Chapter 1: What new information has emerged from the Epstein Files release?
The DOJ's Epstein Files release sets off a firestorm on both sides of the aisle and even prompts a response from Bill Clinton.
I didn't notice that kind of reaction when they put out pictures of President Trump from the Epstein estate that were out of context.
Why were hundreds of pages blacked out? And what's next in the Epstein political battle? I'm Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, December 22nd. This is Morning Wire.
I ordered a massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great patriots last week. And it was very successful. It was precision.
The U.S. launches retaliatory strikes in Syria after an ISIS attack and seizes another Venezuelan tanker. And Turning Point USA's jam-packed and at times contentious AmFest wraps up with a bang.
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Chapter 2: Why is there controversy surrounding the redaction of Epstein documents?
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The Justice Department has begun publishing thousands of pages of material tied to its investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, but the rollout has sparked immediate controversy with claims of heavy redaction and missing files. Joining us with the latest is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. Hey, Megan. So a lot of people pouring over all of these files that were just released.
First, can you walk us through what exactly has been released so far?
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Chapter 3: What are the implications of the U.S. retaliatory strikes against ISIS?
Right. Unfortunately not. Basically, I would say what these documents do is reinforce what we already knew. Epstein and Maxwell recruited underage girls for sexual massages that often escalated. They paid them hundreds of dollars and they used threats to silence them.
And one grand jury testimony we have from 2007 describes a recruiter bringing in seven to 10 high school girls, including a 14-year-old girl. So crucially, we do have to note that the DOJ has stated that these files contain no evidence warranting new investigations or charges.
Chapter 4: How did the U.S. military respond to recent attacks on Americans?
Let's talk about the high profile names involved. Both Bill Clinton and Donald Trump have long been linked to Epstein socially. They both appear in these files. What's the context there?
Yeah, those photos are definitely what's making the most news. And several undated images show Bill Clinton with Epstein. In one, he's shirtless in a hot tub with someone whose face is blacked out, but is described by the DOJ as a victim. Another shows him swimming with Maxwell and others. One shows him on a plane with a young woman draped over him. Once again, her identity is redacted.
So all of this led CNN commentator Scott Jennings to say that he thinks these should really be called the Clinton files.
Regarding Bill Clinton, I'm sorry to tell you the reason that Bill Clinton's picture is in the Epstein files is because this has always been a story about Bill Clinton and not Donald Trump.
Chapter 5: What role does Venezuela play in the current geopolitical landscape?
We should call it the Clinton files, not the Epstein files.
But Clinton's spokesperson said that he cut ties with Epstein before these crimes were widely known. Now, for President Trump's part, despite a lot of viral claims that you may see circulating on social media, I would say that his mentions are fairly minimal. There's a handwritten phone message noting a missed call from him.
There's also a book of his on Epstein's shelf and one photo that was initially released but later removed from the DOJ site until they put it back. saying that they determined that it didn't reveal any victim identities. It shows a desk with an open drawer with pictures, including Trump with Epstein, Melania Trump, and Maxwell.
And then there was also another photo of Trump surrounded by women, but we want to stress these were adult women in the photo.
Chapter 6: What highlights emerged from the recent AmericaFest event?
No documents accuse Trump or Clinton of sexual misconduct or knowledge of Epstein's crimes, and the same does go for a lot of other celebrities that we see in these photos, people like Bill Gates, for example.
But we should note there has been a lot of criticism of files disappearing from the website, hundreds of pages fully redacted. What's the explanation from the administration for that?
Yeah, you're hearing a lot of critics saying that the DOJ violated the law by not releasing everything at once. So over 680 pages are completely blacked out and at least 15 images, some that are related to Trump, vanished from the site overnight. Senate Democrats are accusing the DOJ of trying to protect Trump here, but Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch has strongly denied that.
He said that these redactions are to protect the over 1,200 victim identities. The White House, meanwhile, is also pushing back hard. They say this is unprecedented transparency more than any other prior administration and that these rolling releases are necessary due to the sheer volume of records and to protect victims.
But that said, there are still hundreds of thousands of records under review, and those are still going to be released on a rolling basis in the coming weeks. So we could be learning more in the near future.
We'll certainly be keeping an eye on that. Megan, thank you so much for reporting.
Yep, my pleasure.
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Chapter 7: How did key speakers address controversies at AmericaFest?
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Visit chevron.com slash America to discover more. President Trump has followed through on his promise to avenge three Americans killed in Syria last week, carrying out dozens of strikes against ISIS in Syria. Meanwhile, the U.S. has seized another Venezuelan tanker. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about the U.S. strikes, plus the latest from Venezuela.
So, Tim, first off, what happened in Syria? Right. Well, Trump promised that anybody who targets Americans would be hit harder than you have ever been hit before.
Chapter 8: What are the future implications of the events discussed in this episode?
Obviously, the president has a hyperbolic way of speaking. But then you look at what happened Friday and you understand what Trump warned about. These were significant strikes. The U.S. military, with some help from Jordan, hit 70 plus ISIS targets across Syria. An early report from a Syria monitoring group said that at least five ISIS terrorists were killed.
That number could climb, but even if that's all, the destruction of ISIS infrastructure was extensive. That includes munitions, supplies, hideouts. And as a reminder, this was because a gunman killed two US service members and one American civilian translator last week. So was it proportional? Probably not.
But the underlying message from the administration is that proportionality isn't the point. Rather, the point is that anyone who wants to attack an American should be prepared to suffer drastic consequences. Despite the scope of the retaliation, War Secretary Pete Hegseth tamped down fears that this could lead to a wider conflict. Hegseth said on X, quote, This is not the beginning of a war.
It is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trump's leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people. Now, Syria's president and President Trump had been attempting to normalize relations. He had just visited the president at the White House. What does this attack mean for that relationship?
Yeah, Trump made it a point on Truth Social on Friday that Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara is still OK with the White House. Trump said, quote, the government of Syria, led by a man who is working very hard to bring greatness back to Syria, is fully in support.
The Syrian government released its own statement on Saturday that reaffirmed the government's support for stamping out ISIS and that it invites the United States to support these efforts in a manner that contributes to the protection of civilians and the restoration of security and stability in the region. But there are also a lot of complications in this region that are worth noting, such as
al-Sharra's background is riddled with its own connections to terrorism. And it's the same case with its government. The man who killed the Americans and set off this retaliation from the United States was apparently a member of Syrian security forces, though Syrian officials have said that that man was under scrutiny and was probably soon to be fired because of his extremist views.
Now, as we mentioned at the top, the U.S. military continues to carry out operations against Venezuela, which itself has a connection to terrorism. What's the latest on that front? Yeah, we've had another tanker seized, and this is the president continues to ramp up his pressure campaign. Here's Daily Wire reporter Jenny Ter with the latest on that.
It's part of the president's new blockade to stop the sanctioned vessels from going in and out of Venezuela and concealing their whereabouts in order to circumvent legal restrictions. The vessel, known as Bella 1, was sanctioned by the U.S. for allegedly moving cargo to line the pockets of U.S.-designated terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Iran's IRGC.
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