Rep. Jared Moskowitz joins Tim Miller to discuss the House GOP’s inaction on Epstein file disclosures, allegations of a cover-up involving DOJ officials, and MAGA's growing frustration. Also, FEMA’s slow disaster response under Kristi Noem is causing concerns about preparedness heading into hurricane season.
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Dudes and dudettes, the new season of South Park just started and these guys are FAST with writing their episodes. Without spoiling anything, let's just say someone likes poking the orange bear in his little mushroom, this is gonna get glorious.
My husband was asking me today, “Where has this stuff been all along?” I pulled out two of Sarah Kendzior’s books and started reading quotes to him from them. Then I told him the answer to his question is the title of one of the books, it’s been hiding in plain sight. He told me that was a pretty good and thorough answer. This has been here all along, but people never looked. Finally, something is sticking.
Tim, Thanks for having Rep Moskowitz on the pod. His knowledge and experience in the matters discussed was evident. His take on Maxwell is a given. They are lying on everything. FEMA's response was criminal and Noem should be fired but we know that won't happen. Can Congress remove her? I wonder what the Representative would say about the State preparedness in this tragedy? Seems to me that not having warning sirens in "flash flood alley" was a dereliction of duty. That is the real tragedy.
Jared has it 100% correct. The big Ghislaine Maxwell DOJ interview will amount to a transaction in which the DOJ tells her "you'll get your pardon as long as you say Donald Trump never really knew Jeffrey Epstein very well." Hoping that will satisfy the outraged MAGA base. She says Trump never really knew pedophile Jeffrey. And they very well may buy this HS, if her pardon doesn't come right away, but more like a year or so from now. I do think she'll consider it a deal she'd be "wise not to refuse".
If Maxwell refuses the pardon and takes Trump down telling all she should be let out of prison because she helped all of us.
Q
On Rosie O'Donnell, Trump is threatening to strip her of her citizenship, not deport her. He actually can't deport her as she is already living in Ireland.
On Epstein, the Democrats goal here ought to be to keep MAGA at each other's throats. A way to do that is to get bookings on the shows run by Epstein skeptical MAGATs, not on the Bullwark. Keep pressing the "We all just want to see the files, like you promised" button. Meanwhile the responsible media, like the Bullwark, can keep the story alive by publishing all the dribs and drabs that leak out of those files.
Would love to see a video compilation of all the times Trump mentioned Epstein at his rallies and then all the recent times he called his own supporters, Republicans, etc. stupid and idiots for caring about them. Probably more for The Daily Show but would make a great segment.
Why didn't Biden and Ds release the Epstein documents?
They were sealed until Jan 2025 as part of Maxwell's conviction.
Below is a recent exchange between Joe Scarborough and Jamie Raskin regarding the Epstein documents:
"Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough pressed Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., on Thursday over why Democrats failed to act on the issue during the Biden administration and the liberal lawmaker failed to provide an answer.
"But, Congressman, you could have gotten that from '21 to '25 when Democrats controlled DOJ. Why — it was a crisis then. It’s a crisis now. Why didn’t Democrats call for it from '21 to '25?" Scarborough asked.
"So, I mean, you’d have to go back and look specifically at particular prosecutorial decisions and what was taking place in terms of the other cases. So, I don’t know, we could try to reconstruct that record," Raskin replied.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/democrats-stumble-when-challenged-why-didnt-release-epstein-docs-under-biden?msockid=05cc5aa2a2e161ad3ce84c88a36a6025
If there was no way to release the documents between 2021 and 2025 because they were "sealed" you can bet that is what Raskin would have said.
If there was something there, they could have used it to take out DJT before he was reelected. Maybe there were dems in there and wealthy individuals they were protecting?
I think the odds are 100% that those documents make DJT look very bad.
So, Biden and Ds not releasing those documents was complete political malpractice or, as you say, they were protecting elites on their side.
Doesn't the president have the power to declassify sealed documents?
Sealed and classified aren’t the same thing. The president can’t unseal grand jury records by decree because they are sealed by statute governing operations of the judicial branch. But the sealed gran jury records also aren’t the same as the investigative files that are in the possession of the DOJ/FBI.
Okay. So, Biden and Ds could have released the investigative files from the DOJ/FBI?
I don’t know what’s in them, but DOJ/FBI have policies and regulations concerning the release of information generated in criminal investigations that generally does not allow their discretionary release unless certain conditions apply and requirements are met. Biden and Congress probably could have taken steps to provide for their release, but I don’t know what they might be without seeing the nature of the documents, and contrary to constant lies and projections on the right, the Democrats don’t just release documents and information like this in violation of policies and norms for the purpose of weaponizing investigations for political purposes. You can decide whether they should reconsider that in the future.
If Democrats don't just release these documents and information like this in violation of policies and norms, then why are so many Democrats now calling for Trump and Rs to releases these documents and information?
Democrats in charge of the executive branch who actually have the documents don't do that shit when it violates department regulations. Again, you can decide with that is wise when Republicans have no similar qualms about weaponizing investigative files and intelligence information for political purposes.
You have Democratic members of Congress supporting a bipartisan resolution calling for the release of those documents, which is not against any regulation applicable to congress, and is a nonbinding request on the executive, but that is only being made because of the shitshow situation created by the lies, cover up, and chaotic changing story of this administration, which again, decide for yourself if this is a drum Democrats should have been beating on earlier. But the GOP did this to themselves.
Yes, Rs did this to themselves, and that amuses me.
At the same time many Democratic members of congress are calling for the release of the documents while never saying they think Biden and Ds made a mistake by not releasing the documents when they had power. I think those Ds are hypocrites. That amuses me too!
I'm not a Democrat anymore, so I don't feel any obligation to defend the party or Joe Biden for sitting on them, or guess at why they did so.
Not the Grand Jury documents. A federal judge could unseal transcripts but there would need meet some legal standard I would think. The GJ documents won't reveal much. These are distinct from investigative files that the DOJ/FBI also has though.
When is anyone going to pick up Sen. Ron Wyden's investigation into the financials?
I love Tim, but why is he having on people that voted to censure Al green? This fucking clown should have to face a strong primary challenger, we don’t need people pearl clutching over decorum right now
$100K to a federal agency is peanuts. It'd be like having to clear it with your accountant every time you want to spend $5.
Donnie's cankles will be Obama's fault before the week is out.
Moskowitz STILL has the “40 beheaded babies” tweet up.
https://x.com/RepMoskowitz/status/1712121894969741414
This Moskowitz cat is a good democratic communicator. He’s funny, crisp, witty, genuine and loud. Get him out more on all this offensive shit.
It's an international pedophile ring.
Trump is a pedophile! Pedophiles are cunning, manipulative people who don’t mind destroying anyone or anything in order to get their needs met. They are overwhelmed by their desires and needs. They will lie, cheat, and even kill people to keep from getting caught. The entire Republican Party is run by a pedophile. Make sure everyone realizes that.
Pedophiles have ALREADY gone as low as is humanly possible. They'll literally do anything to hide it. Anything.