1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,439 Speaker 1: What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the 2 00:00:03,439 --> 00:00:07,960 Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we have two articles that 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:10,279 we're going to get to. Both are follow ups to 4 00:00:10,519 --> 00:00:13,800 stories we've been talking about, and the first one has 5 00:00:13,839 --> 00:00:16,160 to do with Howard Lutnick and how a picture of 6 00:00:16,199 --> 00:00:21,039 him on Jeffrey Epstein's Island magically disappeared from the database 7 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:26,079 before being restored after being called out. And the second 8 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,399 article that we're going to dive into is a follow 9 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,079 up to the article about Jeffrey Epstein being under investigation 10 00:00:32,679 --> 00:00:36,359 in a dea probe. So let's start out with the 11 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:41,560 article dealing with Howard Lutnick. This article was published by 12 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,159 CBS News and the headline photo of Lutnik on Epstein's 13 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:50,719 Island removed from Justice Department files, now restored. This article 14 00:00:50,759 --> 00:00:56,320 was authored by Daniel Rutnik, Ferristanos, Elliott Ramos, Matt Clark, 15 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:03,759 Matty Cornfield, and Emma Lee. A photo released last month 16 00:01:03,759 --> 00:01:06,480 by the Justice Department as part of the Epstein Files 17 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:10,760 that showed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick with convicted sex offender 18 00:01:10,879 --> 00:01:15,000 Jeffrey Epstein on Epstein's Island in the Caribbean was removed 19 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:19,439 from the Justice Department's website before being restored on Thursday night. 20 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:24,959 The photo, which has been authenticated by CBS News, shows Epstein, Lutnick, 21 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:28,760 and three other men standing over an oceanside cliff. One 22 00:01:28,799 --> 00:01:31,159 of the men looks like Brett Ratner, you know, the 23 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,000 guy that just got done doing the Milania movie. I know, 24 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:40,239 I know, just another coincidence. The Internet archives Wayback Machine, 25 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:44,400 a nonprofit that preserves digital online content, downloaded the photo 26 00:01:44,439 --> 00:01:48,200 from the DJ's website on January thirty first. It was 27 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,719 also archived by j mel, a web interface that was 28 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:56,840 created to archive Epstein's content. The photo was released under 29 00:01:56,879 --> 00:02:01,319 file number EFTA zero one two three zero six thirty 30 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,680 nine on the DJ's website. At some point it was 31 00:02:04,719 --> 00:02:08,479 removed and the link pointed to a page not found. However, 32 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:12,159 within hours of publishing the story, it was restored on 33 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:16,360 Thursday night. You know what else happened yesterday? The whole 34 00:02:16,479 --> 00:02:20,520 entire search feature was down for the files. Now. I'm 35 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,560 sure they were doing maintenance or something like that, but 36 00:02:24,039 --> 00:02:27,159 there was no explanation, no banner or anything like that. 37 00:02:28,199 --> 00:02:30,680 You just couldn't search for anything. So was the search 38 00:02:30,719 --> 00:02:34,159 feature down so they could go in there and correct 39 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,240 the situation and add the picture back. I don't know. 40 00:02:38,319 --> 00:02:43,560 Maybe again, I don't put anything past this DOJ negligence 41 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,719 or otherwise. CBS News has reached out to the Commerce 42 00:02:47,759 --> 00:02:51,000 Department and the DOJ for comment. Oh, I'm sure they're 43 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,159 going to be very revealing. I'm sure they want to 44 00:02:53,159 --> 00:02:57,240 explain everything. Emails that were in the millions of newly 45 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:01,879 released Epstein files showed that in twelve, Lutnick, his wife, 46 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,319 and their four children planned to visit to Little Saint James, 47 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,680 a private island where Epstein had an estate. And look, 48 00:03:09,719 --> 00:03:12,400 I'm not saying that Lutnik was hurting anybody there. I'm 49 00:03:12,439 --> 00:03:14,800 not saying he was engaging in any kind of abuse. 50 00:03:15,319 --> 00:03:17,919 What I am saying is he lied, and as a 51 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:22,800 member of the president's cabinet, that's unacceptable to me, and 52 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,840 there needs to be consequences. Why did he lie? Why 53 00:03:25,879 --> 00:03:27,960 not just tell the truth? Yeah, I was on the island, 54 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:29,840 this is what I was doing, this is why I 55 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:31,919 was there. It was a big mistake. I should have 56 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,400 never done it. But instead they all double down, Right, 57 00:03:35,599 --> 00:03:38,919 they just keep lying and lying and lying and making 58 00:03:38,919 --> 00:03:43,080 things worse for themselves. And boy, Howard Lutnick has certainly 59 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:49,319 stepped in it. Lutnik, testifying before a congressional committee earlier 60 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:53,159 this month, acknowledged visiting there with his family. I mean 61 00:03:53,199 --> 00:03:55,319 we had lunch on the island. That's true, for an hour, 62 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,639 Lutnik told lawmakers. It's always lunch for an hour. Who 63 00:03:58,719 --> 00:04:02,599 goes to an island that lunch for an hour? Who 64 00:04:02,599 --> 00:04:05,039 goes anywhere to eat lunch for an hour unless you're working. 65 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:09,800 But if you're going out to lunch with your buddies 66 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,560 on the weekend or your girl, whatever, you're going for 67 00:04:12,599 --> 00:04:17,839 an hour, where are you going? Because I'd love to know, Well, 68 00:04:17,879 --> 00:04:19,600 my chick makes me go out to eat. Forget it. 69 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:22,759 We're on an adventure. I'm talking two three hours that 70 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:26,319 ends up at VIORI. You know what I'm saying. It's 71 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:29,199 never an hour. So he's there with his wife and 72 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:31,920 his kids, and only an hour. Oh, let's get off 73 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:34,839 our great yacht hop on this island and spend one 74 00:04:34,879 --> 00:04:37,079 hour here. I don't buy it. I'm sorry, I don't 75 00:04:37,079 --> 00:04:40,519 buy it. In fact, I don't believe anything, Howard Lutnik says. 76 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,360 Then we left with all of my children, with my 77 00:04:43,439 --> 00:04:46,800 nannies and my wife. Altogether, we were on family vacation. 78 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:49,879 We were not a part to suggest that there was 79 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:53,560 anything untoward about that twenty twelve. I don't recall why 80 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,160 we did it, but we did. Well, there's a problem 81 00:04:57,439 --> 00:05:00,680 in the picture that we have here. No Nanni's no wives, 82 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:03,720 maybe his kids, maybe you know, his son or whatever. 83 00:05:05,079 --> 00:05:07,879 But there's other dudes in the picture, no women whatsoever 84 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:11,600 as far as nannies or wives anybody he's talking about. Now, 85 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,680 could they have been there, of course, But the problem 86 00:05:14,759 --> 00:05:18,160 is Lutnik's a liar and now nobody's gonna believe him 87 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:22,160 about anything he says. But for whatever reason, Donald Trump 88 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:26,319 refuses to get rid of Howard Lutnick. And isn't it 89 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:29,560 odd every time you turn around that Howard Lutnick is 90 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:35,920 hanging over Donald Trump's shoulder. What's up with that? Lutnick 91 00:05:35,959 --> 00:05:39,079 has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, 92 00:05:39,519 --> 00:05:41,839 and in the hearing he said he had nothing to hide, 93 00:05:41,959 --> 00:05:45,600 absolutely nothing. Well, then why did you lie? Why did 94 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:47,839 you lie about the relationship? And that's one of my 95 00:05:47,879 --> 00:05:51,959 biggest problems with all these people. So when people say, oh, 96 00:05:51,959 --> 00:05:56,199 their reputation is being ruined, they're being dragged through the mud. Well, 97 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,279 The problem is they've never come forward and explained their 98 00:05:59,319 --> 00:06:03,439 relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, so now that they're being forced 99 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:06,680 to do so, they look even worse. And even when 100 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:09,399 he's being forced to do so, Lutnik is still trying 101 00:06:09,399 --> 00:06:13,360 to play games. Well, the days of playing games are over, buddy, 102 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:15,279 you want to go play touch ass in the park 103 00:06:15,399 --> 00:06:18,959 called Donald Trump. We're done. It's time for you to 104 00:06:18,959 --> 00:06:22,879 answer some questions. Pal. In recent weeks, though, Lutnick has 105 00:06:22,879 --> 00:06:25,839 faced criticism for his ties to Epstein, who was his 106 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:29,439 neighbor in New York City. Lutnick had previously claimed to 107 00:06:29,519 --> 00:06:32,480 have cut off contact with Epstein in two thousand and five. 108 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,199 All just a big ass lie, and he thinks you're stupid. 109 00:06:36,199 --> 00:06:39,759 By the way, I'll just say whatever, and nobody's gonna 110 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:43,600 question me, nobody's gonna ask any real questions. Is that 111 00:06:43,639 --> 00:06:46,560 what he really thought, like he was just going to 112 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:48,720 be able to lie about all of this and never 113 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:52,519 get called out, especially something that's this easily verifiable, Right, 114 00:06:53,319 --> 00:06:58,360 We're not talking about something that's hard to find. Howard 115 00:06:58,399 --> 00:07:00,720 Lutnik was on the island. He was friends with Epstein, 116 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:03,279 a lot friendlier than he said. And now we have 117 00:07:03,319 --> 00:07:06,639 the receipts that prove he's been lying. Pretty simple, cut 118 00:07:06,639 --> 00:07:09,439 and drive for me. He has to go. Either he 119 00:07:09,519 --> 00:07:13,439 resigns or he gets fired, one or the other. But 120 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:15,680 that would only happen if we had a competent government, 121 00:07:15,879 --> 00:07:23,759 but unfortunately we're saddled with the Epstein administration. However, documents 122 00:07:23,759 --> 00:07:27,680 in the Epstein files showed the two we're in business 123 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,680 together as recently as twenty fourteen, over their shared dealings 124 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:36,279 in a now shuttered advertising company called Adfin. The Epstein 125 00:07:36,319 --> 00:07:40,000 files showed that the two communicated about Adfinn as late 126 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,839 as twenty eighteen, with Epstein writing to Lutnik on another note, 127 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:48,319 what do you think the prospects for adfin are? Also 128 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:52,759 in twenty eighteen, Lutnik emailed Epstein to apparently complain about 129 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:55,879 an expansion plan for the Frick Collection art museum near 130 00:07:55,920 --> 00:08:00,240 their homes. Lutnik warned Epstein that the renovation might block 131 00:08:00,279 --> 00:08:04,079 your sunlight and your views. While considering Epstein was a 132 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,959 fucking vampire, probably not the worst thing that ever happened 133 00:08:06,959 --> 00:08:11,160 to him. The least amount of sunlight the better for 134 00:08:11,199 --> 00:08:15,879 people like Howard Lutnik and Jeffrey Epstein. You should put 135 00:08:15,879 --> 00:08:18,399 it in a letter I'm sending a lawyer. Don't ignore this, 136 00:08:18,519 --> 00:08:22,720 Lutnick wrote. Epstein died in jail in twenty nineteen after 137 00:08:22,759 --> 00:08:26,920 his arrest on federal charges of sex trafficking. His death 138 00:08:27,639 --> 00:08:32,039 was ruled to suicide. All right, So Howard Lutnik not 139 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:35,639 exactly telling us the truth, and in my opinion, should 140 00:08:35,639 --> 00:08:38,519 either be forced to resign or he should be fired. 141 00:08:38,799 --> 00:08:42,879 The dude's in absolute embarrassment. All right. Moving on to 142 00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:47,039 the second article, and this article is also from CBS 143 00:08:47,039 --> 00:08:52,240 News headline Senator calls for DEA to provide info on 144 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:57,440 incredibly disturbing Epstein drug investigation. This article was authored by 145 00:08:57,559 --> 00:09:03,399 Daniel Rutnik and Kara to Botchnik. A leading Senate Democrat 146 00:09:03,759 --> 00:09:07,720 is calling on US Drug Enforcement Administration to provide information 147 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,559 on a long running and long secret investigation into possible 148 00:09:11,639 --> 00:09:17,080 drug trafficking and suspicious financial transactions involving Jeffrey Epstein and 149 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:21,879 fourteen alleged co conspirators. Now this is a big one 150 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:24,120 because a lot of people don't even realize the kind 151 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:27,559 of money laundering Epstein was up to. And I've even 152 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:29,600 heard some rumors that he had money on the street, 153 00:09:30,759 --> 00:09:34,440 you know, acting as a shylock loan shark. I've heard 154 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:36,480 those rumors. I don't know if they're true, but I've 155 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:41,480 heard them. And we know he had ties to organized crime, Italian, Jewish, 156 00:09:42,159 --> 00:09:45,519 Russian and probably others. And we all know that Epstein 157 00:09:45,639 --> 00:09:47,879 was not leaving anything on the table as far as money. 158 00:09:49,039 --> 00:09:50,440 So if you don't think that he had money on 159 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:54,600 the street through you know, associates, I think you're crazy 160 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:57,200 because I think he did. And I think the more 161 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:00,320 we find out about this Dea investigation, the or we're 162 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:03,360 gonna find out about that other aspect of Epstein's life. 163 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:06,679 When you have his kind of money, his kind of contacts, 164 00:10:06,799 --> 00:10:09,440 and you were involved in you know, arm smuggling and shit, 165 00:10:09,919 --> 00:10:13,240 you're gonna meet people, bro, and then later on down 166 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:16,480 the road you might find out that those people are 167 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:19,360 just another way to make more money. And if he 168 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:24,559 had mafia associates, people in organized crime, he could easily 169 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:26,720 pony up some money and not have to do shit 170 00:10:26,759 --> 00:10:29,559 but kick back and collect a big each week. He 171 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:32,519 gets a cut, they get a cut, everybody's happy. In 172 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:35,360 addition to sex trafficking, it appears that Epstein and his 173 00:10:35,399 --> 00:10:40,519 associates were under investigation by the DEA for other major crimes, 174 00:10:40,519 --> 00:10:44,519 including illicit drug trafficking and money laundering. Senator Ron Wyden 175 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:48,200 of Oregon, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, 176 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,600 says in a letter to DEA Administrator Terence C. Cole, 177 00:10:52,519 --> 00:10:56,840 the DEA memo more Sensitive but Unclassified, was among more 178 00:10:56,879 --> 00:11:00,240 than three million pages of documents recently released by the 179 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:04,759 Justice Department. The memo, from twenty fifteen refers to a 180 00:11:04,799 --> 00:11:09,879 DEA organized crime Drug Enforcement Task Force probe nicknamed Chain Reaction. 181 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:13,360 It noted that the case was opened in twenty ten 182 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:17,600 in New York and was judicial pending, indicating that the 183 00:11:17,639 --> 00:11:20,879 investigation remained active at the time the memo was drafted 184 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:25,200 five years later. The co conspirators, it said, were being 185 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:29,320 investigated for illegitimate wire transfers, which are tied to illicit 186 00:11:29,399 --> 00:11:33,399 drug and or prostitution activities occurring in the US Virgin 187 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,559 Islands and New York City. Well, hold on a minute here, 188 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:39,159 I thought that Jeffrey Epstein was just a loan predator 189 00:11:39,799 --> 00:11:43,120 who was just preying on people and trafficking girls to himself. 190 00:11:44,399 --> 00:11:48,519 Isn't that what we're being told? That's weird. Seems like 191 00:11:48,559 --> 00:11:51,759 the government used to have a different opinion. I wonder 192 00:11:51,799 --> 00:11:57,159 what's changed. The fact that Epstein was under investigation by 193 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:02,039 the dojs OCDETF Task Force suggests that there was ample 194 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,879 evidence indicating that Epstein was engaged in heavy drug trafficking 195 00:12:06,039 --> 00:12:10,399 and prostitution as part of cross border criminal conspiracy. Widen writes, 196 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:14,679 this is incredibly disturbing and it raises questions as to 197 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:18,879 how this investigation by the DEA was handled. Did anyone 198 00:12:18,879 --> 00:12:22,159 go to prison? Did Epstein ever get brought in and 199 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:26,399 talk to I wonder why not? Other than Epstein? The 200 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:29,279 names of those targeted in the investigation are blacked out 201 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,320 in the version released by the Justice Department. Many details 202 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:37,559 about the investigation are also redacted, and they shouldn't be. 203 00:12:39,039 --> 00:12:42,039 But we don't have a right to know, I guess not. 204 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:47,679 Widen expresses concern that the excessive redactions go well beyond 205 00:12:47,679 --> 00:12:51,519 the intent of the Epstein File Transparency Act, which allows 206 00:12:51,519 --> 00:12:54,919 for redactions to protect the identity of victims, not members 207 00:12:55,240 --> 00:13:00,440 of a criminal sex trafficking organization. Well that's pretty interesting too, 208 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,759 isn't it. Why would they be protecting these people? Why 209 00:13:03,799 --> 00:13:07,639 not just doubt everybody? Why do you continue to cover 210 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:12,360 this up? He also questions why no charges were brought 211 00:13:12,519 --> 00:13:18,200 against Epstein or the others for drug trafficking or financial crimes, 212 00:13:18,279 --> 00:13:22,120 and whether DEA and DOJ during the first Trump administration 213 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:27,759 moved to terminate this investigation in order to protect pedophiles. Yikes, 214 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:31,200 And that's coming from a senator, and I think it's damning. 215 00:13:31,799 --> 00:13:35,879 It's really telling that that's where we are as a society. 216 00:13:37,039 --> 00:13:39,679 We have to ask if the administration was killing an 217 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:44,799 investigation to protect fucking pedophiles. It's unbelievable that we even 218 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:48,360 have to have the conversation. The DEA did not respond 219 00:13:48,399 --> 00:13:52,320 to CBS News requests for comment. Wyden's letter asked the 220 00:13:52,399 --> 00:13:55,480 DEA to turn over a full, unredacted copy of the 221 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:59,840 memo by March thirteenth for his committee's investigation. He also 222 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,840 ask the agency to provide more information about why Epstein 223 00:14:04,039 --> 00:14:07,879 and the fourteen others that were under investigation when the 224 00:14:07,919 --> 00:14:11,279 case concluded, and why no federal drug trafficking or money 225 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:16,480 laundering charges wherever filed against them. And that's just basic oversight, right, 226 00:14:17,919 --> 00:14:19,679 But you know the dj is going to push back, 227 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:22,120 you know the DEA is going to push back, Oh, 228 00:14:22,159 --> 00:14:25,399 this is classified information. You can't have that it'll be 229 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,039 the same old song and dance. Meanwhile, all of us 230 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:30,159 know that we're being lied to. We all know that 231 00:14:30,159 --> 00:14:34,720 Epstein was a lot more than just some random pervert, 232 00:14:35,039 --> 00:14:39,279 and we also know that what we're seeing here is 233 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:44,919 nothing more than a gigantic cover up. All the information 234 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,159 that goes with this episode can be found in the 235 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:49,080 description box.