Podcast
The Tara Palmeri Show
Hosted by Tara Palmeri · EN
Welcome to The Tara Palmeri Show!
Tara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless political journalists. As a deeply-sourced reporter, she brings her audience inside the machinations of the highest level of power. Her quick wit and unvarnished reporting goes beyond the headlines, offering a deeper understanding of the intrigues of the permanent political class. This show is not about platitudes. Rather it's about what’s really happening at the highest levels of power and the inside conversation.
Tara has covered national politics and foreign affairs for fifteen years. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News, where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the Chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She’s also worked for the Washington Examiner, the New York Post, POLITICO Europe and Puck, and she hosted The Ringer's election podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win." Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein called "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells."
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243episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
White House MELTDOWN Over Epstein Files w/ Legal AF's Michael Popok
Jun 1100:42:25Summary readyTara Palmeri is joined by attorney Michael Popok of Legal AF to break down the explosive new reporting from Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan — an excerpt from their book "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump" that pulls back the curtain on the White House's "summer of Epstein." While the administration publicly dismissed the Epstein story as a hoax and a "Democratic witch hunt," Haberman and Swan reveal that Trump's top officials were repeatedly huddling in the Situation Room — the SCIF normally reserved for national security crises — trying to contain the fallout. Tara and Michael walk through who was in the room (Todd Blanche, Susie Wiles, Kash Patel, JD Vance) and who wasn't (Trump himself, left outside the door; Bondi and Patel phoning in), and unpack the verbatim quotes that suggest someone was taking meticulous notes or recording — and the mole hunt that will follow. They get into Blanche's stunning plan to interview a convicted child sex trafficker, Ghislaine Maxwell, and dangle a pardon; Pam Bondi's chaotic binder rollout; the sworn FBI 302 alleging abuse by Trump; the redacted emails connecting Trump and Epstein through their lawyers; and why JD Vance, eyeing 2028, was the lone voice for transparency. Michael lays out the realistic odds of impeachment for Todd Blanche and others, while Tara connects the dots to the polling collapse, the "wag the dog" timing of the Iran escalation, and Michael Wolff's tapes and the missing contents of Epstein's safe. As Haberman and Swan write: Trump could break institutions and bend the world's richest men to his will — "but he could not, it turned out, make Jeffrey Epstein disappear." Thanks to Ground News for sponsoring the show! Only by using my link, you can get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan! Go to groundnews.com/tara! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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What Epstein’s Assistant of 18 Years Lesley Groff Didn’t Tell Congress
Jun 1000:12:34Summary readyTara Palmeri joins Ari Melber on MSNBC to break down the House Oversight Committee's interview with Lesley Groff — Jeffrey Epstein's longtime assistant of 18 years, who booked girls, arranged their hotels, paid them over $1,000 for so-called "massages," and told them the "protocol" of being around Epstein. Now Groff claims she had no idea what was going on. Tara isn't buying it. Named as one of four unindicted co-conspirators in Epstein's 2008 non-prosecution agreement, Groff kept working for him even after his conviction for soliciting a minor, and was named again as a potential co-conspirator in 2019. Yet she was allowed to testify before Congress behind closed doors and not under oath — free to deny everything without repercussion. Alongside civil rights attorney Nancy Erika Smith, Tara argues that the wrong people are being dragged to the Hill: it's the women who facilitated the abuse being called, while the powerful men accused of it — Leon Black, Jes Staley, Prince Andrew, Harvey Weinstein, all named in U.S. Attorney Jeff Berman's barely-covered 86-page 2019 prosecution memo — walk free. The conversation digs into why none of Epstein's enablers were ever held accountable, the role pardon politics may be playing, and why the biggest scandal of our time is still unfolding behind closed doors. 0:00 – Tara on Ari Melber: who is Lesley Groff, Epstein's assistant of 18 years 1:41 – The 86-page 2019 indictment memo from U.S. Attorney Jeff Berman that's gone uncovered 3:02 – A non-prosecution agreement built on the claim she "didn't know anything" 5:09 – Tara on Jeff Berman's 2019 prosecution memo and the named co-conspirators 7:04 – Prosecutors focused on the women, not the men the victims accused 9:45 – Pizzagate, the believers, and the victims of the lie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Can Democrats Defend Graham Platner?
Jun 700:49:21Summary readyTara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless reporters covering power and politics. She has 15 years of experience covering national politics and foreign affairs. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She started her career as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and then went on to report for the New York Post. She was a foreign correspondent for POLITICO Europe, where she covered international affairs, including Brexit. She hosted the Ringer's political podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win" and wrote a column for Puck. Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells." Tara currently hosts the Tara Palmeri Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Democrats Want to Be the Anti-Corruption Party Again. Will It Work This Time?
Jun 300:34:43Summary readyDemocrats say corruption will be a central issue in the midterms.Congressman Jason Crow joins me to discuss his new End Corruption Caucus and the party’s plan to target Trump’s ethics controversies.The bigger question: Why should voters believe Democrats this time? Will the party confront corruption only on the other side—or look in the mirror as well? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Acting AG Todd Blanche THROWS Trump Under the Bus in Explosive Hearing
Jun 202:17:18Summary readyThe Trump administration's controversial $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund is officially dead—and Tara Palmeri was live as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced intense questioning on Capitol Hill. After weeks of GOP backlash, Blanche confirmed the Justice Department is abandoning the program, marking a major political retreat for the administration. Tara breaks down the key moments from the hearing, what forced the reversal, and whether Blanche is becoming the fall guy for one of Trump's most controversial initiatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Jill Biden Says She Thought He Had a Stroke. Former Aide Speaks Out w/ Michael LaRosa
May 3100:48:44Summary readyTara Palmeri sits down with Michael LaRosa, former spokesperson for First Lady Jill Biden and Biden campaign insider, for a no-holds-barred conversation about the Jill Biden memoir disaster, the Democratic Party's credibility crisis, and why no one around the Bidens will tell them the truth. LaRosa — who says he cares about "Doctor B" but paid a price for speaking out about Biden's health — breaks down why the book tour's opening salvo has been met with hostility from Democrats, how Jill's claim that she thought Biden was having a stroke during the debate contradicts everything the campaign said at the time, and why the same advisers who got the Bidens into this mess are still running the show. They dig into Jill Biden's unprecedented influence inside the White House — how her chief of staff controlled the schedule, the residence staff, the Secret Service, and access to the president — the DNC's embarrassing autopsy report that Ken Martin can't even stand behind, why Democrats still can't articulate what they're for, and the uncomfortable truth about affordability: Democrats didn't care about it under Biden but suddenly do under Trump. Plus: why only 16 House seats are actually competitive in 2026, whether Democrats can take back the House and Senate, and LaRosa's sharp distinction that "Republicans use power as a tool — Democrats use power as a reward." #biden #politics 0:00 – Intro: Jill Biden's memoir is creating more questions than answers 5:21 – "They were allergic to transparency" — the Biden campaign's fatal flaw 10:08 – The same people who got everything wrong are still advising her 15:01 – Why this book is destroying her credibility instead of restoring it 19:23 – Jill Biden's unprecedented influence inside the White House 24:28 – The DNC autopsy report is a joke — and Ken Martin can't even own it 30:02 – Democrats still can't answer basic questions about what they stand for 35:00 – Neither side has clean hands Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Congressman Reveals the Moment Bondi Went Silent on Trump & Epstein
May 2900:25:42Summary readyTara Palmeri gets the first account of what happened behind closed doors during Pam Bondi's transcribed interview before the House Oversight Committee from Congressman James Walkinshaw (D-VA), who was in the room. Walkinshaw reveals that Bondi repeatedly threw acting Attorney General Todd Blanche under the bus — blaming him for the botched redactions that exposed 70-plus Epstein survivors' identities, for removing the Howard Lutnick photo from the files (claiming it was AI-generated), and for decisions she said she wasn't involved in. But the biggest bombshell: when asked point-blank whether President Trump knew about Epstein's crimes before they became public, Bondi didn't say no — she said "I don't know." Walkinshaw and Palmeri dig into why Harmeet Dhillon accompanied Bondi as a DOJ minder to block embarrassing questions, Bondi's shifting explanations for her "I've got the list on my desk" claim, why the administration is using "privilege" to withhold files in apparent violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the FBI whistleblower who said agents were directed to flag mentions of Trump in the files, and whether Bondi was actually fired because Trump got frustrated with the continued media attention. Plus: the Lutnick island photo cover-up, why no one has investigated Les Wexner or Leon Black, and what a future Democratic Congress plans to do about it. 0:00 – Intro: Congressman Walkinshaw was in the room for Pam Bondi's closed-door interview 4:49 – Bondi blames Todd Blanche for exposing survivors' identities and the Lutnick photo cover-up 9:06 – "Everybody knew about Epstein" — did Trump know about the crimes? 14:00 – FBI agents directed to flag mentions of Trump in the Epstein files 19:04 – The "client list" lie, privilege loophole, and what a future Congress will d Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Why the DOJ is Targeting Trump Accuser E. Jean Carroll w/ Michael Popok
May 2800:52:01Summary readyE. Jean Carroll accused Donald Trump of r**e, beat him in court, and won tens of millions in damages. Now Trump’s DOJ is reportedly investigating Carroll over testimony tied to Reid Hoffman-backed legal funding. I’m going LIVE with Legal AF’s Michael Popok to break down the timing, politics, and legitimacy of the probe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Inside Grindr's Secret Power Network in Trump's Washington
May 2800:13:27Summary readyTara Palmeri investigates how Grindr — the gay hookup app born in West Hollywood — has quietly become an unexpected political force in Trump's Washington. During White House Correspondents' Dinner weekend, the hottest invite in town wasn't hosted by a media company — it was hosted by Grindr. And yet almost no elected Republican politicians were willing to show their face, even as the app experienced a massive usage spike during the Republican National Convention and CPAC. Palmeri traces this story back to her own reporting 16 years ago, when she walked through the Capitol, the White House, and the Pentagon with the app open and watched users light up all around her. She reveals Grindr's growing $1.6 million lobbying operation run by Joe Hack — a longtime Republican operative — their work with the State Department to save PEPFAR funding, their bipartisan fundraising strategy targeting Susan Collins and Tammy Baldwin, and the enormous gap between public political performance and private institutional reality in Washington. Plus: why the app was forced to divest from Chinese ownership over national security concerns, why Melania Trump carries symbolic weight among gay Republicans, and how Grindr's party may have been less a publicity stunt and more a coming-out party for a new kind of influence operation. 0:00 – The hottest party in Washington was hosted by Grindr 4:28 – Grindr's $1.6M lobbying operation and its Republican operative running it 8:30 – The gap between public performance and private reality in Trump's Washington Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Epstein Honeytrap: The Women Who Pulled Prince Andrew In
May 2400:31:37Summary readyTara Palmeri sits down with royal biographer Andrew Lownie to expose what may be the most dangerous dimension of the Epstein scandal: the intelligence operation behind it. Lownie, author of "The Rise and Fall of the House of York," reveals an FBI document describing how Russian and Chinese intelligence services targeted Prince Andrew through women, money, and contacts — and how Andrew was a willing participant, driven by hatred for his brother King Charles. Andrew Lownie details honey traps from Libya to Central Asia, Andrew requesting prostitutes on official trips (including 40 in Thailand — charged to taxpayers), a €10,000 payment for a former Miss Slovakia in Prague, and the deeper question of whether Epstein was just a player in a wider intelligence conspiracy involving Robert Maxwell, Mossad, and the Barr family's Dalton School connection. They also break down why Lownie doesn't believe Epstein's recently surfaced suicide note is real — citing forensic pathologist evidence, mysterious guard payments, failed cameras, and Epstein's own insistence days before his death that it would be "crazy" to kill himself. Plus: Bill Barr's unexplained prison visit, why Epstein's key staff have never been subpoenaed, what Andrew's fall means for King Charles's reign, and why William wants this dealt with before he inherits the throne. #politics #epsteinfiles #princeandrew 0:00 – Intro: The intelligence operation behind the Epstein scandal 1:42 – The FBI document: Russian and Chinese intelligence targeting Prince Andrew 5:26 – Honey traps, €10,000 for Miss Slovakia, and 40 prostitutes on taxpayer expenses 10:38 – Robert Maxwell, Ghislaine, and the intelligence origins of the Epstein operation 15:41 – The suicide note Lownie doesn't believe — and the evidence for homicide 20:49 – Bill Barr's prison visit, Mark Epstein, and the witnesses never subpoenaed 25:03 – What Andrew's fall means for King Charles and the future of the monarchy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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