Latest / DEEP INSIGHT / Bipartisan Congress members to file inherent contempt charges against Pam Bondi over Epstein files

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Bipartisan Congress members to file inherent contempt charges against Pam Bondi over Epstein files · DEEP INSIGHT

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  Speaker 1: The Department of Justice today is defending its decision to
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  Speaker 1: quietly remove at least sixteen documents from the first tranch
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  Speaker 1: of EPSTEIN files that released Friday, including one image of
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  Speaker 1: a desk drawer that contained two photos of Donald Trump.
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  Speaker 1: Here is the Deputy Attorney General this morning.
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  Speaker 2: There were a number of photographs that were pulled down
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  Speaker 2: after being released on Friday. That's because a judge in
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  Speaker 2: New York has ordered us to listen to any victim
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  Speaker 2: or victim rights group if they have any concerns about
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  Speaker 2: the material that we're putting up.
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  Speaker 1: Joining me now, Democratic Congressome from Virginia, James Walkinshaw. He
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  Speaker 1: is a member of the Oversight Committee. Congressome, welcome to
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  Speaker 1: the show here. So your committee is calling this a
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  Speaker 1: cover up. Are you satisfied by the Deputy Attorney General's
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  Speaker 1: response there?
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  Speaker 3: No, I'm not satisfied.
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  Speaker 4: I think if the rest of Friday's release had been
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  Speaker 4: in compliance with the law, and if this administration and
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  Speaker 4: Department of Justice hadn't done everything they could up to
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  Speaker 4: this point to cover up what's in these files, then
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  Speaker 4: perhaps we could take the Deputy Attorney General's word with
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  Speaker 4: respect to these sixteen files that have been pulled down.
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  Speaker 4: But given their extreme efforts to prevent the country from
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  Speaker 4: seeing what's in these files, I don't have confidence in
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  Speaker 4: his explanation with respect to these sixteen and with respect
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  Speaker 4: to the one photo of the desk or credenza that
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  Speaker 4: included a photo of Donald Trump. If that image included
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  Speaker 4: an image of a woman, a survivor or victim, that
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  Speaker 4: face could have been blacked out as it was, as
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  Speaker 4: they were in many other photos that have been released. Instead,
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  Speaker 4: they pulled down the entire photo. So the response doesn't
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  Speaker 4: inspire confidence. We have to keep pressing to get those
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  Speaker 4: sixteen files to the public, and the rest of the files.
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  Speaker 1: Well, we should not. They did allow the photos of
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  Speaker 1: former President Bill Clinton with female figures, and their faces
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  Speaker 1: were redacted. We don't know who they were, whether they
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  Speaker 1: were victims, associates in any way by choice, but anyway,
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  Speaker 1: let's talk about the drip drip of the file, some
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  Speaker 1: of them heavily redacted. It has disappointed a lot of
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  Speaker 1: victims who advocated for this law. But there have been
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  Speaker 1: some new revelations. There's the nineteen ninety six FBI child
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  Speaker 1: pornography complaint about Epstein. It's from Maria Farmer who vindicates
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  Speaker 1: it at least does that this one Epstein survivor. Is
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  Speaker 1: the DOJ carefully taking its time with redactions and will
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  Speaker 1: give the victims what they have fought for or are
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  Speaker 1: they violating the law?
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  Speaker 3: Well?
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  Speaker 4: Look, I think that document shows exactly why we need
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  Speaker 4: to press to get the full files released. It shows
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  Speaker 4: that Maria Farmer's government, the United States government, failed her,
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  Speaker 4: like it failed all of the victims and survivors of
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  Speaker 4: Jeffrey Epstein's crimesiously came forward in nineteen ninety six, she.
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  Speaker 3: Was ignored, and we know that so many.
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  Speaker 4: Of the survivors and victims have been ignored by their
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  Speaker 4: government for too long. And that's why we're pushing for
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  Speaker 4: transparency that we hope will lead to real accountability for
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  Speaker 4: all those involved in Epstein's crimes now.
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  Speaker 1: And Congressman Roe Conna says that he and Representative Massey
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  Speaker 1: again bipartisan here, are going to hold Attorney General Pam
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  Speaker 1: Bondi in contempt and have previously said they are considering impeachment.
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  Speaker 1: Senator Tim Kaine says there are more effective tools to
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  Speaker 1: force DOHA compliance. How about you, what do you think
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  Speaker 1: is the best approach?
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  Speaker 4: I think when Congress returns in January, if the law
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  Speaker 4: has not been complied with with respect to the full
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  Speaker 4: release of the files, then we will need to force
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  Speaker 4: a vote in the House. And I think there will
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  Speaker 4: be Republicans supportive of a vote in the House on
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  Speaker 4: either inherent contempt or impeachment of the Attorney General. And
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  Speaker 4: you know, folks in Congress, Democrats and Republicans will have
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  Speaker 4: to choose yet again whether they want to side with
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  Speaker 4: the survivors and victims who are calling for full transparency
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  Speaker 4: or with the Trump administration who continues to cover up
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  Speaker 4: for this rapist, Jeffrey Epstein.
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  Speaker 3: And all those who are involved in his crimes.
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  Speaker 4: And I think if that vote takes place, Congress will stand,
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  Speaker 4: I hope, with those survivors and victims.
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  Speaker 1: On a different note, and in terms of something Americans
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  Speaker 1: have to choose between. Lawmakers left town for the holiday,
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  Speaker 1: leaving Americans in a tough position because, according to a
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  Speaker 1: new NPR poll, more than seventy percent of people say
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  Speaker 1: their household expenses match or exceed their income, and now
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  Speaker 1: with Congress not acting on healthcare, more than half of
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  Speaker 1: Americans are concerned their household will be unable to pay
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  Speaker 1: for healthcare services in twenty twenty six, What do you, sir,
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  Speaker 1: tell your constituents who say the government's not looking out
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  Speaker 1: for them.
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  Speaker 4: Well, President Trump says that things aren't going well in
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  Speaker 4: the economy because his policies haven't kicked in yet. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 4: his economic policies are kicking hardworking Americans in the face
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  Speaker 4: right now.
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  Speaker 3: We have seen grocery prices skyrocketing.
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  Speaker 4: We've seen the cost of everyday goods, including holiday gifts,
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  Speaker 4: skyrocket during this holiday season.
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  Speaker 3: But healthcare is the biggest and this.
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  Speaker 4: Congress or Republican Congress, passed the biggest cut to healthcare
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  Speaker 4: in American history, trillion.
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  Speaker 3: Dollar cut to Medicaid.
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  Speaker 4: Despite the successful discharge petition to force a vote on
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  Speaker 4: a clean extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits,
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  Speaker 4: Speaker Johnson sent Congress home for a holiday vacation without acting.
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  Speaker 4: We will vote in January to extend the tax credits
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  Speaker 4: that Americans desperately, desperately need to prevent their healthcare premiums
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  Speaker 4: from skyrocketing. So I tell my constituents, I'm fighting to
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  Speaker 4: get that vote to extend those tax credits, which will
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  Speaker 4: help tens of thousand the folks here in Virginia and
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  Speaker 4: the community that I represent, and millions across the country.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Congressome James Walkinshaw, thank you so much for
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  Speaker 1: your time, sir, and happy holidays.