Epstein Questions, Clinton Silence: How a Refused Deposition Triggered Contempt Proceedings (1/13/26)

In his interview with the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, Alex Acosta repeatedly framed the 2007–2008 Epstein non-prosecution agreement as a constrained, pragmatic decision made under pressure rather than a deliberate act of favoritism. He told inspectors that Epstein’s defense team, stacked with politically connected and aggressive lawyers, created what he described as a credible threat of a federal indictment collapse if prosecutors pushed too hard. Acosta emphasized that his office believed securing some conviction at the state level was better than risking none at all, and he claimed he was focused on avoiding a scenario where Epstein walked entirely. Throughout the interview, Acosta leaned heavily on the idea that the deal was the product of risk assessment, limited evidence, and internal prosecutorial judgment rather than corruption or improper influence, repeatedly asserting that he acted in good faith.At the same time, the OIG interview exposed glaring gaps and evasions in Acosta’s account, particularly regarding victims’ rights and transparency. He acknowledged that victims were not informed about the existence or finalization of the NPA, but attempted to downplay this as a procedural failure rather than a substantive violation of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act. Acosta also distanced himself from the unusual secrecy of the agreement, suggesting that others in his office handled victim communications and specific drafting decisions. Most damaging, however, was his inability to offer a coherent justification for why Epstein received terms so extraordinary that they effectively shut down federal accountability altogether. The interview left the unmistakable impression of a former U.S. Attorney attempting to launder an indefensible outcome through bureaucratic language, while avoiding responsibility for a deal that insulated Epstein and his network from meaningful scrutiny for more than a decade.to  contact me:[email protected]:EFTA00009229.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

Congressional leaders are now moving to hold former President Bill Clinton in contempt of Congress after he refused to appear for a subpoenaed deposition in the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his network. The committee, led by Republican Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), had subpoenaed Clinton last year along with others to answer questions about his relationship with Epstein; Clinton’s deposition was rescheduled multiple times, and when he failed to appear on the most recent date set for January 13, the panel announced it will next week begin contempt proceedings against him. The contempt action stems from his refusal to comply with a bipartisan subpoena that the committee says was lawfully authorized, and Comer’s office issued a statement emphasizing that the committee had repeatedly offered opportunities for him to testify before moving forward with this rare enforcement measure. If the committee’s contempt resolution is approved by the full House, it could then be referred to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution, with contempt of Congress carrying potential fines and even imprisonmentto contact me:[email protected]:House GOP seeks to hold Bill Clinton in contempt for skipping Epstein depositionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

In recent days Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States and veteran Labour peer, has made a notable reversal in his stance regarding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. After initially refusing in a high-profile BBC interview to apologise directly to Epstein’s survivors — instead expressing regret for systemic failures that left victims unheard while insisting he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes and not personally culpable — Mandelson has since issued a clear public apology for continuing his association with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction. In his updated statement, he said he was “wrong to believe him following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards,” and offered an unequivocal apology to the women and girls who suffered. While he maintains he did not witness Epstein’s abuse or know the full extent of his crimes, Mandelson acknowledged that victims did know what was happening, and expressed sorrow that he had once believed Epstein’s denials.This apology marks a significant shift from his earlier remarks, which sparked widespread outrage and political consequences — including his dismissal as ambassador after undisclosed emails showing a much deeper, supportive friendship with Epstein came to light. Mandelson’s u-turn reflects growing pressure and criticism over his past behaviour, as he now seeks to address the pain of survivors rather than primarily defending his own reputation. The reversal also comes amid broader debates in the UK about accountability among elites who maintained ties with Epstein post-conviction, and follow-up calls for further scrutiny of Mandelson’s conduct during his career.to contact me:[email protected]:Lord Mandelson apologises to victims of Jeffrey Epstein | The IndependentBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

Leon Black’s response to being named in the Epstein survivors’ lawsuit against Bank of America follows a familiar and well-worn script: recast himself as collateral damage rather than a powerful figure who knowingly remained in Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit long after Epstein’s crimes were public. Through statements and court filings, Black has framed his inclusion in the lawsuit as unfair, misleading, and opportunistic, arguing that he is not accused of committing abuse and that his name is being dragged into litigation simply because of his wealth and past association with Epstein. He presents himself as someone who was deceived by Epstein, emphasizing that he severed ties once he claims to have understood the full scope of Epstein’s conduct and portraying his financial dealings as unrelated to trafficking or exploitation. In this telling, Black is not a beneficiary of Epstein’s system, but a bystander whose reputation is being harmed by guilt-by-association.What this framing carefully avoids is the core allegation raised by survivors: that powerful men like Black, through continued financial engagement and personal access, helped legitimize Epstein, sustain his influence, and enable the broader machinery that allowed abuse to continue unchecked. Survivors and their attorneys argue that Black’s claim of victimhood rings hollow given the years of documented payments, meetings, and post-conviction contact, all of which occurred in an environment where Epstein’s criminal history was widely known. The lawsuit does not need to accuse Black of direct abuse to implicate him in the ecosystem that protected Epstein; it is precisely his power, credibility, and money that made that ecosystem possible. By casting himself as the injured party, Black attempts to flip the moral gravity of the case, shifting attention away from the survivors’ claims and toward his own reputational harm—an inversion that many see as emblematic of how elite figures have repeatedly insulated themselves from accountability in the Epstein scandal.to contact me:[email protected]:Billionaire Leon Black Fires Back at Epstein Victim's Bankrolling ClaimsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

For months, and most aggressively in its final public posture, the Department of Justice told the public that Jeffrey Epstein acted alone, that there were no co-conspirators worth pursuing, and that the case was effectively closed because the evidence led nowhere else. That claim was presented as the product of exhaustive investigation, a sober conclusion reached after following every lead. But the unsealed Epstein files expose that narrative as a manufactured endpoint, not a factual one. The DOJ’s public insistence that Epstein was a lone predator directly contradicts its own internal records, which show prosecutors and investigators repeatedly discussing other individuals, logistical facilitators, and potential co-conspirators. These weren’t vague references or speculative names. The emails reveal active consideration of witnesses who could implicate others, debates over how far the investigation should go, and deliberate choices to narrow the scope of exposure. In public, the DOJ spoke in absolutes. In private, they spoke in contingencies. That gap is the story.The newly unsealed emails make clear that the absence of co-conspirators was not a discovery, it was a decision. Prosecutors expressed concern about expanding the case, about the consequences of naming or charging others, and about preserving agreements that would collapse under scrutiny if the full picture came out. Internal communications reference ongoing leads, cooperation strategies, and awareness that Epstein’s crimes required infrastructure and assistance, yet none of that translated into indictments or even transparent explanations. Instead, the DOJ retroactively sold inaction as resolution. By the time officials told the public there was “no evidence” of co-conspirators, their own records showed they had stopped looking long before the evidence ran out. The unsealed emails don’t just undermine the DOJ’s claim, they obliterate it. What was framed as a lack of proof was, in reality, a lack of will, and the insistence that Epstein operated alone now reads less like a conclusion and more like a cover story built to survive public scrutiny rather than judicial review.to  contact me:[email protected]:EFTA00037366.pdfBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

The great lie of the Epstein scandal isn’t just what he did, but how the powerful around him suddenly claimed they couldn’t remember him at all. Presidents, princes, billionaires, academics, bankers, and celebrities who once courted his money and shared his jets all reached for the same script when the walls closed in: I barely knew him. It was a coordinated act of survival, not an accident. Institutions like Harvard, MIT, Deutsche Bank, and JP Morgan played the same game, pretending they never saw the red flags. Legacy media, instead of hammering the contradictions, often published these denials straight, allowing amnesia to masquerade as truth. Forgetting became strategy, and strategy became cover.But memory leaves evidence. Flight logs, photographs, donations, and testimonies remain, and every denial only underscores the complicity of those who looked away. The survivors don’t get to forget; they live with scars while the powerful rewrite history. What the amnesia act reveals is cowardice: a willingness to erase reality to protect reputation. Epstein built his empire on memory, yet his circle tried to survive through erasure. In the end, their denials brand them more deeply than their associations ever could—because the attempt to forget is itself proof they remembered perfectly well.to contact me:[email protected] a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

At the Capitol press conference, Epstein survivors delivered a blunt, unified message: the federal government has failed them repeatedly, and symbolic gestures are no longer acceptable. Standing alongside advocates and lawmakers, survivors described years of being ignored, sidelined, and excluded from decisions that directly affected their lives and their cases. They spoke about the non-prosecution agreement, the secrecy surrounding it, and the continued refusal by the DOJ to fully acknowledge or remedy the harm caused by its own misconduct. The press conference was not framed as a plea for sympathy, but as a demand for accountability. Survivors emphasized that transparency laws and victims’ rights mean nothing if the DOJ can violate them without consequence. They made clear that Epstein’s death did not end the crimes, did not erase co-conspirators, and did not absolve the government of its duty to pursue the truth. The setting of the Capitol was deliberate, underscoring that this was not just a legal failure, but a systemic one that required congressional oversight and intervention.Several survivors used the moment to call out what they described as performative concern from federal officials, contrasting public statements about victim advocacy with years of private indifference. They criticized the DOJ for slow-walking disclosures, over-redacting files, and framing Epstein as a lone offender despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Family members and advocates stressed that justice delayed has functioned as justice denied, allowing powerful figures to escape scrutiny while survivors were forced to relive their trauma in courtrooms and press cycles. The press conference ended with clear demands: full enforcement of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, independent oversight of the DOJ’s handling of Epstein-related matters, and a real commitment to pursuing anyone who enabled or participated in the abuse. The tone was resolute and unsparing. Survivors made it clear they were no longer asking to be heard. They were insisting that the government finally be held to the same standards it claims to enforce.to contact me:[email protected] a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

Epstein survivors have been consistent and unambiguous in their message: the Department of Justice has ignored them at every critical juncture, treating their trauma as an inconvenience rather than a legal and moral obligation. From the original non-prosecution agreement to the latest file releases, survivors have said they were sidelined, excluded, and spoken about only after decisions were already made behind closed doors. They have repeatedly pointed out that the DOJ failed to meaningfully consult them, failed to inform them in real time, and failed to honor their rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act. Instead of transparency, they were met with silence. Instead of accountability, they were given procedural excuses. Survivors have said the DOJ’s posture has felt less like a pursuit of justice and more like damage control, where institutional reputation took priority over truth. Each time the government claimed the matter was resolved or closed, survivors were left watching from the outside, knowing that key questions remained unanswered and powerful people remained untouched. The message they say they received was simple and brutal: your pain is acknowledged rhetorically, but it will not shape outcomes.Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s family has echoed those same criticisms, especially in the aftermath of Epstein’s death and the DOJ’s repeated declarations that the case was effectively over. They have said the government’s actions amounted to erasure, not resolution, and that closing the case without fully pursuing co-conspirators or exposing the full scope of Epstein’s network compounded the original injustice. The family has argued that the DOJ framed Epstein as a lone offender precisely to avoid reckoning with its own past failures and the complicity of others. In public statements, they have described feeling shut out of the process, ignored when raising concerns, and dismissed when demanding accountability beyond Epstein himself. For them, the DOJ’s conduct didn’t just fail to deliver justice, it actively reopened wounds by signaling that institutional convenience mattered more than survivor voices. Taken together, the survivors’ statements paint a picture of a justice system that listened just enough to say it cared, but not enough to change course, confront its own misconduct, or deliver the full truth they have been asking for all along.to contact me:[email protected] a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

Jeffrey Epstein’s connection to Leon Botstein centers on Epstein’s financial ties to Bard College, where Botstein has served as longtime president. Epstein donated money to Bard and was involved in academic-adjacent circles that Botstein occupied, part of Epstein’s broader strategy of embedding himself in elite educational and cultural institutions to launder his reputation. Like Harvard, MIT, and other universities that later faced scrutiny over their acceptance of Epstein-linked funds, Bard benefited from Epstein’s patronage during a period when his criminal conduct was either minimized or quietly ignored by many in elite circles. Epstein’s presence in these environments was not incidental. He used universities as credibility engines, allowing him to mingle with influential intellectuals, donors, and policymakers under the guise of philanthropy and intellectual curiosity.to contact me:[email protected] a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

Jeffrey Epstein’s relationship with elements of the Saudi royal family has long hovered in the background of the scandal, rarely explored with the seriousness it deserves. Epstein moved easily within elite Gulf circles during the 1990s and early 2000s, cultivating relationships with Saudi businessmen, royals, and intelligence-adjacent figures under the same vague cover he used everywhere else: finance, philanthropy, and “advising” powerful people. His access was not casual. Epstein traveled repeatedly to Saudi Arabia, hosted Saudi nationals at his properties, and was known to facilitate introductions between Middle Eastern elites and Western political and financial figures. As with many of his relationships, the exact nature of the services he provided remains opaque, but the pattern is familiar: proximity to power, insulation from scrutiny, and an ability to operate across borders with little interference from U.S. authorities.The most disturbing and concrete piece of evidence tying Epstein to Saudi state-level protection surfaced after his 2019 arrest, when law enforcement discovered he was in possession of a Saudi passport. The passport listed a false name but included his photograph, raising immediate red flags about who issued it, why it existed, and how Epstein obtained it. This was not a novelty item or souvenir. Saudi passports are tightly controlled state documents, and possession of one by a non-citizen under an alias strongly suggests official facilitation rather than private forgery. Epstein claimed he used it for travel in the Middle East, yet no serious public accounting has ever been given for how a convicted sex offender and alleged intelligence-linked financier ended up holding sovereign identity documents from a foreign monarchy. Like so much of the Epstein story, the discovery was quickly noted, then quietly sidelined, leaving unanswered questions about foreign intelligence ties, diplomatic cover, and how deep Epstein’s international protection network truly went.to contact me:[email protected] a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.