Full Court Presser on Epstein Disclosure & Do You Want More Crime or Less? – Top 3 Takeaways, September 4th, 2025
Takeaway #1: All of the above
When you hear all of the above what comes to mind? Energy policy? It reminds me of Jerry Seinfeld saying “more everything” to the stewardess in first class when asked if he wanted anything else while Elaine was having a miserable coach experience. But the reason that’s my top takeaway today is because that’s what Jeffrey Epstein’s victims called for in a news conference yesterday in their push for what’s known as a discharge petition that could force a House vote on legislation, that if passed, would compel the Justice Department to provide full disclosure of the Epstein files. President Trump has long operated under the premise of Promises Made, Promises Kept. He delivered on his promises to the extent he could in his first term. He’s delivered on his promises with remarkable speed early in his second term...with one exception. The promised disclosure of the Epstein files hasn’t come and what has been released by the Justice Department has been botched in its delivery to say the least. First AG Pam Bondi told Fox’s John Roberts in regard to a question about a rumored Epstein client list... Quoting Bondi: “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review”. That of course set expectations that she’s since walked back. Then there was the video disclosure snafu – which we’ve finally been able to get to the bottom of this week. In the latest data dump from the House Oversight Committee, the “missing minute” of video from outside of Epstein’s jailcell the night that he died emerged. In the end there was nothing conspiratorial to it, but AG Bondi was shown to have misspoken when she said the final minute of video is deleted each night. It’s another minor snafu...
Takeaway #2: ... That doesn’t aid her credibility in handling the sensitive matter
There’s been the recent development of Epstein conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell interviewing with Deputy AG Todd Blanche and the subsequent 263-page transcript of that interview which was released. There weren’t any bombshells, not that many would have been likely to have believed them anyway. Perhaps most notably President Trump has become dismissive of the topic altogether most recently. This has led to many speculating that it’s because he’s on the non-existent list. But as I’ve spoken to multiple times, given everything President Trump’s political opponents did to attempt to take him out, in some cases literally, if there were any link to Trump and Epstein’s conspiracy the Biden administration without a doubt would have leaked it. The most likely reason we still don’t know more is due to what real disclosure means. It means that there must be prosecutions pursued for a who’s who of business and political leaders from around the world. On the surface that may sound easy, after all, that’s how justice should be pursued. On the other hand, it’s more complicated when political leaders of other countries are involved. Could, for example, disclosure jeopardize alliances and national security? The idea of disclosure is a lot easier said than done. If names are credibly named people from around the world will want the heads of all those named immediately. Is the DOJ ready to prosecute all those cases credibly? It’s a massive undertaking and that’s the most likely consideration as to why we still don’t know more. It’s also a likely reason as to why the Obama and Biden administrations didn’t do absolutely anything on disclosure (it’s a convenient argument to make this all about Trump and Republicans today). However, the push is on in Congress for the “all of the above” approach... The DOJ’s investigation and promised disclosures. Congress’s ongoing investigation and promised disclosures, and now an act that seeks to force full disclosure. Like many in this community I’ve covered this story since it broke, locally twenty years ago. Imagine being the victims who’ve waited that long for disclosure. Hense yesterday’s compelling full court press conference to place the pressure on congress and the president to follow through on what everyone has promised to do but that no one has yet done. In the words of Epstein victim Anouska de Georgiou at yesterday’s presser: To be clear: The only motive for opposing this bill would be to conceal wrongdoing. That’s a powerful message.
Takeaway #3: Do you want more crime or less?
It’s the dumbest question you’ll be asked today. It’s about the dumbest question you’d be asked on any given day. It’s likely safe to say that unless you’re a criminal you’re in favor of less crime, not more. Come to think of it, if you want to rather quickly identify who the criminals among us are, posing this question is likely a quick way to find out. Perhaps that’s why Illinois's Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson are opposed to President Trump’s announced federal assistance to clean up the crime-riddled city? Anyway, on the same day that Johnson and Pritzker were busy denouncing the president’s promised and potentially imminent federal intervention into Chicago’s prolific crime problems, a previously skeptical Democrat official in D.C. was busy doing exactly the opposite thing. Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was quick to admit that the skepticism about the President’s plan to federalize the D.C. police and to clean up the city was unwarranted. So much so that this week she’s done a complete 180. Bowser has issued an executive order calling for local law enforcement to permanently cooperate with federal resources provided to the city “to the maximum extent allowable by law within the District”. She said her order is designed to provide a pathway forward beyond the declared presidential emergency declaration. In other words, if at any point a president removes the emergency order, D.C. law enforcement is to continue to do exactly what they’ve been doing to retain the gains they’ve made in combating crime. That’s because the success has been huge. In only three weeks property crime in Washington, D.C. is 11% lower. Violent crime has dropped by nearly 50%, the murder rate is 84% lower and car jackings by 87%. President Trump has praised Bowser’s recent embrace of what’s in the best interest in her community, and she’ll likely become a rising star within her party because of her pragmatism to do the right thing by her constituents as opposed to a TDS filled quest. But Chicago, they’re apparently cool with 50%+ more crime and 84%+ more homicides. We continue to see Democrats from California to Chicago fighting for the facilitation of more crime in the communities by virtue of fighting the federal assistance from the Trump administration that’d clean up their streets. It’s a truly remarkable thing. But kudos to Bowser in D.C. and most importantly congratulations to residents of that city who now get to live in a vastly safer place than it was just a month ago.