Podcast Summary:

Verdict with Ted Cruz
Episode: BONUS POD: Media Tried Linking Trump to Epstein — a Phone Call in 2006 Just Blew That Up
Date: February 10, 2026
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson (Episode primarily features Ben Ferguson)

Episode Overview

This bonus episode analyzes newly unsealed court documents that detail former President Donald Trump's 2006 phone call to Palm Beach police about Jeffrey Epstein. Ben Ferguson explains how this revelation challenges common narratives that the media has attempted to link Trump to Epstein’s crimes. The episode also offers exclusive audio from Ghislaine Maxwell’s recent House Oversight Committee deposition, where she repeatedly pleaded the Fifth Amendment. The hosts dissect both stories, emphasizing issues of media bias, investigation into powerful individuals, and frustrations over the lack of accountability beyond Maxwell.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unsealed Documents: Trump’s 2006 Call About Epstein (06:22)

• Breaking News: Newly unsealed documents reveal that then-businessman Donald Trump proactively called Palm Beach police in 2006 as Epstein’s crimes were surfacing.
• Trump warned authorities, calling Ghislaine Maxwell “evil” and directing police to focus on her.
  • “Everyone knew about Epstein and Maxwell is an evil woman,” Trump reportedly told the Palm Beach chief, per a 2019 FBI interview now part of Department of Justice records. (06:55)
• Trump reported to have:
  • Not only identified problematic behavior (“activities with teenage girls were well known in both New York and Palm Beach”)
  • Explicitly encouraged police to “stop him” and “focus on [Maxwell]”
  • Claimed he threw Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago and personally left a gathering when teenagers appeared
• Hosts’ Framing: These revelations debunk the mainstream media’s narrative that Trump may have been complicit or intimately connected to Epstein’s crimes:
  • “That stands in sharp contrast to what the media has been reporting on Donald Trump implying that there was something to hide.” (07:46)

Notable Quote:

“Trump told the police chief reportedly that he was around Epstein once when teenagers were present and Trump got the hell out of there.”
— Ben Ferguson (07:32)

2. The Media’s Narrative and Presidential Response (08:01)

• President Trump, questioned recently about the Epstein files, claimed the latest disclosures show he was the target of a “conspiracy” while suggesting America should move forward.
• Audio aired from a contentious exchange between Trump and CNN’s Kaitlan Collins:
  • Collins: “A lot of women who were survivors of Epstein are unhappy with those redactions... Do you think they should be more transparent?” (08:03)
  • Trump: “Now that nothing came out about me other than it was a conspiracy against me literally by Epstein and other people. But I think it’s time now for the country to maybe get onto something else.” (08:11–08:32)
  • Trump pivots to criticize the media, calls Collins “the worst reporter”, and attacks CNN’s integrity.

Notable Quote:

“You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth and you’re. You’re a very dishonest organization and they should be ashamed of you.”
— Donald Trump to Kaitlan Collins (08:54)

3. Ghislaine Maxwell’s House Testimony: Pleading the Fifth (10:19–13:22)

• Headline: Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, appears (virtually) for a GOP-led House Oversight Committee deposition.
• Questioning Highlights:
  • Asked if she was a close friend/confidante, if she assisted in trafficking, or if she instructed girls to provide sexual favors, Maxwell invokes her Fifth Amendment right on each count.
  • Committee requests clarity after every answer, confirming she’s invoking the Fifth “solely on the ground that you believe the answer will incriminate you” — she confirms each time.
  • Maxwell’s lawyer makes it official that she will invoke the Fifth on every question to protect her ongoing appeal (Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence).

Notable Quotes:

“I would like to answer your question, but on the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer... I therefore invoke my right to silence under the Fifth Amendment...”
— Ghislaine Maxwell (10:24, repeated throughout 10:24–13:22)

“Total silence. Now this is why so many people are upset. She pleads a fifth on her Epstein trafficking questions... She wouldn’t even answer that.”
— Ben Ferguson (13:28)

4. Public Frustration and Next Steps (13:28–14:14)

• Ferguson notes bipartisan anger over Maxwell’s refusal to answer, highlighting the lack of new accountability.
• Reiterates that Maxwell is serving time, but public and lawmakers alike are demanding more names and further prosecutions.
• The hosts argue the media has failed in its duty by focusing on (debunked) conspiracies about Trump rather than further investigation into others implicated by Epstein/Maxwell.

Notable Quote:

“Lawmakers on both sides are walking away from this empty handed, and the question now is what happens next? And when will others besides Maxwell go to jail for their crimes?”
— Ben Ferguson (13:40)

Notable Moments & Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Trump’s 2006 Call and Directness:
  “Maxwell is an evil woman.” (06:55)
• Trump says he left when teens appeared:
  “He was around Epstein once when teenagers were present and Trump got the hell out of there.” (07:32)
• Trump in the White House on Epstein:
  “Now that nothing came out about me other than it was a conspiracy against me...I think it’s time now for the country to maybe get onto something else.” (08:11–08:32)
• Maxwell’s Repeated Pleading of the Fifth:
  “I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to silence.” (Multiple times between 10:24 and 13:22)
• Committee frustration – summarizing the feeling:
  “Total silence. Now this is why so many people are upset.” (13:28)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• New Epstein Documents & Trump’s 2006 Call: 06:22–08:01
• Trump’s Oval Office comments and CNN exchange: 08:01–09:04
• Ghislaine Maxwell’s House deposition (audio): 10:19–13:22
• Analysis: Maxwell Pleading Fifth, Public Response: 13:28–14:14

Tone and Style

The episode is direct, urgent, and critical of mainstream media’s handling of the Epstein scandal, frequently espousing a conservative perspective. Ben Ferguson adopts a tone of frustrated vindication over Trump’s exoneration, while expressing populist outrage at the slow wheels of justice for Maxwell’s co-conspirators.

Summary Takeaway

This episode disrupts dominant media narratives by spotlighting evidence that Donald Trump took proactive steps to inform police about Epstein’s crimes and Maxwell’s involvement in 2006. Audio from Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony underscores persistent obstacles to full accountability in the Epstein scandal, as she repeatedly invokes her right to remain silent. Hosts call on authorities and the public to demand further action and transparency, voicing the widespread desire for “more names” and real justice in the case.