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July 15, 2025 11:48-12:00 - CSPAN

11:57

Washington Journal Tom Fitton

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mimi geerges

cspan 03:10

pam bondi

admin 01:34

tom fitton

03:43

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john roberts

fox 00:06

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mimi geerges ▲ ● ▼		Welcome back to Washington Journal and joining us to talk about the Justice Department FBI investigation of Jeffrey Epstein is Tom Fitton.
		He's president of Judicial Watch.
		Tom, welcome.
unidentified		Thanks for having me back.
mimi geerges ▲ ● ▼		So remind us about Judicial Watch and your funding.
unidentified		Judicial Watch is a nonprofit educational foundation.
		We're funded by the public.
		We have, I think, about 650,000 supporters these days.
		So we're one of the most widely supported grassroots conservative groups in the world.
mimi geerges ▲ ● ▼		So talking about Jeffrey Epstein, the Attorney General Pam Bondi was on Fox News in February talking about a supposed client list of Jeffrey Epsteins that she had that was sitting on her desk.
		And then just last week, she was in a cabinet meeting being asked about that and the closing of that case.
		So let's take a look at both of those clips and then I'll have you respond.
unidentified		Okay.
john roberts ▲ ● ▼		The DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients.
john roberts ▲ ● ▼		Will that really happen?
pam bondi ▲ ● ▼		It's sitting on my desk right now to review.
		That's been a directive by President Trump.
		I'm reviewing that.
		I'm reviewing JFK files, MLK files.
		That's all in the process of being reviewed because that was done at the directive of the president.
		In February, I did an interview on Fox and it's been getting a lot of attention because I said I was asked a question about the client list and my response was it's sitting on my desk to be reviewed, meaning the file along with the JFK, MLK files as well.
		That's what I meant by that.
		Also to the tens of thousands of video, they turned out to be child porn downloaded by that disgusting Jeffrey Epstein.
		Child porn is what they were.
		Never going to be released, never going to see the light of day.
		To him being an agent, I have no knowledge about that.
		We can get back to you on that.
		And the minute missing from the video, we release the video showing definitively the video was not conclusive, but the evidence prior to it was showing he committed suicide.
		And what was on that, there was a minute that was off the counter.
		And what we learned from Bureau of Prisons was every year, every night, they redo that video.
		It's old from like 1999.
		So every night the video is reset and every night should have the same minute missing.
		So we're looking for that video to release that as well, showing that a minute is missing every night.
		And that's it on Epstein.
mimi geerges ▲ ● ▼		Tom, what do you think?
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		I think she made a mistake in describing the records as she described them initially.
unidentified		You know, a client list is something that's pretty specific.
unidentified		And I didn't find her persuasive.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		Her argument about what she actually meant as persuasive as I'm sure she had hoped.
		And that's the challenge they have politically, is that they say they have the documents, they're going to release them, and then they decide not to release them Using a variety of reasons or excuses, some of which may be valid in the end.
		And what Judicial Watch did after not only that interview, but then they had this partial release of information to social media influencers at the White House, which was not well received as well.
		We said, well, just give us the Epstein documents and give us documents about what you say was a problem in terms of the FBI or maybe folks up in the Southern District of New York, which is the Justice Department, U.S. Attorney's Office, that we're obstructing potentially the release of information.
unidentified		And we haven't gotten anything yet under our federal FOIA lawsuit.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		And then they issue this leaked memo that was unsigned that essentially disrespected anyone who had questions about the way this has been handled and outstanding questions about Epstein's death or whether or not others who were involved in his type of conduct got off scot-free.
unidentified		And it hasn't been persuasive, and so now I think they're having to rethink about their approach.
mimi geerges ▲ ● ▼		So a couple of things here.
		The client list.
		The Attorney General put it in air quotes.
		Is there a client list?
unidentified		I think there is.
unidentified		I mean, they talk about there's no...
mimi geerges ▲ ● ▼		Then why do you think they're not releasing it if it actually exists?
unidentified		What they say in the memo is there's no incriminating client list.
		I want the non-incriminating client list.
		And client list is obviously a term of art.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		That's why, you know, when people put air quotes around it, they're using something specific or something in a way that you might call a client list, but isn't labeled as such.
		So folks want to know who he was in contact with, who potentially was involved in the sort of conduct that was at issue.
		In the memo, this Justice Department FBI memo, they talked about a thousand victims.
unidentified		Well, you know, that's a lot of victims for one man to have been involved with.
		Were there others?
		I think that's a fair question.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		Now, is there other, they said there's no evidence suggesting others should be prosecuted.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		But is there any evidence at all?
unidentified		I don't know.
		So my advice is, because we've got the FOIA lawsuit, is just release the records under FOIA in the lease.
		And that way there's a process in place where records are released.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		If there are exemptions or redactions where things are blacked out, they typically have to explain why and what the basis is for it.
		And at least in the court process, we can appeal it if there's an issue.
		But it's a way to kind of regularize this as opposed to the irregular way through which these disclosures and conclusions have been made.
mimi geerges ▲ ● ▼		I want to share with our viewers what President Trump wrote on Truth Social on July 12th about this topic.
		He says, what's going on with my boys and in some cases gals?
		They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a fantastic job.
		We are one team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening.
		We have a perfect administration, the talk of the world, and quote, selfish people are trying to hurt it all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein.
		For years, it's Epstein over and over again.
		One year ago, our country was dead.
		Now it's the hottest country anywhere in the world.
		Let's keep it that way and not waste time and energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.
		Are you wasting time and energy on somebody that nobody cares about?
unidentified		Well, the Justice Department and the FBI care about it.
mimi geerges ▲ ● ▼		Not anymore, because they closed the case.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		Well, they're going to re-I suspect they're going to reopen it, at least in the sense of stepping back from their decision not to release records.
		What I found interesting about the president's tweet wasn't so much no one cares about Epstein.
		That's an arguable point, is his concern that there was this fight and attack on Bondi from within the FBI, at least reportedly.
		So I took that more as a critique of FBI leadership that was going after Bondi there.
unidentified		And my whole take on that was both agencies signed off on this memo.
		I mean, the memo said that we're not going to release any more information.
		And then last week in court, literally the day after it came out, I think it was Tuesday, they went to the federal court in our case and said we're still reviewing and searching for FBI DOJ documents about Epstein.
		So it's a contradictory message.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		And if the president's correct that there's no one care, politically no one cares about Epstein, maybe the issue will go away.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		The challenge they have is that Epstein is not seen, it's not necessarily about Epstein per se.
unidentified		It's about someone who got treated with kid gloves initially.
unidentified		He's well connected politically.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		And after he was treated with kid gloves, remember they pulled back a prosecution potentially by the Justice Department about 20 years ago now, he went on to commit more heinous crimes.
unidentified		And people really want accountability for that.
mimi geerges ▲ ● ▼		Now, the director, Kash Patel, and the Deputy Director Dan Bongino have historically been saying a lot of times that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in prison.
		Then they came out later and said, no, no, he was actually, he did take his own life.
		What do you believe?
unidentified		I believe there are questions that people are asking that are illegitimate.
unidentified		You have the forensic.
mimi geerges ▲ ● ▼		You don't have an opinion.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		I don't, I suspect the easy, the most simple answer, suicide, is probably the most likely one.
		On the issue, though, is there a fair reason to suggest maybe we need a further investigation?
		You have two forensic analyses, one by the chief medical examiner of New York, right?
unidentified		He concluded it was a suicide.
		The family hired a very respected forensic expert who determined it was likely a homicide.
		So I think that's a substantial issue.
		Do I know one way or the other what happened?
		I don't.
		But Epstein at the time was the most high-profile person in the custody of the Department of Justice.
		And he was killed, either by his own hand or someone else.
		And the American people aren't persuaded that the answers have been put out there.
		And I don't think everyone's convinced.
		I wish I could say, yeah, I'm convinced he committed suicide.
		I think that's probably most likely, but I'm not convinced it's the answer.
mimi geerges ▲ ● ▼		Well, speaking of the American public, we'll invite people to call in.
		And if you'd like to talk to our guest, Tom Fitton, about the Jeffrey Epstein case, you can.
		The numbers are Democrats 202748-8000.
		Republicans 202-748-8001.
		And Independents, 202748, 8,002.
		I want to share something that Laura Loomer said about this investigation as reported by Politico.
		She says there should be a special counsel appointed to do an independent investigation of the handling of the Epstein files so that people can feel like this issue is being investigated and perhaps take it out of A.G. Pambondi's hands because I don't think that she's been transparent or done a good job handling this issue.
		First, Tom, do you agree that this should be a special counsel?
		And second, do you think that the Attorney General still has your confidence as Attorney General, or should she step down?
unidentified		No, I don't think she should step down.
tom fitton ▲ ● ▼		I have long been of the view that politically sensitive investigations like this should not reside within the Justice Department and FBI.

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