Lawrence on Trump DOJ failing to release all Epstein files: Trump can pardon anyone in a cover-up

The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell

Lawrence O'Donnell, MS NOW

Congress, News, Washington, Senate, Versant, Policy, Politics, President, Ms Now, Government, Versant Media

4.4 • 5.9K Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Tonight on The Last Word: Epstein survivors speak out after the Trump Justice Department releases the files. And a KIND Fund scholarship recipient shares her hopes and dreams after she completes her education. Jena-Lisa Jones, Marina Lacerda, Rep. Ro Khanna, and Bradley Edwards join Lawrence O’Donnell.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Well, of course, they are bad at the cover-up.
0:03.2	Donald Trump doesn't have to worry about how well a cover-up of the Epstein files is executed by his Justice Department
0:10.1	because the United States Supreme Court has made Donald Trump the very first president in history
0:14.1	to have immunity from criminal prosecution for anything he does as president of the United States.
0:19.9	Because the Supreme Court
0:21.5	knew that presidential immunity did not exist in the Constitution when Richard Nixon was president.
0:29.5	Republican Richard Nixon knew that he could face criminal prosecution for his cover-up of
0:34.5	the Watergate Burgly and other crimes that he committed while he was president.
0:40.1	And that's why he got a pardon from President Gerald Ford after his vice president,
0:45.3	Gerald Ford became president, after Richard Nixon resigned from the presidency.
0:50.4	Richard Nixon knew he needed that pardon.
0:53.0	Everyone working for Donald Trump knows that they do not have
0:56.4	the same immunity that the Supreme Court gave to Donald Trump and everyone working for Donald Trump
1:00.4	should know that Richard Nixon's White House chief of staff, his White House counsel, his attorney
1:04.5	general, and dozens of other people working for Richard Nixon were convicted of crimes and sent to
1:08.9	prison. And so if you are Donald Trump's criminal
1:11.5	defense lawyer, Todd Blanche, and if you are now managing a cover-up of the Epstein files in your
1:16.6	position as the Trump Deputy Attorney General, you know that only Donald Trump can grant
1:21.6	you immunity from prosecution for anything you do as Deputy Attorney General. Donald Trump
1:26.8	can do that by issuing a blanket
1:29.2	pardon to everyone working for him that would, in effect, give them the same immunity Donald
1:34.1	Trump already knows that he has. And so Donald Trump's Attorney General and Donald Trump's
	...

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