GOP Leaders Lose It On Air as Trump’s Plan Backfires

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The MeidasTouch Podcast 26 min 9 speakers 8 chapters transcribed 3 days ago
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Why did GOP leaders scramble on live TV over Trump’s Epstein cover‑up?

Ben Meiselas 0:00
Well, that backfired in their faces. MAGA Republican leaders went on the various weekend shows to try to help Donald Trump with his cover-up of the Epstein files, but each MAGA Republican leader looked more pathetic than the next. Bring in MAGA Republican Congress member Eric Burleson, who claims he never even knew about the Wall Street Journal article about Donald Trump sending Epstein a birthday card for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003, where Donald Trump says, our enigmas will never age and our beautiful secrets will always remain, like the height of Epstein sex trafficking. I'm sure you never heard about that, Burleson. Here, play this
Manu Raju 0:35
clip. And Congressman, your committee, the Oversight Committee, now is planning to issue a subpoena for these files. And also two Democrats on your committee, Robert Garcia and Ro Khanna, now want the Epstein estate to turn over the birthday book from his 50th birthday, where Trump and dozens of others were listed as contributors. Would you like to see that book, the birthday book, in the name of transparency?
Unknown 0:59
I haven't heard about the birthday book. I don't know if that has any kind of bearing as evidence on who was being arranged to have sexual encounters with girls. That's what I'm actually concerned with. Instead of finding out who he went to a party with or a birthday party with, I care more about who actually went to the island and who was arranged to sleep with a minor.
Ben Meiselas 1:27
Then you have MAGA Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen on CNN with Jake Tapper, and Mullen tries to claim that it was Obama's prosecutors that entered into the sweetheart deal with Epstein back in 2009 and gave Epstein the non-prosecution agreement. It was Obama's fault, the MAGA Republicans were saying on live TV. No, it was a George W. Bush prosecutor named Alex Acosta, who was the federal prosecutor from the Southern District of Florida, who entered into the non-prosecution agreement with Jeffrey Epstein. The attorney general also, during the relevant time period where the cover-up was Pam Bondi, in Florida. And it should also be noted that Alex Acosta was Donald Trump's former labor secretary during Donald Trump's first term.
Ben Meiselas 2:11
To Jake Tapper's credit, he called Mark Wayne Mullen out and said, you're just lying. It was absolutely not an Obama prosecutor. It was a Republican prosecutor, Alex Acosta, who then worked for Donald Trump. Here, play this clip.
Jake Tapper 2:24
And that's why Attorney General Bondi was saying- If the case is sealed- Well, then tell me why for months she was saying that she's going to release the information tomorrow.
Mark Wayne Mullen 2:33
We made the assumption that the judges would release the order and allow the evidence that they had that it could be heard. But it's all been sealed. And so if it's been a sealed case, we can't release it until the judges allow us to release it. And you would think common sense would play. That's why they asked for transparency. We want transparency. We want the judges to have transparency in this, too. But remember, there was a plea deal that was struck in 2009, way before Trump. I was in office way before Trump was even considering to be in office, way before Pam Bonney was in office, way before Kash Patel was director. 2009, there was a sweetheart plea deal that was made underneath the Obama administration with Epstein.
Mark Wayne Mullen 3:12
That's not right. And that sweetheart has not been exposed. No, it was 2000. It was
Jake Tapper 3:15
not?
Mark Wayne Mullen 3:16
No, it was
Jake Tapper 3:16
heard. It was 2008. It was the U.S. attorney at the time was a guy named Alex Acosta. He was a Bush appointee.

What did Congressman Eric Burleson say about the alleged Epstein birthday card?

Jake Tapper 3:25
He went on to become President Trump's secretary of labor. It all took place in 2008.
Mark Wayne Mullen 3:31
Who was in office at the time?
Jake Tapper 3:32
2008, George W. Bush.
Mark Wayne Mullen 3:34
Who was in
Jake Tapper 3:34
office at the time? George W. Bush.
Mark Wayne Mullen 3:36
No, 2009 is when the case came out and Obama was in office at the time.
Jake Tapper 3:41
It's not true. But let me ask you a question.
Ben Meiselas 3:43
I mean, how utterly pathetic was that for Mark Wayne Mullen? And give Jake Tapper credit there for calling it out. Then you had Mark Wayne Mullen, though, just to see how he kind of digs further and further. Mark Wayne Mullen then says the real issue here is that Pam Bondi can't release any of the files in the DOJ and FBI's possession because they were provided to a grand jury and thus they are subject to grand jury secrecy.

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