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<v Speaker 1>What's up, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the

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<v Speaker 1>Epstein Chronicles. In our last episode, we were talking about

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<v Speaker 1>Jeffrey Epstein and the Truth Commission's report that was released

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<v Speaker 1>in New Mexico, and considering it's a relatively slow day

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<v Speaker 1>when it comes to Epstein news, so that gives us

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<v Speaker 1>a little bit of time to dive into this. So

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<v Speaker 1>let's just get started. Summary. Who was Jeffrey Epstein? Few,

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<v Speaker 1>if any, people have been the subject of more investigations,

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<v Speaker 1>both public and private, lawsuits and journalistic and public scrutiny

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<v Speaker 1>than Jeffrey Edward Epstein. What did he do, who helped

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<v Speaker 1>him and covered for him? And how did he get

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<v Speaker 1>away with the sexual abuse of countless women and girls

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<v Speaker 1>for over four decades. Epstein began his career as a

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<v Speaker 1>teacher at the Dalton School in New York City, but

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<v Speaker 1>transitioned into finance in the mid nineteen eighties by joining

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<v Speaker 1>bear Stearns, an investment bank. His role there, in particular

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<v Speaker 1>in the arbitrage department, allowed him to build connections with

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<v Speaker 1>influential figures on Wall Street, which would later prove crucial

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<v Speaker 1>for his financial success. Epstein amassed his wealth primarily through

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<v Speaker 1>financial advisory services to billionaires, lucrative investments, and ownership of

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<v Speaker 1>valuable properties with significant contributions from Keith clions like Les

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<v Speaker 1>Wexner and Leon Black. Epstein used his wealth and connections

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<v Speaker 1>to carefully craft a means to maintain his own privacy

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<v Speaker 1>and secrecy. He also used his vast wealth to create

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<v Speaker 1>access to the rich and powerful and to manipulate the

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<v Speaker 1>poor and vulnerable. He constructed secret retreats supported by an

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<v Speaker 1>organizational machine, where he could conceal his criminal behavior. Over

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<v Speaker 1>many years, Epstein built a vast social network. He filled

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<v Speaker 1>his Black Book with presidents and prime ministers, princes and princesses,

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<v Speaker 1>cabinet secretaries, heads of finance and industry, media barons, nobel laureates,

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<v Speaker 1>leading educators and sign of every stripe, and mavens of

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<v Speaker 1>the arts, entertainment, and fashion. Epstein surrounded himself with the

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<v Speaker 1>constellation of luminaries and invested and spent his wealth to

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<v Speaker 1>both facilitate his wrongdoing and to insulate himself from accountability.

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<v Speaker 1>Jeffrey Epstein in New Mexico. Why is so little known

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<v Speaker 1>about Jeffrey Epstein and what he did in New Mexico?

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<v Speaker 1>A first look at the available evidence reveals some truths

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<v Speaker 1>that provide a context for seeking answers to these troubled questions.

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<v Speaker 1>As detailed below in the discussion of institutional failures, those

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<v Speaker 1>directly responsible for protecting New Mexicans relied on others to

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<v Speaker 1>do their job. Ultimately, As discussed further below, the US

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<v Speaker 1>Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico and the

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<v Speaker 1>New Mexico Attorney General declined to take action against Epstein,

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<v Speaker 1>believing that the U s Attorney for the Southern District

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<v Speaker 1>of New York would do so, but SDNY never prioritized

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<v Speaker 1>New Mexicans, focusing instead on Epstein's misdeeds in New York,

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<v Speaker 1>pom Beach, Florida, and the Virgin Islands, while leaving Epstein's

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<v Speaker 1>offenses in New Mexico unexamined. Investigating authorities fail to issue

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<v Speaker 1>search warrants, conduct searches, and seize evidence and property, including

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<v Speaker 1>Zoro Ranch itself. Moreover, investigating authorities fell for many years

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<v Speaker 1>to take any action to investigate criminal activity in New Mexico,

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<v Speaker 1>even after Epstein's death in August of twenty nineteen and

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<v Speaker 1>Maxwell's conviction in twenty twenty one. To the Commission's knowledge,

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<v Speaker 1>neither USAO New Mexico nor any FBI field office has

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<v Speaker 1>opened an investigation of criminal activity connected to Epstein's sex

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<v Speaker 1>trafficking enterprise in New Mexico. Unfortunately, the passage of time

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<v Speaker 1>and unexplained delay to open any criminal investigation focused on

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<v Speaker 1>activities that Zoro Ranch may make it difficult, even assuming

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<v Speaker 1>the full cooperation of other investigating authorities, to obtain the records. I,

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<v Speaker 1>identify the witnesses, and collect all the evidence necessary to

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<v Speaker 1>establish a complete chronology of the relevant facts as they

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<v Speaker 1>pertain to Epstein's activities in New Mexico. Since the nineteen eighties,

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<v Speaker 1>investigations conducted by USAO New Mexico and the New Mexico

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<v Speaker 1>state law enforcement authorities closer to the events in question

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<v Speaker 1>were never opened or were halted before all the evidence

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<v Speaker 1>could be collected, While each awaited completion of the criminal

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<v Speaker 1>investigation and prosecution of Epstein and Glenn Maxwell by the

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<v Speaker 1>SDNY introduction background, numerous investigations have been conducted into Jeffrey

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<v Speaker 1>Epstein and as co conspirators and their involvement in the

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<v Speaker 1>sexual abuse of miners, sex trafficking, solicitation of prostitution, solicitation

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<v Speaker 1>of miners for a moral purposes, financial crimes, and other

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<v Speaker 1>unlawful activity. Some of these investigations, including the investigation conducted

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<v Speaker 1>by the US Attorney's Office for or the Southern District

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<v Speaker 1>of Florida and the Southern District of New York, have

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<v Speaker 1>focused strictly on the facts and evidence necessary to support

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<v Speaker 1>a criminal prosecution. Other investigations, such as the investigation pending

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<v Speaker 1>before the US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight in

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<v Speaker 1>Government Reform, have been broader in scope, addressing not only

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<v Speaker 1>illegal activity, but also the failure of prosecuting authorities, governmental entities,

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<v Speaker 1>financial institutions, and others with power influence to adequately investigate

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<v Speaker 1>and respond to Epstein and others wrongful conduct. Epstein's wrongdoing

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<v Speaker 1>has attracted intense national and international attention from governments, the media,

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<v Speaker 1>and private entities for decades, resulting in a body of

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<v Speaker 1>information and evidence of massive proportions. The approximately six million

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<v Speaker 1>pages identified and three and a half million pages released

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<v Speaker 1>under the EFTA comprised perhaps the most important part of

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<v Speaker 1>the complete body of information relating to Epstein's criminal activities,

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<v Speaker 1>But even this trench of information does not tell the

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<v Speaker 1>full story. Many of the documents are adapted hiding facts, witnesses,

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<v Speaker 1>and potential co conspirators. Even after so many investigations and inquiries,

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<v Speaker 1>many questions remain unanswered. Epstein's crimes were committed in numerous jurisdictions,

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<v Speaker 1>but primarily at his residence in the Virgin Islands, New

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<v Speaker 1>York City, and New Mexico. Investigations of Epstein have focused

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<v Speaker 1>on his activity in the Virgin Islands and New York City.

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<v Speaker 1>Less attention, however, has been afforded his activity is in

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<v Speaker 1>New Mexico, and particularly his activity is at his New

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<v Speaker 1>Mexico residents Zoro Ranch. While it's been known that Epstein's

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<v Speaker 1>sex trafficking operation was active in New Mexico for many years,

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<v Speaker 1>no full investigation has been conducted by any federal, state,

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<v Speaker 1>or local authority necessary to uncover all the facts, to

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<v Speaker 1>collect all the available evidence, and to hold wrongdoers accountable. Indeed,

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<v Speaker 1>no search of Zoro Ranch was conduc until March of

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty six, almost seven full years after Epstein's death.

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<v Speaker 1>HR one establishes the New Mexico Survivor's Truth Commission. House

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<v Speaker 1>Resolution one. HR one was approved February sixteenth, twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 1>six by the New Mexico House of Representatives on a

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<v Speaker 1>vote of sixty two to zero. HR one seeks to

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<v Speaker 1>address the questions left unanswered as they relate to the

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<v Speaker 1>activities of Epstein, his co conspirators, and his facilitators in

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<v Speaker 1>New Mexico. HR one establishes the New Mexico Survivor's Truth Commission,

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<v Speaker 1>though it is formally known as a Special Committee of

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<v Speaker 1>the House, but has a formal role acting as Truth

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<v Speaker 1>Commission as modeled after international law. Under international law, truth

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<v Speaker 1>commission is an official temporary body established by a state

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<v Speaker 1>to investigate and document past serious violations of international human

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<v Speaker 1>rights law and serious violations of international humanifyitarian law. These

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<v Speaker 1>commissions are part of a transitional justice mechanism often created

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<v Speaker 1>after conflicts, dictatorships, or prolonged abuses, to address the right

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<v Speaker 1>to truth and promote reconciliation. According to the United Nations

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<v Speaker 1>Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the right

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<v Speaker 1>to truth is recognized in binding instruments such as the

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<v Speaker 1>Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

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<v Speaker 1>and the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to

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<v Speaker 1>a Remedy and a Reparation for Victims of growth. Violation

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<v Speaker 1>of international human rights law, truth commissions fulfill this right

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<v Speaker 1>by identifying the causes and conditions of violations, establishing the

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<v Speaker 1>identity of perpetrators, determining the fate and whereabouts of victims

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<v Speaker 1>in cases of enforced disappearance, providing an authoritative narrative of

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<v Speaker 1>past events to counter denialism. Core features of a truth

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<v Speaker 1>commission include focus on past five events, not ongoing violations.

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<v Speaker 1>Investigate patterns of abuse over a period of time, Engage

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<v Speaker 1>widely with affected populations through testimony, public hearing, and research.

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<v Speaker 1>Operate temporarily, ending with the final report and recommendation for

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<v Speaker 1>a reform officially authorized by the state, often with political

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<v Speaker 1>will and independence. The core functions of the truth commission

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<v Speaker 1>under international law include truth seeking, gather and verify information

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<v Speaker 1>from victims, witnesses, and archives. Reconciliation, facilitate societal healing, sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>through amnesty as in South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Prevention,

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<v Speaker 1>recommend reforms to prevent recurrence of abuses, recognition, acknowledge victims

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<v Speaker 1>suffering and needs. The purpose of this bipartisan commission is

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<v Speaker 1>to investigate Zoro Ranch and the related allegations of criminal

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<v Speaker 1>activity to determine whether legislation or other other legislative action

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<v Speaker 1>is needed to a prevent and properly punish crime. B

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<v Speaker 1>protect children and other vulnerable persons. C Establish sufficient procedure

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<v Speaker 1>for securing civil justice, d ensure proper use in stewardship

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<v Speaker 1>of public money and resources, and e provide for public accountability.

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<v Speaker 1>To support this effort, the New Mexico House of Representatives

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<v Speaker 1>granted the Committee all necessary power and process, including the

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<v Speaker 1>power to conduct hearings, compel the attendance of witnesses, and

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<v Speaker 1>administer oaths and issue subpoenas. The House further authorize the Committee,

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<v Speaker 1>subject to the availability of funding to retain staff, including

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<v Speaker 1>legal counsel, to assist in the committee's efforts. HR one

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<v Speaker 1>requires the Committee to keep records of its work. It

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<v Speaker 1>also requires the Committee to furnish a final report to

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<v Speaker 1>all members of the House of Representatives Honour before December

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<v Speaker 1>thirty first, twenty twenty six, subject to extension by Commission

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<v Speaker 1>if necessary. The final report must include one a description

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<v Speaker 1>of the investigative procedure carried out by the Committee, the

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<v Speaker 1>findings and conclusions the Committee made through carrying out those procedures,

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<v Speaker 1>and three the committee's recommendations. The role of a special

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<v Speaker 1>council pursu into its authority under hr IE, The Committee

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<v Speaker 1>retained outside council who has been contracted to furnish the

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<v Speaker 1>following services. Serve as special council to the Committee. Oversee

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<v Speaker 1>and manage the activities and operations of the Committee, in

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<v Speaker 1>consultation with and as directed by the Committee Chair. Provide

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<v Speaker 1>advice and council on legal and operational matters relating to

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<v Speaker 1>the Committee, including investigative matters both criminal and civil. Perform

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<v Speaker 1>legal research and provide written legal opinions. Provide and managed

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<v Speaker 1>committee staff, whether employees of the contractor or subcontractors. Gather

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<v Speaker 1>evidence for the Committee's investigation, and provide investment negative staff,

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<v Speaker 1>whether employees of the contractor or a subcontractor, And oversee, direct,

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<v Speaker 1>and do all things necessary to complete the investigation, including

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<v Speaker 1>but not limited to, conducting depositions and witness interviews and drafting,

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<v Speaker 1>serving and enforcing subpoenas. Present evidence to the Committee, whether

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<v Speaker 1>in executive session or public meeting, as determined appropriate by

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<v Speaker 1>Counsel or a majority vote of the Committee. Manage any

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<v Speaker 1>collaboration with the Attorney General regarding any related relevant investigation,

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<v Speaker 1>including but not limited to, witness interviews, depositions, subpoenas, sharing

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<v Speaker 1>information and documents, and other investigative or litigation matters. Provide

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<v Speaker 1>representation in all matters relating to or arising from the

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<v Speaker 1>activities of the Committee in any court or other venue,

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<v Speaker 1>whether formal or informal, including but not limited to, negotiation, litigation,

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<v Speaker 1>arbitration and mediation. Compile, catalog and present deserve in commonly

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<v Speaker 1>searchable electronic format such as PDF, all records in the

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<v Speaker 1>contractor's possession related to the investigation, draft, interim and final

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<v Speaker 1>reports reflecting the committee's process, procedure, findings, and conclusions. And

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<v Speaker 1>provide other services requested by the Committee related to Committee activities.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, folks, we're going to wrap up episode one

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<v Speaker 1>right here, and in the next episode we're gonna pick

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<v Speaker 1>up where we left off. All the information that goes

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<v Speaker 1>with this episode can be found in the description box.