Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
On this vote, the years are four hundred and twenty seven,
the nays are one two thirds being in the affirmative,
the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection,
the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
This week we saw something almost unprecedented in American politics,
a unified Congress as all but one person invited to
have the Epstein files released.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
We do not see votes like that here in the
US House of Representatives, where it's just completely lopsided.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Reported by Erickson was on Capitol Hill wants to get unfollowed.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
What the House and Senate here in DC we're voting
on this week was this very targeted bill to force
the Justice Department to release a wide array of files
both from Jeffrey Epstein, but also more importantly, all the
investigative files from the Justice Department in the many many
(01:02):
years that federal officials have been tracking Jeffrey Epstein, going
all the way back like more than a decade.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
These documents have plague Donald Trump since he campaigned to
release them while running for his second term as president,
then backtracked after his victory, sparking a mess revolt from
his otherwise loyal Megabase. In yet another blistering post on
social media, Trump said those who keep asking questions are
weaklings and said I don't want their support anymore. After
(01:32):
months of trying to block their release, and after increasing
pressure from within his own party, Trump changed course in
the most spectacular reversal of his presidency.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
You know, there has been a lot of commentary from
wawmakers up here that that is why the president switched
his position this past weekend on the release of these bills,
because he could kind of see where the ball was
going in relation to the vote here within his own party.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I'm Daniel James, and you're listening to seven. I am
today US political correspondent for rout Is bio Ericson on
the Republican Revolt. I just had damaging the files to
be for President Trump. It's Friday, November twenty one, So
(02:25):
what exactly is expected to be in leys files?
Speaker 3 (02:28):
We don't exactly know what is going to be in
the files. I've been running around Capitol Hill for the
last few weeks and months because it's really a four
month long pursuit of this bill, even though the voting
went so fast this week, and I keep asking lawmakers
what do you want to see in these files? And
how many files are there? And no one really has
(02:52):
any clarity on what files they're going after. But when
I was speaking with one of the Republicans, Thomas Massey,
who have led this charge, He's from Kentucky and he's
really drawn the ire of President Trump for years now.
He's leading this effort to kind of force the Republicans
to vote on this.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
We thought the president, the Attorney General, the FBI director,
the Speaker of the House, and the Vice president to
get this win.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
I asked him, what are you looking for? And he said,
it's not really about the number of documents or the
number of Epstein files, but what they really want are
the names of people and potentially alleged co conspirators of
Jeffrey Epstein. And some lawmakers have promised that if and
(03:41):
when the public gets these names of individuals that potentially
committed crimes alongside Epstein, that they will read those names
aloud on the US House floor.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
The ultimate thing that we could do is read the
names on the floor of the House, and that could happen.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
But what needs to happen is the FBI.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Needs And why that is significant is because lawmakers, in
their role as a representative, have more freedoms to not
be sued for slander. Here in the United States, it's
called the speech and Debate clause.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
So, as you mentioned by, we saw something that is
practically on theheard of on Capitol Hill these days, and
that was bought partisan sheep. So tell me more about
the Republicans who win against Trump.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Oh, you've heard that the US is and that bipartisan
up here.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
He's come across my desk.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Oh, yeah, it's just once or twice the Republicans who
are going against him, while at first it was only
a handful. For instance, Thomas Massey, who's kind of more
of a libertarian streak, and he says his principles tell
him not to support things in the Trump administration, even
though he is from a very Republican state Kentucky. But
(04:55):
he's really kind of been able to bring along with
him some more friendly people to President Trump, at least
in the past. One is Marjorie Taylor Green.
Speaker 5 (05:05):
But I fought for him, for the policies and for
America First, and he called me a traitor for standing
with these women and refusing to take my name off
the discharge petition.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
And two other Republican women in the US House also
signed on to this effort to try to force House
Republican leadership to bring this bill to the floor.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Do I want the Epstein files released?
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Absa freculutely.
Speaker 6 (05:32):
That is why I was on the discharge petition, that
is why I did not remove my name, And I'm
going to vote in phase to speak on the floor.
And I want to thank my colleagues Congressman Massey, Marjorie
Taylor Green, and Lauren Bobert, the four of us making
history today over the discharge petition and delivering justice for
(05:55):
those who have desperately fought for it for in some
cases almost thirty years, and.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
For months now seems Lockey's Donald Trump has been signed
the focus on those files was a Democrat hoax and
a distraction. He's now trying to take back control of
the narrative, and so he wants them released that he
has nothing to hide. But how damaging could the actually
belief it Trump by.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
It's still a little mixed messaging coming from the White House,
to be honest, because as you said, he is calling
this a Democratic hoax and saying they're trying to go
after him and Democrats are trying to use this for
a political play here. But on the other hand, he's
saying that the files should be released, and the rebuttal
from lawmakers, not just the ones who've been speaking out
(06:41):
against him, but it was like, Okay, if you think
the files should be released, you have the unilateral power
to release these files. Right now. People keep reminding him
that you know him and his Justice Department that they
could release them if they wanted. It is unclear, though,
what damage or embarrassment lies in these files for Donald Trump.
(07:08):
The American people are kind of aware that Trump is
associated with Jeffrey Epstein. No one has said, though, that
he has committed any type of crimes or alleged any
type of crimes here, And I don't know if that's
going to be in these files because it's very hard
to know what the files are you run about. But
(07:29):
let me tell you something about just American opinion over here,
is that at Reuter's here in the US, we released
a poll this week about Americans feelings and kind of
questioning some of these moves with the Epstein files, and
seventy percent of Americans in this poll, and that includes
sixty percent of Republican voters believe that the government, which
(07:49):
is the Trump administration, is hiding Epstein's alleged client lists
for some type of political element here.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Coming up now, Trump's Justice Department could still stop the
Epstein files from being released.
Speaker 7 (08:13):
We do have some major breaking news as we come
on the air tonight, because President Trump has now signed
the Epstein Files Bill into a law, the final step
to force the Justice Department to turn over everything it
has on Epstein.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
By Donald Trump has now signed the bill, So it's
now up to the Department of Justice to release the
special files.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
But is it.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Possible that Trump could still block that from happening.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
So the bill says the files must be released within
thirty days. There are some carveoutes though, already in the bill,
and one of those carveoutes is any files that would
potentially interact with or impede an ongoing investigation. And why
that is important is because last week President Trump launched
(08:59):
and investmentstigation. You know, this is not normal, by the way,
like presidents in the past weren't launching investigations through their
own Justice Department by themselves. He's argued that Attorney General
PAMBONDI should investigate high profile Democrats connections to Epstein, and
that investigation supposedly was started, and the Attorney General was
(09:24):
asked about that actually, and she said to reporters that
this investigation that is now started has already found new
information related to it.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
What changed since then that you launched this investigation?
Speaker 6 (09:39):
Information that has come for information.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
There's information that new information, additional information.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
So there's already some groundwork that potentially the Justice Department
could use to withhold some files.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
So is there a political risk given with public sentiment,
is that in the US at the moment, for Donald
Trump to be saying to be middling in the relays
of those files.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Is it a political risk? That's hard for me to say,
But I think there are political ramifications of this release
and this whole kind of period here of fighting over
these Epstein files. For instance, before the vote of Congresswoman
Marjorie Taylor Green, she said that this episode has ripped
(10:26):
MAGA apart. MAGA being the Make America Great Again movement.
Speaker 5 (10:32):
Watching this actually turn into a fight has ripped MAGA apart.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
And I think that is pretty significant because loyalty is
the core of MAGA and if maga's actually ripped apart,
I don't know what that means for the twenty twenty
six mid term elections, or what that means for the
next presidential election in twenty twenty eight.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
I mean, just to that point, Bi, I mean, this
is one of the stroking developments in the saga is
saying ky Republican l turn on Trump. So do you
think this marks the start of a turning point where
we will see them more embolden to spaghette against in
one other issues?
Speaker 3 (11:09):
I'm not going to hold my breath because up here
on Capitol Hill, for the whole year, on a whole
range of issues, Republicans have been in lockstep with the president,
whether that's the international tariffs that even are impacting some
Republican states more than others, whether that is the tax plan,
whether that is foreign policy. Republicans at large have not
(11:33):
challenged the president and have done little oversight of his actions.
So I don't know if there's going to be a
transfer ability from here on out. However, there you know,
there's a cachet now for someone like Marjorie Taylor Green
to keep speaking out. You know, this isn't the only
issue that she's spoken out with within the last few weeks.
Now she is going after the administration on some healthcare subsidies,
(11:57):
and she is criticizing the US's approach with the Israel
and GAZO. So I anaturally someone like her, maybe more
in Bolden. I don't know if more rank and file
will be.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
And by of course, this political storm is not just
going to impact Donald Trump. Many of Epstein's victims were
in Washington watching as this fight was happening. So what
will this mean for them? Will I ever say justice?
Speaker 4 (12:21):
This was me at fourteen years old. I was a child,
I was in ninth grade. I was hopeful for life
and what the future had held for me. He stole
a lot from me, uh bye at fourteen, So just
a little.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
I think it really is in the hands of the
Trump administration right now where this goes. And you know,
speaking with some of the Epstein survivors after the vote
up here on Capitol Hill, they were saying that this
is kind of one of their last pushed for accountability.
Speaker 8 (12:59):
Here individually, our voices were whispers. Together they've become impossible
to ignore. We are encouraged to see elected officials from
both parties. Thank you come together and finally take action
to release the files. I'll leave it there.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Thank you, because for listeners who have been following this,
especially in the last few years, a lot of accountability
was kicked down the road and so this public accountability,
they say, is more important for the survivors Epstein survivors
who we saw up here on Capitol Hill, and they
think just the release of these files. They were telling me,
some of them were telling me, is the accountability that
(13:39):
they're looking for.
Speaker 7 (13:40):
Alone, Yes, we are afraid, but together we are feared.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
It's outside of court, of course, but it's in the
court of public opinion, which obviously means a lot.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Boh, it's fascinating stuff. Thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Also in the news, Taka is set the host COP
thirty one next year after a long standoff with Australia,
Climate Minister Chris Bowen has conceded hosting responsibilities, but will
lead negotiations at the next climate summit. Australia has also
negotiated for them to be a pre COP event hosted
by a Pacific island nation. A New South Wales police
(14:30):
use pepper spray on an eighty seven year old nursing
home resident on Wednesday night. They have confirmed the man
reportedly threatened to harm other residents and himself, prompting police
to be called. When they arrived, police reportedly told him
to drop a metal ornament he was holding. When he refused,
they use pepper spray. An investigation will now be conducted.
(14:52):
I'm Daniel James. This is seven am. See tomorrow und