Good afternoon, everyone. I’ve spent the last 48 hours reviewing thousands of Epstein-related documents, and there are new developments this morning that the public needs to know about. At the same time, a major corruption scheme involving the Trump family and a royal family from the United Arab Emirates has come to light. There is a lot to unpack.
I will be sharing additional findings tonight and throughout the weekend as I continue to analyze, cross-check, and verify what’s contained in these files.
Here’s the news:
- Donald Trump claimed that the Epstein files completely “absolved” him, despite there being substantial allegations made in the files against the President of the United States.
- I have spent the past several hours sending the Department of Justice multiple documents that it failed to properly redact. The first document is shown below, or rather, only the first page is shown in order to protect victim privacy. That page depicts a manila envelope. Inside the envelope are headshot images of more than a dozen Epstein victims. The accompanying information notes that the survivors are under the age of 18, as it lists their dates of birth. Not a single face is redacted.
- The second document I found is a list of survivors, 32 in total. Only one name is redacted. The remaining 31 are not. These appear to be clear violations of the Epstein files law. I am actively working with the Department of Justice and the House Oversight Committee to have these materials taken down and properly redacted.
- Elon Musk dismissed the Epstein files as “a distraction” after old emails surfaced showing him expressing interest in visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s private island and asking about the “wildest party,” despite later attempts to distance himself.
- Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed that there was insufficient evidence in the files to charge any third parties:
- The only problem with that comment is that, in the files, there is a draft indictment from the mid-2000s in which federal prosecutors prepared to charge Epstein and three co-conspirators. Assuming one of those co-conspirators is Ghislaine Maxwell, the other two have never been charged, despite prosecutors believing there to be enough evidence to move forward:
- Reminder: Jeffrey Epstein plead guilty to procuring for prostitution a girl below the age of 18 in 2008. Despite that, so many people had contacts with Epstein after 2008.
- New emails show Jeffrey Epstein made a donation on behalf of Howard Lutnick, the Trump Commerce Secretary, years after Lutnick claimed to have cut off ties with Epstein:
- A text exchange between Steve Bannon and and someone who appears to be Jeffrey Epstein discusses Donald Trump’s then-assistant Madeleine Westerhout, with Bannon calling her a “grundoon,” Epstein referring to her as “Kneepads” who was “doing God’s work,” and adding that Trump was “much more calm,” but that “the sight of him in the residence in his undies is hard to fathom,” promising, “I’ll give you details when I see you.”
- Newly released files claim Jeffrey Epstein sent a total of $75,000 in payments linked to Lord Mandelson between 2003 and 2004, including a transfer to his partner and later payments to accounts in Mandelson’s name, which Mandelson disputes and says he does not recall receiving.
- A senior Slovak official resigned after new Epstein-related emails emerged, with Prime Minister Robert Fico accepting the resignation of his national security adviser Miroslav Lajčák, following disclosures that Jeffrey Epstein invited Lajčák to dinners and meetings in 2018, including one email proposing a gathering with Steve Bannon and Kathy Ruemmler; Lajčák denied wrongdoing and said the contacts were part of his diplomatic role, but political pressure forced his exit.
- In a 2016 exchange revealed in the Epstein files, Larry Summers asked Jeffrey Epstein who he thought would win the election, to which Epstein replied, “Difficult to bet against the card cheat if you are gambling on the outcome.”
Other news:
- The Wall Street Journal has uncovered a secret deal signed days before Donald Trump’s inauguration gave Abu Dhabi royals led by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan a 49% stake in the Trump family crypto venture World Liberty Financial for $500 million, with Eric Trump signing the deal and millions flowing to Trump-linked entities and to associates of Steve Witkoff, months before the UAE secured access to tightly controlled U.S. AI chips.
- Todd Blanche was asked about this today, he refused to answer:
- Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a Texas state Senate special election, flipping a long-held Republican Fort Worth–area district that Donald Trump carried by 17 points in 2024, dealing a surprise blow to the GOP and continuing Democrats’ pattern of strong special-election overperformance.
- MPR News has confirmed Liam Ramos and his father have safely landed in Minnesota. They have been released.
- NBC News has confirmed that AI-altered photos and videos of the fatal Minneapolis shooting of Alex Pretti spread widely online, misleading millions, blurring fact and fiction, and even prompting Dick Durbin to cite an inauthentic image, underscoring how AI “enhancements” are fueling misinformation and false skepticism about real evidence involving federal officers, including ICE.
- A partial government shutdown is expected to last until at least Tuesday after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats will not help pass a GOP-backed funding bill, leaving Speaker Mike Johnson scrambling for votes on a Senate deal brokered by Chuck Schumer and Donald Trump that temporarily funds DHS while negotiations continue over immigration enforcement and ICE oversight.
- Ro Khanna said he is a “firm no” on voting to reopen the federal government unless ICE funding is separated, arguing Democrats cannot support continued ICE financing amid scrutiny over fatal shootings of U.S. citizens and broader concerns about the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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