Trump’s Epstein Spin Collapses as Kash Patel Buckles Under Questioning

THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent

The New Republic

News, Politics

4.4 • 800 Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As the Jeffrey Epstein scandal has worsened, President Trump’s story has been that it’s all Democratic “hoax,” and that his signature on that lewd drawing in Epstein’s birthday book is a “forgery.” But at a congressional hearing Wednesday, FBI director Kash Patel faltered under intense questioning from Democrats. Patel filibustered when asked whether Trump’s name is in the Epstein files. He seemed to accidentally reveal that he does know how many times Trump’s name appears. And he agreed to investigate whether Trump’s birthday note to Epstein is indeed forged, which seems ill-advised. Patel badly undermined Trump’s whole stance. So how much longer can Trumpworld keep the lid on this? We talked to Nicole Hemmer, a historian who has written books about the right and its media apparatus. She explains the schism Epstein has opened inside MAGA, how Patel exposed Trump’s position as untenable, and how it all fits into the last half-century of right wing deceptions and conspiracy theories. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Daily Blast from the New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.
0:16.5	I'm your host, Greg Sargent.
0:32.1	FBI director Cash Patel testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday,
0:35.4	and he fell apart under tough questioning from Democrats.
0:39.3	His implosion wrecks what's left of the scam that President Trump has been pushing on the Jeffrey Epstein files. In particular, Patel filibustered when asked
0:45.6	questions about whether Trump's name is in the files. He seemed to accidentally reveal that he
0:51.1	does know how many times Trump's name appears in them, and he agreed to
0:55.9	open an investigation into whether Trump's birthday note to Epstein is a forgery, as Trump claimed,
1:01.9	which seems particularly ill-advised. Patel really gave away the game here. How much longer can
1:08.6	MAGA keep the lid on this scandal, and why are MAGA figures going along
1:12.9	with this after spending years demanding transparency on it? We're pondering these questions today
1:18.9	with Nicole Hammer, a historian who has written numerous books about the right and its media
1:23.1	apparatus. Nicole, nice to have you back on. Great to be back with you, Greg.
1:32.3	So MAGA spent years demanding to know what's in the files collected during the criminal investigation into Epstein's sex trafficking ring. And then when Trump put his people in charge
1:37.9	of the Justice Department and they saw the files, they clammed right up. So with that in mind,
1:43.7	listen to this exchange between Democratic
1:45.9	Congressman Eric Swalwell and Cash Patel. Did you ever tell the Attorney General that Donald
1:51.7	Trump's name is in the Epstein files? The Attorney General and I have had numerous discussions
1:55.9	about the entirety of the Epstein files and the reviews conducted by our teens. Did you tell
1:59.9	the Attorney General that Donald Trump's name is in the F.
2:01.6	And we have released where President Trump's name is in the attorney's file.
2:04.6	It's a simple question.
	...

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