Morning Wire - Epstein Files Firestorm & U.S. Retaliation Strikes ISIS | 12.22.25

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

A heavily-redacted Epstein document dump revives questions about his associates—including Bill Clinton, the U.S. wallops ISIS targets in Syria while the Venezuelan oil blockade continues, and TPUSA���s AmericaFest wraps with fireworks. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. - - - Ep. 2549 - - - Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 - - - Today's Sponsors: Balance of Nature - Go to https://balanceofnature.com/pages/lock-in-for-life for 50% off the Whole Health System FOR LIFE with this limited-time offer! Chevron - Build a brighter future right here at home. Visit https://Chevron.com/America to discover more. Shopify - Go to https://Shopify.com/morningwire to sign up for your $1-per-month trial period and upgrade your selling today. - - - Privacy Policy: https://www.dailywire.com/privacy morning wire,morning wire podcast,the morning wire podcast,Georgia Howe,John Bickley,daily wire podcast,podcast,news podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The DOJ's Epstein Files release sets off a firestorm on both sides of the aisle and even prompts a response from Bill Clinton. I didn't notice that kind of reaction when they put out pictures of President Trump from the Epstein estate that were out of context. Why were hundreds of pages blacked out? And what's next in the Epstein political battle? I'm Daily Wire, Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, December 22nd. This is Morning Wire. I ordered a massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great patriots last week, and it was very successful. It was precision. The U.S. launches retaliatory strikes in Syria after an ISIS attack and seizes another Venezuelan tanker. And Turning Point USA's jam-packed and at times contentious Amfest wraps up with a bang.

Together, we can fulfill the promise of the greatest nation in the history of the earth. Christmas, my friends. Let's keep fighting. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know. Getting a wide variety of whole food ingredients into my diet is key for me, and our sponsor, Balance of Nature's Whole Health System makes it simple. With their convenient blend of fruits and vegetables and easy to take capsules, I can ensure that I'm getting essential nutrients every day without the hassle of prep work or meal planning. It's an easy way to support my wellness goals while maintaining a busy lifestyle. Balance of Nature's Whole Health System supplements

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I personally love the convenience of the tablets, but most of all, I like how I feel when I use them. New and existing customers can get 50% off the whole health system for life with this limited time offer. Head over to balance of nature.com to claim. The Justice Department has begun publishing thousands of pages of material tied to its investigations into Jeffrey Epstein. But the rollout has sparked immediate controversy with claims of heavy redaction and missing files. Joining us with the latest is Daily Wire Culture Reporter Megan Begson. Asham, hey, Megan, so a lot of people pouring over all of these files that were just released. First, can you walk us through what exactly has been released so far?

Yeah, John. So thanks to the Epstein Files Transparency Act that was passed just last month, the DOJ has now released an initial batch of over 13,000 files. These include investigative materials, grand jury transcripts from cases that were adjudicated in the early 2000s, also police reports, flight logs, handwritten phone messages. and the headline makers dozens of photographs. So much of this material was already public from prior lawsuits or congressional releases,

but we do have some new items, like a 1996 complaint from artist Maria Farmer, and that alleges that Epstein possessed and distributed child pornography involving her underage sisters. And then there's also more detailed victim testimonies describing recruitment and abuse that was facilitated by Gillane McClure.

So some new material but no blockbuster client list then? Right. Unfortunately not. Basically, I would say what these documents do is reinforce what we already knew. Epstein and Maxwell recruited underage girls for sexual massages that often escalated. They paid them hundreds of dollars and they used threats to silence them. In one grand jury testimony we have from 2007 describes a recruiter bringing in seven to 10 high school girls, including a 14-year-old. old girl. So crucially, we do have to note that the DOJ has stated that these files contain

no evidence warranting new investigations or charges. Let's talk about the high profile names involved. Both Bill Clinton and Donald Trump have long been linked to Epstein socially. They both appear in these files. What's the context there? Yeah, those photos are definitely what's making the most news. And several undated images show Bill Clinton with Epstein. In one, he's shirtless in a hot tub with someone whose face is blacked out, but is described by the DOJ as a victim. Another shows him swimming with Maxwell and others. One shows him on a plane with a young woman draped over him. Once again, her identity is redacted.

So all of this led CNN commentator Scott Jennings to say that he thinks these should really be called the Clinton files. Regarding Bill Clinton, I'm sorry to tell you, the reason that Bill Clinton's pictures in the Epstein files is because this has always been a story about Bill Clinton in 19. Donald Trump. We should call it the Clinton files, not the Epstein files. But Clinton's spokesperson said that he cut ties with Epstein before these crimes were widely known. Now, for President Trump's part, despite a lot of viral claims that you may see circulating on social media, I would say that his mentions are fairly minimal. There's a handwritten phone message noting a missed call from him.

There's also a book of his on Epstein's shelf. And one photo that was initially released, but later removed from the DOJ site until they put it back, saying that they determined that it didn't reveal any victim identities. It shows a desk with an open drawer with pictures, including Trump with Epstein, Melania Trump, and Maxwell. And then there was also another photo of Trump surrounded by women, but, you know, we want to stress these were adult women in the photo. No documents accuse Trump or Clinton of sexual misconduct or knowledge of Epstein's crimes,

and the same does go for a lot of other. celebrities that we see in these photos, people like Bill Gates, for example. But we should note there has been a lot of criticism of files disappearing from the website, hundreds of pages fully redacted. What's the explanation from the administration for that? Yeah, you're hearing a lot of critics saying that the DOJ violated the law by not releasing everything at once. So over 680 pages are completely blacked out, and at least 15 images, some that are related to Trump, vanished from the site overnight. Senate Democrats are accusing the DOJ of trying to protect Trump here, but Deputy Attorney General

Todd Blanche has strongly denied that. He said that these redactions are to protect the over 1,200 victim identities. The White House, meanwhile, is also pushing back hard. They say this is unprecedented transparency more than any other prior administration, and that these rolling releases are necessary due to the sheer volume of records and to protect victims. But that said, there are still hundreds of thousands of records under review, and those are still going to be released on a rolling basis in the coming weeks. So we could be learning more in the near future. And we'll certainly be keeping an eye on that. Megan,

thank you so much for reporting. Yep, my pleasure. America is built on hard work and powered by American energy. Chevron has spent $44 billion with local businesses across all 50 states since 2022, fueling infrastructure and communities, all while strengthening local economies. Last year, Chevron increased U.S. production nearly 20 percent, powering communities and businesses from the heartlands to the coast. We're helping to fuel America's energy advantage, building a brighter future right here at home. Visit chevron.com slash America to discover more. President Trump has followed through on his promise to avenge three Americans killed in Syria last week, carrying out dozens of strikes against ISIS in Syria.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has seized another Venezuelan tanker. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about the U.S. strikes, plus the latest from Venezuela. So, Tim, first off, what happened in Syria? Right. Well, Trump promised that anybody who targets Americans would be hit harder than you have ever been hit before. Obviously, the president has a hyperbolic way of speaking, but then you look at what happened Friday and you understand what Trump warned about. These were significant strikes. The U.S. military, with some help from Jordan, hit 70-plus ISIS targets across Syria. An early report from a Syria monitoring group said that at least five ISIS terrorists were killed.

That number could climb, but even if that's all, the destruction of ISIS infrastructure was extensive. That includes munitions, supplies, hideouts. And as a reminder, this was because a gunman that killed two U.S. service members and one American civilian translator last week. So was it proportional? Probably not. But the underlying message from the administration is that proportionality isn't the point. Rather, the point is that anyone who wants to attack an American should be prepared to suffer drastic consequences. Despite the scope of the retaliation, war secretary Pete Hegseth tamped down fears that this could lead to a wider conflict.

Hexeth said on X, quote, this is not the beginning of a war. It is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America under President Trump's leadership will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people. Now, Syria's president and President Trump had been attempting to normalize relations. he had just visited the president at the White House. What does this attack mean for that relationship? Yeah, Trump made it a point on truth social on Friday that Syrian president Ahmed al-Shara is still okay with the White House.

Trump said, quote, the government of Syria led by a man who is working very hard to bring greatness back to Syria is fully in support. The Syrian government released its own statement on Saturday that reaffirmed the government's support for stamping out ISIS in that it invites the United States to support these efforts in a manner that contributes to the protection of civilians, and the restoration of security and stability in the region.

But there are also a lot of complications in this region that are worth noting, such as Al-Shara's background is riddled with its own connections to terrorism. And it's the same case with its government. The man who killed the Americans and set off this retaliation from the United States was apparently a member of Syrian security forces, though Syrian officials have said that that man was under scrutiny and was probably soon to be fired because of his extremist views. Now, as we mentioned at the top, the U.S. military continues to carry out operations against Venezuela,

which itself has a connection to terrorism. What's the latest on that front? Yeah, we've had another tanker seized, and this as the president continues to ramp up his pressure campaign. Here's Daily Wire reporter Ginny Ter with the latest on that. It's part of the president's new blockade to stop the sanctioned vessels from going in and out of Venezuela and concealing their whereabouts in order to circumvent legal restrictions. The vessel known as Bella One was sanctioned by the U.S. for allegedly moving cargo to line the pockets of U.S. designated terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Iran's IRGC. Now, that was after Trump spoke to NBC News last week and said that war with Venezuela isn't off the table.

Now, this could just be another pressure tactic. But from the standpoint of Venezuela and dictator Nicolas Maduro, he may be at least a little concern that Trump might be serious about this. No doubt. Tim, thanks for reporting. Good to be on. Turning Point USA's Big Annual Conference America Fest had more eyes than ever this year, as organizers set out to honor its founder Charlie Kirk and give the stage to the most influential voices in the conservative movement. Joining us now to discuss is Daily Wire reporter Amanda Presta Giacomo. Morning Amanda.

So there were obviously some pretty explosive moments at this event and Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro certainly played his part there. But let's start big picture. Our team was on the ground there. What was the energy, the app, atmosphere like at the event? Well, first of all, this was a truly massive event, surely the most well-attended and streamed Amfest ever. And the energy matched that. As you noted, John, we had our DC team hosting a marathon live stream event all four days. And our two lead hosts were DC Bureau Chief Tim Rice and White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olaihan. We asked some about the energy at the event. Here's what Tim told us. It has been an absolutely electric few days here in Phoenix. Of course, the headlines and the conversation on Twitter is all about the fiery speech. we've seen on the main stage. But in the crowd at the conference, everyone was just having a blast, engaging in friendly conversation, really taking time to honor Charlie's legacy and get excited about the future of the conservative movement and the Republican Party. Now, the final day was really hyped up by organizers and it didn't disappoint.

What did we see yesterday? Yeah, yesterday was insane. It was very much turning point. It was very Charlie Kirk. Erica Kirk brought out rapper Nikki Minaj on stage. She's been speaking out about Christian persecution. abroad and praising the Trump administration, Minaj earned big applause and her remarks really resonated with the crowd.

Here she is. We're going to stay joyful and peaceful and iconic and smart. And we're going to stay thinkers in a world that doesn't want us to think. There was also a very well-rece speech from Vice President J.D. Vance. He's loved at Turning Point. During the conference, Erica actually endorsed Vance for a 2028 run. And finally, the biggest of all names, President Trump called in, and he really revved up the crowd.

I just want to say that nobody did more for me than Charlie, and there's nobody better than Erica, and you are the greatest people in Earth. We won in a landslide, and we're going to continue to do it. Now, we mentioned some of the fireworks from the weekend. Charlie Kirk's vision for the event was in part to bring together conservatives across the spectrum. But he and TPSA also stressed that conservatives need to be clear about what they believed. Those issues were major themes from the start. Tell us about that. Right. The issue of where conservatives draw the line on things like platforming neo-Nazis or pushing

conspiracies, including ones aimed at Turning Point, became a major theme of the event from day one when Ben Shapiro spoke. He specifically cited Candice Owens pushing conspiracy theories, suggesting people in Turning Point, even Erica Kirk, were somehow, quote, complicit in covering up the supposed truth about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. These false claims, Shapiro said, must be called out by conservatives. The people who refuse to condemn Candace's truly vicious attacks, and some of them are speaking here, are guilty of cowardice. Shapiro also outlined obligations that conservatives owe their audiences.

We who speak to people on a regular basis, who have a microphone and an audience, we have duties to you, the duty to speak the truth, the duty to speak from principle, not personal, feeling, the duty to take responsibility for our own actions, the duty to provide you with evidence to do more than conspiracize or just ask questions, and the duty to posit real solutions. And if we fail in those duties, you shouldn't listen to us. Notably, Owens was not invited to the event. But Shapiro's reference to the people speaking at Amphes did cause a stir to say the least. He specifically named Tucker Carlson and Megan Kelly and also slammed Steve Bannon. All three of them did go on to speak and unsurprisingly criticize Shapiro,

claiming he was calling for censorship and deplatforming, though Kelly did say that she wants Owens to move on from Turning Point in Erica Kirk. Now, while there was some drama, there was also a lot of unity at the event. And it seems right to give Erica Kirk the last word on this here. She remarked on some of the contentious moments when she took the stage on Friday after Megan Kelly and Jack Posobic discussed Shapiro's speech. Well, say what you want about Amfest,

but it's definitely not boring. Feels like a Thanksgiving dinner where your family's hashing out the family business. And she's certainly right, too, that this event was not boring. It had a little bit of everything. Yeah, it did. Amanda, thanks for reporting.

You're welcome. Before you go, we have some programming notes. As we start the Christmas holidays, we're going to be changing up a few things for the next week or two. We won't have evening wires, but we will continue to offer fresh content every morning, including our regular news show for the first half of this week,

followed by some original interviews and special episodes during the holiday. And as always, if there is a massive breaking news story, we won't hesitate to drop a special episode. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back tomorrow morning with the news you need to know. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Running a small business is anything but small. For business owners, it's all consuming from day one.

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