara, and everybody needs to follow it. So we appreciate it, as always.

[Tara Palmeri]

Yours too. Thank you so much.

[Jim Acosta]

Thanks, Derek. Great to see you. Really appreciate it.

[Tara Palmeri]

That was another episode of the Tara Palmieri Show. If you like this show, please subscribe, rate it, share it with all your friends. If you want to support my independent journalism and get my exclusive reporting straight to your inbox, go to tarapaulmari. Do. That's T A R A P A L M E R I Com. Sign up for my newsletter, the Red Letter. That is how you keep me in business. I want to thank my producer, Eric Abenate, Abby Baker, who does my research and social media, and Adam Stewart on the graphics. See you again tomorrow.