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The MeidasTouch Podcast

Trump’s Dark Past Surfaces at Worst Possible Time

24 Jan 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What dark aspects of Donald Trump's past are resurfacing?

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0.537 - 30.072 Ben Meiselas

donald trump's depraved dark past is surfacing and donald trump is freaking out and trying to cover up so donald trump goes to his old playbook who does he bring in bill barr his former attorney general who covered up the mueller report and put out all of those lies to preempt the muller report bill barr who found out about egregious behavior of donald trump in italy and then covered that up and squashed

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30.052 - 45.968 Ben Meiselas

The investigations arising out of the Mueller report. Yep. Bill Barr penned an op ed in the Wall Street Journal defending Donald Trump and the DOJ. Donald Trump going right into his old playbook. I'll talk about that.

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45.948 - 67.939 Ben Meiselas

in a moment but part of that playbook again the utter deceit and treachery and double speak of the authoritarian while donald trump and his doj are clearly covering up right now a child sex trafficking ring folks these are pedo protectors donald trump and the entire maga gop

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67.919 - 97.072 Ben Meiselas

you know what donald trump did at the end of this week and what he posted he posted that he signed into law a trafficking survivor's relief act while he's covering up a child sex trafficking ring notably he did not hold a press conference for the signing of this law which he's done uh every other uh major law that he signed and this is a major one But notice there was no press around this one.

97.332 - 115.375 Ben Meiselas

It was a bipartisan bill, the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act that he signed. But he did post it on social media. He goes from the White House account. President Trump has signed the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act to help victims of human trafficking reclaim their lives.

115.473 - 141.075 Ben Meiselas

This law allows victims to file motions to vacate their convictions and expunge their arrest records for certain criminal offenses. I think we all view that law as something positive, but the fact that Donald Trump is using it to say, look, I'm Stan with the victims of sex trafficking while he's covering up a child sex trafficking ring is utterly despicable in my mind.

141.055 - 164.177 Ben Meiselas

Also, you have California Governor Gavin Newsom as Donald Trump was attacking him, posting this AI image of Donald Trump signing that 50th birthday letter that Donald Trump signed for Jeffrey Epstein back in 2003 that the Wall Street Journal reported on. But talking about the Wall Street Journal, just still owned by Rupert Murdoch, you have Bill Barr, Donald Trump's former attorney general,

164.157 - 185.754 Ben Meiselas

wrote the following op-ed to help Donald Trump cover up his dark past. This is what Bill Barr just published on Friday. Why Pam Bondi didn't publish all the Epstein files in 30 days? The answer is simple. It was not possible. Let me read for you what Bill Barr says, and then let me very quickly debunk it for you.

Chapter 2: How is Bill Barr involved in Trump's current legal strategy?

231.914 - 252.842 Ben Meiselas

Anyway, Bill Barr goes on to say, the statute directed Attorney General to release publicly an electronic form with certain redactions, all unclassified materials related to the Jeffrey Epstein case within 30 days. This has required review of more than 5 million pages of material. In linear feet, more than three times the height of the Washington Monument. Ms.

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252.902 - 280.708 Ben Meiselas

Bondi and her team at the Justice Department have done a commendable job. Contrary to the fulmination of critics, they have faithfully implemented the laws as expeditiously as possible, given the Herculean effort involved. They've released 1%. they could be releasing documents on what's called a rolling basis in batches of 50,000 or 100,000 as they review 50, make the redactions, make it public.

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281.008 - 303.093 Ben Meiselas

They're not doing that. Also, we know that Pam Bondi and Kash Patel tipped Donald Trump off to the fact that his name appeared in it multiple times in very bad ways back in May. Also, Pam Bondi said that They were reviewing this back in February and it was on her desk. And they have 1000 lawyers reviewing this from March to May of 2025.

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304.074 - 323.511 Ben Meiselas

And they claim they have 500 lawyers who have been reviewing it recently. So they have 1500 to 2000 lawyers and FBI agents going through one case of five million documents. Don't try to deceive people, Bill Barr. When I was a litigator and I want you to see people for your whole life, Bill Barr, you're despicable.

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323.491 - 346.697 Ben Meiselas

But when I was a litigator and I handled cases that had five, seven terabytes, which is more than the linear size that you just listed with the with the less electronic discovery software back then, less technologically significant software back then, it took me and a team of five associates about 60 to 75 days

346.677 - 372.786 Ben Meiselas

to go through all of the files of five to seven terabytes and you may go well the epstein law was 30 days the issue about the epstein transparency act was that bondi said she had it on her desk in february then march then april then may then june then july then august then september then october then november then december they basically had a full year to go about the spellbar so stop acting like this was just 30 days

372.766 - 387.365 Ben Meiselas

OK, and there were previous document reviews done by SDNY and by the Southern District of Florida. It wasn't like this DOJ had to review it for the first time. Oh, wait. They fired everybody who was involved in the Epstein case as part of their cover up.

387.425 - 407.391 Ben Meiselas

So they had nobody working at the DOJ who even knew the files because Trump wanted to fire Maureen Comey, James Comey's daughter, who was the lead prosecutor against Epstein. and Ghislaine, but I digress. It goes on to say, this has required review of more than 5 million pages, taller than the Washington Monument. So what? Stop acting like that.

407.411 - 426.599 Ben Meiselas

That's not a lot of documents in the legal world for people who handle big document productions. Ms. Bondi and her team at the Justice Department have done a commendable job in releasing the first installment of documents in December Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch noted that the practical demands of the review process made it impossible to release all materials within 30 days.

Chapter 3: What is the significance of the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act?

446.33 - 466.611 Ben Meiselas

There hasn't been any documents released over the past three weeks. More lies, more lies. And then Bill Barr's like, but that wasn't good enough for the critics. Some of whom are claiming that Ms. Bondi has flouted the law. Anyone familiar with the realities of document production of this magnitude would understand the 30-day deadline was patently unreasonable.

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466.591 - 487.613 Ben Meiselas

The upfront work needed to prepare the staggering volume of material for review, collecting everything responsive, uploading it onto the required platform, and promulgating protocols could easily consume most of the 30 days by itself. Sure, Bill. But you're missing the main point. Bondi said she had all of it on her desk in February.

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487.993 - 508.825 Ben Meiselas

Then they said this review, this process was happening March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November. The reason the law had to be passed was because they had to force the production that the DOJ had already done and said that they completed. That's the thing about this Trump regime and how deceitful that they are, because they They try to play people like they're stupid.

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509.126 - 521.32 Ben Meiselas

And corporate news isn't gonna cover it the way that I just did. And it's important that we push back and why I give you the details that I did. But notice that Donald Trump calls in his hatchet man, Bill Barr, to do that dirty work.

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521.3 - 541.704 Ben Meiselas

Let me just talk to you about what went down this past week, though, where the MAGA Republicans is also as part of their cover up scheme as Donald Trump's dark past gets out there is they focus on Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, hold Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in contempt. Chairman Comer blasts the Clintons unreasonable demands to evade contempt.

542.104 - 555.627 Ben Meiselas

They believe their last name entitles them to special treatment. No, release the freaking files. And then we can see who the hierarchy of people who should be deposed. You want to know who's top on the hierarchy before the Clintons in my view?

555.607 - 575.556 Ben Meiselas

Ghislaine Maxwell, who now apparently was willing to speak with Todd Blanch, Donald Trump's former criminal defense attorney turned number two at the Department of Justice. But now she's not going to come in for a deposition or she's going to invoke the Fifth Amendment when she will slide through her teeth to Todd Blanch now that she has to come under oath. And by the way,

575.536 - 579.445 Ben Meiselas

If you want to take a deposition of Clinton, then take the deposition of Donald Trump.

Chapter 4: Why is Trump accused of covering up a child sex trafficking ring?

579.465 - 599.496 Ben Meiselas

Trump's relationship with Epstein was far more extensive than Clinton. But, oh, you just focus on Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. Why? Because you're partisan hacks. That's why. And you don't care about the truth. All you care about is using the Oversight Committee. Homer and your ilk to cover up Donald Trump's wrongdoing and his horrible, horrible behavior.

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599.516 - 613.214 Ben Meiselas

By the way, Donald Trump's been found civilly liable of sexual abuse. Donald Trump is on audio bragging that he grabs women by their vaginas without their consent because he's rich and you get away with it. He's on tape bragging about sexually assaulting women.

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613.234 - 635.462 Ben Meiselas

He's on tape bragging about how he looks at the girls naked during beauty pageants because he inspected them naked and that's what you do when you're the inspector of the beauty pageant. sick, sick depraved stuff. Oh, and then he goes, oh, that wasn't my signature on the letter to Epstein. I never wrote that. Just a time traveler wrote the letter and planted it in the Epstein files.

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635.948 - 648.41 Ben Meiselas

We have all those emails with Epstein and Ghislaine before Donald Trump was ever in office or running for office, talking about all of Donald Trump's horrific conduct in real time with them. We know all of this stuff.

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648.73 - 661.711 Unknown

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662.052 - 681.48 Unknown

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681.46 - 701.952 Unknown

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702.312 - 723.706 Unknown

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723.726 - 748.727 Unknown

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Chapter 5: What claims does Bill Barr make in his recent op-ed?

909.392 - 937.276 Unknown

Emails from Epstein saying that Trump, quote, knew about the girls. Donald Trump acknowledging he knew Epstein was a, quote, creep and that Epstein recruited girls and women from Mar-a-Lago. Trump saying he wants to cover up the files because, quote, my friends will get hurt. If we're committed to transparency and justice, why is that off limits for this committee? Why is his name absent?

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937.917 - 961.47 Unknown

Why no discussion of Attorney General Bondi's refusal to comply for months with this committee's subpoena? Why no contempt for Attorney General Bondi? What we're witnessing today is not oversight. It's not accountability. It's part of a cover-up, a diversion. And it didn't start today.

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Despite clear legal requirements in a law that Donald Trump signed, a subpoena that you signed, Mr. Chairman, and repeated public promises, Attorney General Bondi has failed to release the files. It's entirely within her control. And yet only 1% has been produced. More than a month late. And even that sliver is so heavily redacted that it mocks the law. It mocks the law.

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990.56 - 1026.658 Unknown

and it mocks this committee's subpoena. Let's be honest about the transparency that Attorney General Bondi has provided. This is DOJ Epstein data set number four. It's number four. Data set number four. This is part of the 1% that folks have been talking about this today. I'll close with this. Attorney General Bondi and the Trump administration missed their deadline.

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1026.678 - 1046.916 Unknown

They're ignoring our subpoena. They've withheld 99% of the files and they have obscured the little that they did release. It's not a coincidence. It's intentional. It's about protecting one man, Donald J. Trump, from accountability. Release the files.

Chapter 6: How are the Epstein files being handled by the DOJ?

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I yield back.

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1049.299 - 1053.766 Ben Meiselas

And here's what Democratic Congress member Ted Lieu from California had to say. Play this clip.

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Responsible for helping to ensure the rule of law. Unfortunately, the chairman of this committee ignored a bipartisan congressional subpoena directed at him. His actions have made it harder for this committee and other congressional committees to get witnesses and testimony and damage the rule of law. Now, before I ask questions of Mr. Smith, I just want to make a simple observation.

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How scared are Republicans of talking about the Epstein files? They're so scared that they literally are calling Jack Smith, the distinguished federal prosecutor who secured multiple indictments against Donald Trump with multiple felony counts.

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Republicans would rather talk about the criminality of Donald Trump in trying to steal an election and trying to stop the peaceful transfer of power and the criminality of Donald Trump in stealing classified documents obstructing justice than about Donald Trump's associations with Jeffrey Epstein and his pedophilia ring.

1116.158 - 1130.31 Unknown

I demand this committee, this chairman, and Republicans to call an immediate hearing asking why the Department of Justice is refusing to release 99% of the Epstein files and why the DOJ is violating the law right now.

1131.833 - 1147.951 Ben Meiselas

And then Donald Trump sends his right-wing sycophants like Scott Jennings this week to do CNN and to try to spread these lies. Hat tip to Lee McGowan, who's on the Midas Touch Network. I think she was channeling all of us right here. Let's play this clip.

1148.271 - 1176.187 Unknown

They should follow the law, but let's not get our knickers in a twist here. Yeah, let's not get our knickers in a twist over child rape. Why are you talking like that? It's insane. Like, it's insane. The Epstein Files is a multinational, multigenerational child and woman sex trafficking ring. So your attitude right now, you're sort of like... Well, shucks, devil be gone, is just horrifying to me.

1176.648 - 1187.023 Unknown

Every woman in the world that is watching this, why are you acting like you have no idea what's happening here? Scott, this is... He asked me a question about following the law. Yes, and what I'm saying to you is your attitude. Yes, and they're not following the law.

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