Native Lampod is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with Reason Choice Media. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome home everyone. I'm Angela Raie. I am your host for today. This is my solo pod for Native Lampod where we break down all things politics and culture. I'm live on Instagram right now encouraging you all to come over to the live stream on YouTube, and today we are going to spend a little time talking about Jeffrey Epstein.
A number of people have been asking, you know, what do the Epstein files have to do with me? Why should I care? And what I would say to you all is that you may have a survivor in your community. You may have a survivor in your family. You may have never met anyone who's been impacted by sexual assault, molestation, rape, but this is this is something that hits our community in a really, really big way. There are people all
over this country who have had experience. Is like the young women who interacted and encountered Jeffrey Epstein and his I don't know what you want to call this, lady Julaane Maxwell, his side piece. And what I would say to you, is that they have to find the courage, the strength to be able to come forward. And I think what is so unfortunate about what these young women have experienced is that their terror, their trauma, has been treated like a political football.
It doesn't matter who was in power.
People refused to look into the case, to look into the matter, to talk to the very the dozens of survivors who had experiences with Jeffrey Epstein and some of his most powerful friends. This crime, these crimes, no no ideological bounds, no no partisan bounds. But one thing that the Republicans that exist in this House of Representatives right now in Congress will do is they will make something
partisan that has no business being partisan. And what I want to call to you all's attention is on January eighth, the Government Reform the overscing Government Reform Committee, which is chaired by James Comer, sent a letter to Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton's lawyers trying to compel them to testify.
And so on January twelfth, just four days letter later, a letter was sent from Williams and Connolly and Jenner and Block, which are the firms that are representing Bill and Hillary Clinton in this matter, and they're responding to, why all of the force, why all of this interest in wanting to hear from Bill Clinton and secretary former Secretary of State Clinton, the same Secretary of State Clinton who won the popular vote against Donald Trump.
We shouldn't have an electoral college. But I digress.
You'll see why she should have been our president when we roll this clip. But I want to just talk to you all, just for a moment about this. They were trying to force them to testify. They wanted to do a private hearing where they deposed the former president, the former First Lady, the former secretary of State, the former senator representing New York about what they knew about
Jeffrey Epstein. Now there are images of Bill Clinton with Jeffrey Epstein, but Secretary Clinton, by her own testimony, has never met Jeffrey Epstein. But yet they wanted to talk to them. What they mentioned is instead of talking to the Attorney's General who had this in their purview, in their jurisdiction to investigate, to prosecute Jeffrey Epstein, you're coming for us, and we don't understand why you're doing that. So in this letter that their lawyers sent, it is
a seven. Nope, it is an eighth page letter where they talk about why this is so beyond the scope of what they should be doing in their investigation, why they're not the right people for them to talk to, and they said, nonetheless, we will come talk to you, but we want to ensure that these depositions are released in total to the American public. Now, no surprises here. The Republicans are rule breakers, so of course they broke the rules when these folks came to testify before the
House Committee on Oversight and Government from last week. And of course Lauren Bobert took a picture of Hillary Clinton. She was very irate about that. But those aren't even the best moments of this particular deposition. I want to direct our attention to Hillary Clinton's opening statement before the committee, which was about nine and a half minutes long, and I want to stop along the way and tell you all what's happening here and why what the Secretary of
State was saying was so very important. I will tell you while watching this, I will be shocked if you can't see why this woman should have been the president of these United States.
That's what the clip, mister Chairman, ranking member members of the Committee. As a former United States Center Senator, I have respect for legislative oversight, and I expect its exercise, as do the American people, to be principled and fearless in pursuit of truth and accountability. As we all know, however, too often congressional investigations are partisan political theater, which is an abdication of duty and an insult to the American people.
This committee justified it's subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Galaine Maxwell.
Let me be as clear as I can.
I do not, as I stated in my sworn declaration on January thirteenth, I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering mister Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island homes or offices.
I have nothing to add to that.
I want to stop here for two reasons.
One, Hillary Clinton given all again, former First Lady of these United States, former senator representing the state of New York, former Secretary of State, former presidential candidate, the only woman who has ever won the popular vote in the United States, that Hillary Clinton is the one that they want to appear before the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. And she takes the moment to say, let me actually educate you on what is supposed to happen in a legislative process.
This should not be partisan political theater. This should be an opportunity for you to gather facts so you can actually do right by these tax paying citizens who are Jeffrey Epstein survivors of assault.
Right.
She makes it so clear what's supposed to be happening. And she says further, I don't know this man. Why y'all got me up here.
Let's write a clip.
Like every decent person, I've been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes. It's unfathomable that mister Epstein initially got a slap on the wrist in two thousand and eight, which allowed him to continue his predatory practices for another decade. Mister Chairman, your investigation is supposed to be assessing the federal government's handling of the investigations and
prosecutions of Epstein and his crimes. U subpoenaed eight law enforcement officials, all of whom ran the Department of Justice or directed the FBI when Epstein's crimes were investigated and prosecuted. Of those eight, only one appeared before the committee. Five of the six former attorneys general were allowed to submit
brief statements stating they had no information to provide. You have held zero public hearings, refused to allow the media to attend them, including today, Despite espousing the need for transparency on dozens of occasions, you have made little effort.
So what's important about this particular part of her testimony? And this is what they also say in the letter data January twelfth from the attorneys She's making it very clear that the people who had the responsibility to investigate, to prosecute to an insured indictment of this criminal, Jeffrey Epstein.
You allow them to submit written statements. Five of the six former attorneys general who would have Again, so we're clear, the attorney general is the person who oversees the full Department of Justice, that is, who is responsible for filing charges against a criminal that's committed federal crimes. So she's saying, of the six, five of them were able to submit a written statement. But y'all got me up here, what do you expect me to tell you I don't even know this man.
Let's roll the clip.
To call the people who show up most prominently in the Epstein files, and when you did, not a single Republican member showed up for less Wexner's deposition.
This is a quick note just to say less Wexner in case Syaw missed, it is Victoria's secret.
Less Wexner and he.
Was all in and through the Epstein files, So let's just be clear about that. She's like, he's one of the biggest names in these files, clearly associated with Jeffrey Epstein in his ways and the American public who want to hear from him.
You would think, since this.
Is not political theater allegedly, that the Republicans who are on the Oversight and Government Reform.
Committee would have showed up. They didn't show up that day. Let's roll the clip.
This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors, as well as informed the public who want to get to the bottom of this matter. My heart breaks for the survivors, and I am furious on their behalf. I have spent my life
advocating for women and girls. I have worked hard to stop the terrible abuses so many women and girls face here and around the world, including human trafficking, forced labor, domestic violence, and sexual slavery. For too long, these have been largely invisible crimes or not treated as crimes at all. But the survivors are real and they are entitled to justice. In Southeast Asia, I met girls as young as twelve years old who had been forced into prostitution and raped repeatedly.
Some were dying of aids.
In Eastern Europe, I met mothers who told me how they lost their daughters to trafficking and did not know where to turn. In settings around the world, I met survivors trying to rebuild their lives and help rescue others, with little support from people in power, who too often turned.
A blind eye and a cold shoulder.
If you are new to this issue, let me tell you Jeffrey Epstein was a highness individual, but he's far from alone. This is not a one off tabloid sensation or political scandal. It is a global scourge with an unimaginable human toll. My work combating sex trafficking goes back
to my days as first Lady. I worked to pass the first federal legislation against trafficking, and was proud that my husband signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which increased support for survivors and gave prosecutors better tools for going after traffickers. As Secretary of State, I appointed a former federal prosecutor, Lucy Debaca, to ramp up our global anti
trafficking efforts. I oversaw nearly one hundred and seventy anti trafficking programs in seventy nations and directly pressed foreign leaders to crack down on trafficking networks in their countries. Every year, we published a global report to shine a light on abuses. The findings of those reports triggered sanctions on countries failing to make progress, so they became a powerful diplomatic tool
to drive concrete action. I insisted that the United States be included in the report for the first time ever in twenty eleven, because we must hold ourselves not just to the same standard as the rest of the world, but to an even higher one. Sex trafficking and modern
slavery should have no place in America. None Infuriatingly, the Trump administration gutted the Trafficking in Persons Office at the State Department, cutting more than seventy percent of the career civil and foreign service experts who worked so hard to prevent trafficking crimes. The annual trafficking report required by law was delayed for months. The message from the Trump administration to the American people and the world could not be clearer.
Combating human trafficking is no longer an American priority under the Trump White House.
What I think is important about this moment is Hillary Clinton is laying the groundwork for why not only should she not be testifying before this committee, but she also has a historic record of doing the exact opposite of everything Jeffrey Epstein stood for. So she talked about her work as First Lady. She talked about her work as Secretary of State. She talked about the law, the bill that got signed into law under Bill Clinton's leadership under
his presidency because of the work she was doing. She talked about one hundred and seventy pro globally that she was responsible for overseeing as.
Secretary of State.
And the key part of what she said here, while they have hauled her and former President Bill Clinton before the committee to testify is that the reason you're not seeing this kind of work being done now under this Trump administration is because they've cut not only the funding, but seventy percent of the staff who were responsible for holding that portfolio of work at the State Department. So she talks about why is Marco Rubio not testifying before
the committee. It's not because Jeffrey Epstein's case is in his purview. It's because he has the ability, the authority, the latitude to take this problem, this global issue, this global crisis by the Horns and deploy staff and programs to ensure that women and girls are not trafficked, people are not trafficked. Well, he would if the Trump administration hadn't cut the funding.
Let's keep rolling.
That's a tragedy, it's a scandal, and it deserves vigorous investigation and oversight. A committee endeavoring to stopping human trafficking would seek to understand what specific steps are needed to fix a legal system that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes. A committee run by elected officials with a commitment to transparency would ensure the full release of all the files. It would ensure that the lawful redactions of those files protected the victims and survivors, not powerful
men and political allies. It would get to the bottom of reports that DOJ withheld FBI interviews in which a survivor accuses President Trump of crimes. It would subpoena anyone who asked on which night there would be the wildest party on Epstein's island. It would demand testimony from prosecutors from Florida, New York and the Department of Justice about why they gave Epstein a sweetheart deal and chose not to pursue others who may have been implicated in his crimes.
And it would.
Demand that Secretary of Rubio and Attorney General Bondie testify about why this administration is abandoning survivors and playing into the hands of traffickers. It would seek out advocates and law enforcement of officials on the front lines of the fight against human trafficking and ask them what support they need. And it would put forth legislation to provide more resources and force this administration to act.
But that's not happening.
Instead, you have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation. In order to distract from President Trump's actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers. If this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein's traffic and crimes, it would not rely on press got gaggles to get
answers from our current president on his involvement. It would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files.
What I love about what she's doing here is she's telling them how the committee should be running its investigation.
And one key fact that I skipped.
Over or haven't had the opportunity to bring up Jesse yet, is Hillary Clinton didn't just pop up, y'all one.
Day as the first Lady of the United States.
Hillary Clinton was a former Watergate staffer.
That's right.
Hillary Clinton was on the Nixon impeachment committee understanding uncovering what happened at Watergate. She's telling them, let me give you the formula that break down the blueprint for how this is actually supposed to go, instead of me testifying because you guys think it makes for a salacious headliner fodder on your crazy right wing blogs. You should be talking to the people who can actually inform you on this investigation to protect women who have been traffic and sexually assaulted.
Not wasting your time on me because y'all love to hate Hillary. Let's roll the clue.
If the majority was serious, it would not waste time on fishing expeditions. There is too much to be done. What is being held back, who is being protected, and why the cover up? So my challenge to you, mister Chairman, and members of this committee is the same challenge I put to myself throughout my long service to this nation. How to be worthy of the trust of the American
people that they have given to you. They expect statesmanship, not damesmanship, leading not grand standing, and they expect you to use your power to get to the truth and to do more to help survivors of Epstein's crimes, as well as the millions more who are victims of sex trafficking in this country and around the world.
Thank you, mister.
Chairman, and I would also like to request that the video of this deposition be made available within twenty four hours, as it has been for other witnesses.
I don't know why this woman was not the president of these United States, but when I tell y'all, I am so happy to be born on October twenty sixth. Like Hillary rodd and Clinton, she was phenomenal, phenomenal, And I think part of it to me is the class, the poise, the moments where she was tested to her core. She showed up brilliantly. She should do a masterclass on how to testify in a hostile environment, because that's exactly where she was.
She was on you know, in a.
Battle and in that last part where she says, the American people expect statesmanship, not gamesmanship. They expect leading and not grandstanding, is exactly the point. And she's like, you can release the tape because I know what I'm standing on business.
I'm clear about the fact that I don't know this man.
Y'all about to make me know this man. But there was a moment that tested Hillary Rodham Clinton, and I thought she might come across the table on this lady. Now, Nancy Mace represents a district in South Carolina.
Wants to run for governor, I.
Believe, and you know, really traffics in pissing people off. She's masterful at it and also being on the wrong side of history. You've seen her in a battle in committee rooms against Jasmine Crockett, and she really just she
pushes things too far. I think in this moment, if I had to extend compassion at all, it would be because Nancy Mace has regularly talked about being a survivor herself, and because of that, I wonder if you know she was triggered by something and this was her kind of response in the way that she goes at Hillary Clinton.
But I want you all to be your own judge of this. Let's roll the clip. We'll talk about it on the other side to.
Your two more questions than we're going to pass it to Congressman Congresswoman Luna after Jeffrey Epstein was convicted, to concern you at all that you had taken a substantial amount of money from Jeffrey Epstein.
That's an inappropriate assumption.
I did not take a substantial amount of money from Jeffrey Epstein.
So far as I know.
Jeffrey Epstein contributed to the joint committee that was supporting my Senate race, which was how much I believe I was told twenty thousand dollars.
You don't consider twenty thousand dollars substantial.
I do not consider it relevant to me because I had no recollection that I ever knew that he gave any money.
So you don't talked to your donors. They gave twenty thousand dollars to your campaign.
My understanding of the rules back then is that there was no coordination between the committee and the campaign.
So no, I have no recollection.
But that doesn't mean you can't speak to your donors. That doesn't prohibit the dolls, not prohibit you speaking to it.
But I didn't know he was a donor as far as I knew, he was not a donor until I learned this.
And Estima Maxwell was heavily involved with people you knew and were close to.
I knew people that I knew knew her.
Yes, that's true, and you didn't you just shrug you didn't want to look into it, or nobody question.
Now until her crimes were revealed and she was indicted and tried and convicted. I don't think people knew very much about at all.
And how do you know, Howard Lutnik.
I want to pause here really quick, And the reason I want to pause here really quick is because first I want to just take a moment, because I know people at home, maybe listening to this conversation about this back and forth about this twenty thousand dollars donation, and this really wasn't the point I was trying to get to.
I want to get to something later, but.
This particular point is fascinating to me because there are coordinating committees and a twenty thousand dollars donation is actually not large. There are people that bundle or raise resources from, you know, a bunch of different friends, and they could bundle to the tune of a million, two million, three million, five million, fifty million dollars because they have all of
their friends donate five thousand dollars. But it's like if you were selling candy bars back in the day and instead of you being and I used to eat my candy bars, y'all don't tell them mama now, but you would, you know, you would sell your candy bar, your candy bar box. You would be responsible for your thing, to raise money for your school, for your basketball team, whatever. Now smarter kids would say, I'm gonna give you five candy bars to sell these. This kid over here is
sell fire candid bars. You come back and give me in. I'll make sure you be able to keep a dollar or whatever. That's a business right. And so in a similar way, people raise money for campaigns and they coordinate so that they can raise more. At the same time, somebody Jeffrey Epstein may have been asked by one of Hillary Clinton's larger donors to pitch into a larger goal, and it is absolutely normal for a candidate not to
speak to every donor. There's also something called call time where members of Congress candidates will call around asking for money, especially to meet a deadline if there's an upcoming filing deadline for fundraising, that kind of thing. But there are a lot of instances, especially when it's a coordinated committee and you're not supposed to be having conversations with a committee that is supporting you. That is very normal because you don't want to run a foul of the law
or the rules. So that's also very normal. Now, this conversation around the Secretary of commer the current Secretary of Commerce, who does have a deep relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, is important because here we're getting into the nuance of humanity. Frankly, and I think what Hillary Clinton is saying here is really important. Her relationship as she gets ready to She's about to describe was centered around nine to eleven, one
of the most terrorizing traumatic moments for New Yorkers. And this is when Hillary Clinton was in New York representing this area. So let's go ahead and roll this clip.
I know Howard Lutnick because when I was Senator on nine to eleven, the firm he headed, Canter Fitzgerald, suffered the greatest loss of life. As I recall, something like six hundred and fifty of his employees were murdered by terrorists that day. Howard Lutnick missed being a victim because he was delayed dropping his child off to guard. You asked the question, I'm going to answer your question. This was what I spent my time doing. I'm trying to.
Look out for other survivers, trying and I was taking care of it, the people who lost here thousand lives. And now you're being pregnant today. You asked me, I have now Epstein survivors. I'm a survivor myself. You have emails. You've denied that Jeffrey Epstein that you tried to get Jeffrey Epstein to give money to you did Howard Lutnick was if you have.
An email with me asking Jeffrey I have.
Her money mail from Howard Lutnick sending it to Jeffrey Epstein and.
His people to raise money.
I do you know about an event, an intimate event for you at his offices at Canna fitzgiald off the skate and say to this committee, you didn't try to get money from jeff Frey Epstein when there was an intimate event in an email that Howard lud to email to Epstein's people and Epstein to get him to come to your intimate event at Canner Fitzgerald, a very small event. And so I'm not gonna pub You want to yell at me, that's fine, right, Well, I am looking out.
I'm doing the job that.
You would not do and refuse to do as Secretary of State.
Thank you, and I feel back to no.
I'm going to finish answering the question, which I have a right to do. I am very sympathetic to your personal situation. I have read about it, I have seen you testify or speak on the floor about it, and I very much sympathize with not only what you went through, but appreciate your effort to stand up for survivors. I was a senator representing the people who were murdered on nine to eleven. Nobody lost more people than Howard Lutnik.
You can say whatever you want, you can call them and have them appear before the committee.
But I knew him.
I knew him as the man who lost the employees that he knew intimately, including his brother.
And he was so ire money for you.
You know what, if you don't want to hear what emotionally affected me, that's fine.
But that's why I know Howard Lutnik.
I went to the memorial service every nine eleven after the formal service was held.
With all of his people of families, you and Jeffrey Epstein raising money.
Well, you know, Howard Blutnick and I get work together because we had a lot of victims than you did take care of, and we work together to rebuild downtown Manhattan.
That is how I know Howard Blutnick.
I and I want to stop here. Here's what I think is remarkable about this. And if Nancy Mace doesn't know this yet, she'll soon find out. I don't know how much money she's raised as a member of Congress to hold her seat, but certainly, when you run statewide, as Hillary Clinton had done, people will hold events for you. They will hold very intimate events for you. They will be at law offices, they will be with financial services companies,
whether it's private equity or venture capital or bankers. There will be labor unions that will hold events for you. And when people hold events for you, generally speaking, there is a fundraising committee, and generally there are people who
are chairs or co chairs of that fundraising committee. And the chairs and the co chairs of that fundraising committee have a certain threshold, a certain goal, and the committees, the committee members have a certain goal, and they will reach out to their friends, people who they know they can count on, who normally will give without asking them why.
There is nothing whatsoever that implicates Hillary Clinton on an email from Howard Lutnik to Jeffrey Epstein for a fundraiser, there's not as frustrating as that might be for people to understand at home.
There are people who are.
Reached out to all the time to go to these events, and they're normally on the wealthier side. We are very clear that Jeffrey Epstein was wealthy himself and ran in the circles of the elite of the rich and famous of this country.
That is the truth. Now, whether Nancy wants to hear it or not, that is the truth. And with Hillary Clinton is sharing is very compelling.
This man lost how many employees in the World Trade Center attack, including his own brother.
She was the senator representing New York.
Of course she's going to have a relationship with this man now, I'm sure she also she said very clearly, bring his ass before this committee and have him testify. Right, So all of that is happening. There's a lot more to unpack.
I know.
We're going to do that tomorrow on our show, our main show. We record tomorrow, it will drop Thursday. We will keep going. If you all haven't seen it, go do the homework today, go and watch Hillary Clinton's full testimony before the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. I want you all to take notes, because again it is a masterclass. In that moment when Nancy, when Nancy Mas was get her she said, you know what, I felt that in that moment that you know what.
My response on the other side of you know what.
Would have been, I'm a tech write, it would have been a full on cuss out. Hillary Clinton is a masterclass at diplomacy, at being able to check yourself and pause and being grounded and bringing people into her own experience. She said, if you don't want to hear about my emotions at the time, that's fine. But I have the right to answer this question. Let us study it, let us hear the truth that comes out of her mouth.
She was put in a position to have to answer questions about what her husband was doing when she wasn't there. Not fair. She's been having to answer those questions for too long. It was brilliant. And speaking of brilliant, I want you, if you are in Arkansas, if you are in Texas, or if you are in North Carolina today, I want you to go and be brilliant and vote in your primaries. There are some amazing people on the
ticket and every single one of these states. But I want us to deepen into just for a moment, because it's been a hot topic, into the race of our dear sister, Jasmine Crocket. There's been a lot of stuff flying, a lot of stuff that is not cool, and so I want us to remind each other of the greatness
of black women. On the other side of Black History Month and now fully into Women's History Month because our dear sister Ayana Presley showed up for Jasmine Crockett just this past weekend and it was amazing, and it reminds me of the importance of sisterhood when things are tough, when people are coming at your character, when they're being racist and gaslin you pretending that it's not racism at all, when people are trying to say that you don't deserve
to be somewhere. And Jasmine has demonstrated time and time again that she represents us so well in the face of everything that's going on. She has been courageous and she has run all the way through the tape on this race. So I hope you all, if you're voting today in Texas, that number one, if you can vote in Texas, that you do vote in Texas. And I want you all to hear from my dear sister Ayana Presley on why she is supporting Jasmine Crockett.
Let's roll this.
People are very accustomed to black women being the mule for this country because we carry everybody when all and Julia Cooper.
Says, when and where I enter the entire race enters with me.
That has been the role of Black women throughout history of the entire human race enters with us. Jasmine honors that long standing tradition of black women throughout history as truth telling us, as justice secrets.
As architects have changed. So I was not going to allow them to try.
To minimize her impact, to contain her as a cheerleader for the party or as a clap back queen.
But the second she needs is a divine assignment and it raises her head.
Now you have a crop.
So I had to be here because she is the most qualified, She is the most primed and record.
We don't have judge about her. We know about her job pros, having concurrency on the state.
Level bat Win, Texas Republicans here meeting the moment on the national stage, and of course her fine legal month. And we need that righteousness in the Senate, especially now because.
When we get a majority back, when we do our part, we keep sending things over to the Senate and to die is certain death. And that is why we need Jasmine Crowthey of the Senate, and that's why we need her now.
I love that it's such as moment. I know this race has been so trying for our dear sister Jasmine Kracket. I'm sending prayers her way and sending so much gratitude Tuyana Presley, because many of us know black women who fit that bill know exactly what she's talking about. In every industry in this country, we have been the middle of the world.
That is what Zora Neil Hurston said.
But we also know that we are worthy of the labor that we give, worthy of every gift, and are so excited to share those gifts with you all. I'm excited to share them with y'all every single week on Native Lampard, I thank you all for tuning in. If you see a black woman walking down the street today, just tell them thank you. And I'm gonna tell y'all thank you in Arkansas and North Carolina and Texas. When you go vote today, go do the right thing. The spike leeway you understand, all right.
Welcome home, y'all.
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