Speaker 1: What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the
Speaker 1: Epstein Chronicles. In our last episode, we were talking about
Speaker 1: Jeffrey Epstein and the Truth Commission's report that was released
Speaker 1: in New Mexico, and considering it's a relatively slow day
Speaker 1: when it comes to Epstein news, so that gives us
Speaker 1: a little bit of time to dive into this. So
Speaker 1: let's just get started. Summary. Who was Jeffrey Epstein? Few,
Speaker 1: if any, people have been the subject of more investigations,
Speaker 1: both public and private, lawsuits and journalistic and public scrutiny
Speaker 1: than Jeffrey Edward Epstein. What did he do, who helped
Speaker 1: him and covered for him? And how did he get
Speaker 1: away with the sexual abuse of countless women and girls
Speaker 1: for over four decades. Epstein began his career as a
Speaker 1: teacher at the Dalton School in New York City, but
Speaker 1: transitioned into finance in the mid nineteen eighties by joining
Speaker 1: bear Stearns, an investment bank. His role there, in particular
Speaker 1: in the arbitrage department, allowed him to build connections with
Speaker 1: influential figures on Wall Street, which would later prove crucial
Speaker 1: for his financial success. Epstein amassed his wealth primarily through
Speaker 1: financial advisory services to billionaires, lucrative investments, and ownership of
Speaker 1: valuable properties with significant contributions from Keith clions like Les
Speaker 1: Wexner and Leon Black. Epstein used his wealth and connections
Speaker 1: to carefully craft a means to maintain his own privacy
Speaker 1: and secrecy. He also used his vast wealth to create
Speaker 1: access to the rich and powerful and to manipulate the
Speaker 1: poor and vulnerable. He constructed secret retreats supported by an
Speaker 1: organizational machine, where he could conceal his criminal behavior. Over
Speaker 1: many years, Epstein built a vast social network. He filled
Speaker 1: his Black Book with presidents and prime ministers, princes and princesses,
Speaker 1: cabinet secretaries, heads of finance and industry, media barons, nobel laureates,
Speaker 1: leading educators and sign of every stripe, and mavens of
Speaker 1: the arts, entertainment, and fashion. Epstein surrounded himself with the
Speaker 1: constellation of luminaries and invested and spent his wealth to
Speaker 1: both facilitate his wrongdoing and to insulate himself from accountability.
Speaker 1: Jeffrey Epstein in New Mexico. Why is so little known
Speaker 1: about Jeffrey Epstein and what he did in New Mexico?
Speaker 1: A first look at the available evidence reveals some truths
Speaker 1: that provide a context for seeking answers to these troubled questions.
Speaker 1: As detailed below in the discussion of institutional failures, those
Speaker 1: directly responsible for protecting New Mexicans relied on others to
Speaker 1: do their job. Ultimately, As discussed further below, the US
Speaker 1: Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico and the
Speaker 1: New Mexico Attorney General declined to take action against Epstein,
Speaker 1: believing that the U s Attorney for the Southern District
Speaker 1: of New York would do so, but SDNY never prioritized
Speaker 1: New Mexicans, focusing instead on Epstein's misdeeds in New York,
Speaker 1: pom Beach, Florida, and the Virgin Islands, while leaving Epstein's
Speaker 1: offenses in New Mexico unexamined. Investigating authorities fail to issue
Speaker 1: search warrants, conduct searches, and seize evidence and property, including
Speaker 1: Zoro Ranch itself. Moreover, investigating authorities fell for many years
Speaker 1: to take any action to investigate criminal activity in New Mexico,
Speaker 1: even after Epstein's death in August of twenty nineteen and
Speaker 1: Maxwell's conviction in twenty twenty one. To the Commission's knowledge,
Speaker 1: neither USAO New Mexico nor any FBI field office has
Speaker 1: opened an investigation of criminal activity connected to Epstein's sex
Speaker 1: trafficking enterprise in New Mexico. Unfortunately, the passage of time
Speaker 1: and unexplained delay to open any criminal investigation focused on
Speaker 1: activities that Zoro Ranch may make it difficult, even assuming
Speaker 1: the full cooperation of other investigating authorities, to obtain the records. I,
Speaker 1: identify the witnesses, and collect all the evidence necessary to
Speaker 1: establish a complete chronology of the relevant facts as they
Speaker 1: pertain to Epstein's activities in New Mexico. Since the nineteen eighties,
Speaker 1: investigations conducted by USAO New Mexico and the New Mexico
Speaker 1: state law enforcement authorities closer to the events in question
Speaker 1: were never opened or were halted before all the evidence
Speaker 1: could be collected, While each awaited completion of the criminal
Speaker 1: investigation and prosecution of Epstein and Glenn Maxwell by the
Speaker 1: SDNY introduction background, numerous investigations have been conducted into Jeffrey
Speaker 1: Epstein and as co conspirators and their involvement in the
Speaker 1: sexual abuse of miners, sex trafficking, solicitation of prostitution, solicitation
Speaker 1: of miners for a moral purposes, financial crimes, and other
Speaker 1: unlawful activity. Some of these investigations, including the investigation conducted
Speaker 1: by the US Attorney's Office for or the Southern District
Speaker 1: of Florida and the Southern District of New York, have
Speaker 1: focused strictly on the facts and evidence necessary to support
Speaker 1: a criminal prosecution. Other investigations, such as the investigation pending
Speaker 1: before the US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight in
Speaker 1: Government Reform, have been broader in scope, addressing not only
Speaker 1: illegal activity, but also the failure of prosecuting authorities, governmental entities,
Speaker 1: financial institutions, and others with power influence to adequately investigate
Speaker 1: and respond to Epstein and others wrongful conduct. Epstein's wrongdoing
Speaker 1: has attracted intense national and international attention from governments, the media,
Speaker 1: and private entities for decades, resulting in a body of
Speaker 1: information and evidence of massive proportions. The approximately six million
Speaker 1: pages identified and three and a half million pages released
Speaker 1: under the EFTA comprised perhaps the most important part of
Speaker 1: the complete body of information relating to Epstein's criminal activities,
Speaker 1: But even this trench of information does not tell the
Speaker 1: full story. Many of the documents are adapted hiding facts, witnesses,
Speaker 1: and potential co conspirators. Even after so many investigations and inquiries,
Speaker 1: many questions remain unanswered. Epstein's crimes were committed in numerous jurisdictions,
Speaker 1: but primarily at his residence in the Virgin Islands, New
Speaker 1: York City, and New Mexico. Investigations of Epstein have focused
Speaker 1: on his activity in the Virgin Islands and New York City.
Speaker 1: Less attention, however, has been afforded his activity is in
Speaker 1: New Mexico, and particularly his activity is at his New
Speaker 1: Mexico residents Zoro Ranch. While it's been known that Epstein's
Speaker 1: sex trafficking operation was active in New Mexico for many years,
Speaker 1: no full investigation has been conducted by any federal, state,
Speaker 1: or local authority necessary to uncover all the facts, to
Speaker 1: collect all the available evidence, and to hold wrongdoers accountable. Indeed,
Speaker 1: no search of Zoro Ranch was conduc until March of
Speaker 1: twenty twenty six, almost seven full years after Epstein's death.
Speaker 1: HR one establishes the New Mexico Survivor's Truth Commission. House
Speaker 1: Resolution one. HR one was approved February sixteenth, twenty twenty
Speaker 1: six by the New Mexico House of Representatives on a
Speaker 1: vote of sixty two to zero. HR one seeks to
Speaker 1: address the questions left unanswered as they relate to the
Speaker 1: activities of Epstein, his co conspirators, and his facilitators in
Speaker 1: New Mexico. HR one establishes the New Mexico Survivor's Truth Commission,
Speaker 1: though it is formally known as a Special Committee of
Speaker 1: the House, but has a formal role acting as Truth
Speaker 1: Commission as modeled after international law. Under international law, truth
Speaker 1: commission is an official temporary body established by a state
Speaker 1: to investigate and document past serious violations of international human
Speaker 1: rights law and serious violations of international humanifyitarian law. These
Speaker 1: commissions are part of a transitional justice mechanism often created
Speaker 1: after conflicts, dictatorships, or prolonged abuses, to address the right
Speaker 1: to truth and promote reconciliation. According to the United Nations
Speaker 1: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the right
Speaker 1: to truth is recognized in binding instruments such as the
Speaker 1: Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
Speaker 1: and the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to
Speaker 1: a Remedy and a Reparation for Victims of growth. Violation
Speaker 1: of international human rights law, truth commissions fulfill this right
Speaker 1: by identifying the causes and conditions of violations, establishing the
Speaker 1: identity of perpetrators, determining the fate and whereabouts of victims
Speaker 1: in cases of enforced disappearance, providing an authoritative narrative of
Speaker 1: past events to counter denialism. Core features of a truth
Speaker 1: commission include focus on past five events, not ongoing violations.
Speaker 1: Investigate patterns of abuse over a period of time, Engage
Speaker 1: widely with affected populations through testimony, public hearing, and research.
Speaker 1: Operate temporarily, ending with the final report and recommendation for
Speaker 1: a reform officially authorized by the state, often with political
Speaker 1: will and independence. The core functions of the truth commission
Speaker 1: under international law include truth seeking, gather and verify information
Speaker 1: from victims, witnesses, and archives. Reconciliation, facilitate societal healing, sometimes
Speaker 1: through amnesty as in South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Prevention,
Speaker 1: recommend reforms to prevent recurrence of abuses, recognition, acknowledge victims
Speaker 1: suffering and needs. The purpose of this bipartisan commission is
Speaker 1: to investigate Zoro Ranch and the related allegations of criminal
Speaker 1: activity to determine whether legislation or other other legislative action
Speaker 1: is needed to a prevent and properly punish crime. B
Speaker 1: protect children and other vulnerable persons. C Establish sufficient procedure
Speaker 1: for securing civil justice, d ensure proper use in stewardship
Speaker 1: of public money and resources, and e provide for public accountability.
Speaker 1: To support this effort, the New Mexico House of Representatives
Speaker 1: granted the Committee all necessary power and process, including the
Speaker 1: power to conduct hearings, compel the attendance of witnesses, and
Speaker 1: administer oaths and issue subpoenas. The House further authorize the Committee,
Speaker 1: subject to the availability of funding to retain staff, including
Speaker 1: legal counsel, to assist in the committee's efforts. HR one
Speaker 1: requires the Committee to keep records of its work. It
Speaker 1: also requires the Committee to furnish a final report to
Speaker 1: all members of the House of Representatives Honour before December
Speaker 1: thirty first, twenty twenty six, subject to extension by Commission
Speaker 1: if necessary. The final report must include one a description
Speaker 1: of the investigative procedure carried out by the Committee, the
Speaker 1: findings and conclusions the Committee made through carrying out those procedures,
Speaker 1: and three the committee's recommendations. The role of a special
Speaker 1: council pursu into its authority under hr IE, The Committee
Speaker 1: retained outside council who has been contracted to furnish the
Speaker 1: following services. Serve as special council to the Committee. Oversee
Speaker 1: and manage the activities and operations of the Committee, in
Speaker 1: consultation with and as directed by the Committee Chair. Provide
Speaker 1: advice and council on legal and operational matters relating to
Speaker 1: the Committee, including investigative matters both criminal and civil. Perform
Speaker 1: legal research and provide written legal opinions. Provide and managed
Speaker 1: committee staff, whether employees of the contractor or subcontractors. Gather
Speaker 1: evidence for the Committee's investigation, and provide investment negative staff,
Speaker 1: whether employees of the contractor or a subcontractor, And oversee, direct,
Speaker 1: and do all things necessary to complete the investigation, including
Speaker 1: but not limited to, conducting depositions and witness interviews and drafting,
Speaker 1: serving and enforcing subpoenas. Present evidence to the Committee, whether
Speaker 1: in executive session or public meeting, as determined appropriate by
Speaker 1: Counsel or a majority vote of the Committee. Manage any
Speaker 1: collaboration with the Attorney General regarding any related relevant investigation,
Speaker 1: including but not limited to, witness interviews, depositions, subpoenas, sharing
Speaker 1: information and documents, and other investigative or litigation matters. Provide
Speaker 1: representation in all matters relating to or arising from the
Speaker 1: activities of the Committee in any court or other venue,
Speaker 1: whether formal or informal, including but not limited to, negotiation, litigation,
Speaker 1: arbitration and mediation. Compile, catalog and present deserve in commonly
Speaker 1: searchable electronic format such as PDF, all records in the
Speaker 1: contractor's possession related to the investigation, draft, interim and final
Speaker 1: reports reflecting the committee's process, procedure, findings, and conclusions. And
Speaker 1: provide other services requested by the Committee related to Committee activities.
Speaker 1: All right, folks, we're going to wrap up episode one
Speaker 1: right here, and in the next episode we're gonna pick
Speaker 1: up where we left off. All the information that goes
Speaker 1: with this episode can be found in the description box.