The MeidasTouch Podcast - Trump’s Dark Past Surfaces at Worst Possible Time

Episode Date: January 24, 2026

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s dark past surfacing at the worst time for him as he begs for favors from his old Attorney General Bill Barr and as he tries other ways to distract and deflect that are all failing. NOBL gives you real travel peace of mind — security, design, and convenience all in one. Head to https://NOBLTravel.com for 46% off your entire order! #NOBL #ad Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump's depraved dark past is surfacing and Donald Trump is freaking out and trying to cover up. So Donald Trump goes to his old playbook. Who does he bring in? Bill Barr, his former attorney general who covered up the Mueller report and put out all of those lies to preempt the Mueller report. Bill Barr, who found out about egregious behavior of Donald Trump in Italy and then covered that up and squashed. investigations arising out of the Mueller report. Yep, Bill Barr penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal defending Donald Trump and the DOJ. Donald Trump going right into his old playbook. I'll talk about that in a moment. But part of that playbook, again, the utter deceit and treachery and double

speak of the authoritarian, while Donald Trump and his DOJ are clearly covering up right now a child sex trafficking ring folks these are peto protectors Donald Trump and the entire MAGA GOP you know what Donald Trump did at the end of this week and what he posted he posted that he signed into law a trafficking survivor's relief act while he's covering up a child sex trafficking ring notably he did not hold a press conference for the signing of this law which he's done uh every other major law that he signed, and this is a major one. But notice there was no press around this one. It was a bipartisan bill, the Trafficking Survivor's Relief Act, that he signed. But he did post it on social media. He goes from the White House account. President Trump has signed the Trafficking

Survivor's Relief Act to help victims of human trafficking reclaim their lives. This law allows victims to file motions to vacate their convictions and expunge their arrest records for certain criminal offenses. I think we all view that law as something positive. But the fact that Donald Trump is using it to say, look, I'm Stan with the victims of sex trafficking while he's covering up a child sex trafficking ring is utterly despicable in my mind. Also, you have California Governor Gavin Newsom as Donald Trump was attacking him posting this. AI image of Donald Trump signing that 50th birthday letter that Donald Trump signed for Jeffrey Epstein back in 2003 that the Wall Street Journal reported on. But talking about the Wall Street

Journal, just still owned by Rupert Murdoch, you have Bill Barr, Donald Trump's former attorney general, wrote the following op-ed to help Donald Trump cover up his dark past. This is what Bill Barr just published on Friday. Why Pam Bondi didn't publish all the Epstein files in the 30 days. The answer is simple. It was not possible. Let me read for you what Bill Barr says, and then let me very quickly debunk it for you. Bill Barr goes, House Democrats aided by a handful of misguided Republicans, forced passage of the Epstein Transparency Act in November. Let's pause there. Misguided? What is misguided about the fact that the Trump regime said they would release the files? They said they were on Pam Bondi's desk back in February. They said they were on. They

had 1,000 DOJ and FBI officials working overtime, I might add, from March to May, claiming they were reviewing the files, and then they lied about it to try to cover it all up. What is misguided about transparency when it comes to child sex trafficking, Bill Barr? Then Bill Barr goes, the statute, by the way, didn't Bill Barr's dad was like the dean of the school where Epstein worked at? Anyway, Bill Barr goes on to say, the statute directed attorney general to release publicly an electronic form with certain redactions, all unclassified materials related to the Jeffrey Epstein case within 30 days. This has required review of more than 5 million pages of material.

In linear feet, more than three times the height of the Washington Monument, Ms. Bondi and her team at the Justice Department have done a commendable job. Contrary to the fulmination of critics, they have faithfully implemented the laws as expeditiously as possible, given the Herculean effort in VAL. They've released 1%. They could be releasing documents on what's called a rolling basis in batches of 50,000 or 100,000. As they review 50, make the redactions, make it public, they're not doing that. Also, we know that Pambandi and Cash Patel tip Donald Trump off to the fact that his name appeared in it multiple times in very bad ways back in May. Also, Pam Bondi said that they were reviewing this back in February.

and it was on her desk. And they have 1,000 lawyers reviewing this from March to May of 2025. And they claim they have 500 lawyers who have been reviewing it recently. So they have 1,500 to 2,000 lawyers and FBI agents going through one case of 5 million documents. Don't try to deceive people, Bill Barr. When I was a litigator and I, you deceive people for your whole life, Bill Barr, you're despicable. But when I was a litigator and I handled cases that have, at five, seven terabytes, which is more than the linear size

that you just listed with the less electronic discovery software back then, less technologically significant software back then. It took me and a team of five associates about 60 to 75 days to go through all of the files of five to seven terabytes. And you may go, well, the Epstein law was 30 days. The issue about the Epstein Transparency Act,

was that Bondi said she had it on her desk in February, then March, then April, then May, then June, then July, then August, then September, then October, then November, then December. They basically had a full year to go about the spellbar. So stop acting like this was just 30 days. Okay. And there were previous document reviews done by SDNY and by the Southern District of Florida. It wasn't like this DOJ had to review it for the first time.

Oh, wait, they fired everybody who was involved in the Epstein case as part of their cover-up, so they had nobody working at the DOJ, who even knew the files, because Trump wanted to fire Maureen Comey, James Comey's daughter, who was the lead prosecutor against Epstein and Geelaine. But I digress. It goes on to say, this has required review of more than 5 million pages, more taller than the Washington Monument. So what? Stop acting like that. That's not a lot of documents in the legal world for people who handle big document productions.

Ms. Bondi and her team at the Justice Department have done a commendable job in release the first installment of documents in December, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche noted that the practical demands of the review process made it impossible to release all materials within 30 days. He said the department was working as fast as possible and would release the rest of the files on a rolling basis. Well, right there, let me fact check you. A rolling basis means rolling basis. If that was the case, why not every day? 50,000 documents, 50,000 documents, 25,000 documents, Heck, 5,000 documents. There hasn't been any documents released over the past three weeks.

More lies, more lies. And then Bill Barr's like, but that wasn't good enough for the critics. Some of whom are claiming that Ms. Bondi has flouted the law. Anyone familiar with the realities of document production of this magnitude would understand the 30-day deadline was patently up reasonable. The upfront work needed to prepare the staggering volume of material for review, collecting everything responsive, uploading it on to the required. platform and promulgating protocols could easily consume most of the 30 days by itself.

Sure, Bill, but you're missing the main point. Bondi said she had all of it on her desk in February. Then they said this review, this process was happening March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November. The reason the law had to be passed was because they had to force the production that the DOJ had already done and said that they completed. That's the thing about this Trump regime and how deceitful. that they are because they try to play people like they're stupid.

And corporate news isn't going to cover it the way that I just did. And it's important that we push back and why I give you the details that I did. But notice that Donald Trump calls in his hatchet man Bill Barr to do that dirty work. Let me just talk to you about what went down this past week, though, where the MAGA Republicans is also as part of their cover-up scheme as Donald Trump's dark pass gets out there is they focus on Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, hold Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton in contempt. Chairman Comer blast the Clinton's unreasonable demands to evade contempt. They believe their last name entitles them to special treatment.

No, release the freaking files. And then we can see who the hierarchy of people who should be deposed. You want to know who's top on the hierarchy before the Clintons, in my view, Gie Lane Maxwell, who now apparently was willing to speak with Todd Blanche, Donald Trump's, former criminal defense attorney turned number two at the Department of Justice, but now she's not going to come in for a deposition or she's going to invoke the Fifth Amendment when she slide through her teeth to Todd Blanche now that she has to come under oath. And by the way, if you want to take a deposition of Clinton, then take the deposition of Donald Trump. Trump's relationship with Epstein was far more

extensive than Clinton. But oh, you just focus on Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. Why? Because your partisan hacks. That's why. And you don't care about the truth. All you care about is using the Oversight Committee, Comer and your ilk to cover up Donald Trump's wrongdoing and his horrible, horrible behavior. By the way, Donald Trump's been found civilly liable of sexual abuse. Donald Trump is on audio bragging that he grabs women by their vaginas without their consent because he's rich and you get away with it. He's on tape bragging about sexually assaulting woman. He's on tape bragging about how he looks at the girls naked during beauty pageants because he inspected them naked and that's what you do when you're the

Inspector of the Beauty Pageant. Sick, sick, depraved stuff. Oh, and then he goes, oh, that wasn't my signature on the letter to Epstein. I never wrote that. Just a time traveler wrote the letter and planted it in the Epstein files. We have all those emails with Epstein and Gilein before Donald Trump was ever in office or running for office, talking about all of Donald Trump's horrific conduct. In real time with them, we know all of this stuff. Before I found Noble, I never really thought about how vulnerable my luggage actually was, but seriously, do you ever think about how easy it is to break into your suitcase? You're constantly leaving it with hotel staff, airline employees, or tossing it in the overhead. And get this, a simple ballpoint pen can pierce most luggage

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Here is what Democratic Congress member Robert, Robert, Garcia had to say play this clip. Taylor Green on this committee reported that Trump told her that he wanted to continue his cover-up because, quote, my friends will get hurt. Donald Trump is leading a White House cover-up right now of the Epstein files. And we all know that Epstein himself said that Donald Trump was his best friend for over 10 years. And it is shameful, illegal, and unconstitutional that the Department of Justice has released 1% of the files. One percent of the files. Where is the pressure to get Pambondi to release the files?

Instead, your focus and the committee's focus on whoever you perceive to be you, your enemies, and the enemies of Donald Trump. Because let's be clear, we want to talk to President Bill Clinton. We want him to answer our questions. We also want Galeen Maxwell to answer our questions. We also want to understand why Pambondi refuses to release all the files. 1% of the files have released, millions have been left, no publications for weeks, that is a crime. And so this White House cover-up continues every single day that the files are not released. And yet, where are those calls, Mr. Comer? You're saying they're complying that is both a lie and shameful.

And here's what Democratic Congress member Walkenshaw from Virginia had to say. And if we're truly serious about justice, we can't ignore one of Epstein's most well-documented associates, President Donald J. Trump. We have documented communications, including a signed birthday note from Donald Trump containing explicit sexual references in referencing wonderful secrets, wonderful secrets between them, emails from Epstein saying that Trump, quote, knew about the girls. Donald Trump acknowledging he knew Epstein was a, quote, creep in that Epstein recruited girls and women from Maralago. Trump saying he wants to cover up the files because, quote, my friends will get hurt. If we're committed to transparency and justice, why is that off limits for this committee?

Why is his name absent? Why no discussion of Attorney General Bondi's refusal to comply for months with this committee subpoena. Why no contempt for Attorney General Bondi? What we're witnessing today is not oversight, it's not accountability. It's part of a cover-up, a diversion. And it didn't start today. Despite clear legal requirements in a law that Donald Trump signed, a subpoena that you signed, Mr. Chairman, and repeated public promises, Attorney General Bondi has failed to release the files. It's entirely within her control, and yet only 1% has been produced more than a month late. And even that sliver is so heavily redacted that it mocks the law.

It mocks the law. And it mocks this committee's subpoena. Let's be honest about the transparency that Attorney General Bondi has provided. This is DOJ Epstein data set number four. It's number four. Data set number four. This is part of the 1% that folks have been talking about this today. I'll close with this. Attorney General Bondi and the Trump administration missed their deadline. They're ignoring our subpoena. They've withheld 99% of the files, and they have obscured the little that they did release. It's not a coincidence. It's intentional. It's about protecting one,

man, Donald J. Trump from accountability. Release the files. I yield back. And here's what Democratic Congress member, Ted Liu from California had to say play this clip. Responsible for helping to ensure the rule of law. Unfortunately, the chairman of this committee ignored a bipartisan congressional subpoena directed at him. His actions have made it harder for this committee and other congressional committees to get witnesses and testimony and damage the rule of law. Now, before I ask questions of Mr. Smith, I just want to make a simple observation. How scared are Republicans of talking about the Epstein files? They are so scared that they literally are calling Jack Smith, the distinguished federal

prosecutor who secured multiple indictments against Donald Trump with multiple felony counts. Republicans would rather talk about the criminality of Donald Trump in stealing, trying to steal an election and trying to stop the peaceful transfer of power, and the criminality of Donald Trump and stealing classified documents of obstructing justice, than about Donald Trump's associations with Jeffrey Epstein and his pedophilia ring. I demand this committee, this chairman and Republicans

to call immediate hearing asking why the Department of Justice is refusing to reliance. least 99% of the upscene files and why the DOJ is violating law right now. And then Donald Trump sends his right-wing sycophants like Scott Jennings this week to do CNN and to try to spread these lies. Hat tip to Lee McGowan, who's on the Midas Touch Network. I think she was channeling all of us right here. Let's play this clip. They should follow the law, but let's not get our knickers in a twist here. Yeah, let's not get our knickers in a twist over child rape.

Why are you talking like that? It's insane. Like, it's insane. The Epstein Files is a multinational, multi-generational child and woman sex trafficking ring. So your attitude right now, you're sort of like, well, Shucks Devil Begone is just horrifying to me. Every woman in the world that is watching this,

why are you acting like you have no idea what's happening here? Scott, this is... He asked me a question about following the law. And what I'm saying to you is your attitude. And they're not following the law. They're 30 days late on following law, and they didn't explain why they redacted the first things in the first place, which they were also supposed to do.

I know. You have a strong opinion about it. I have a strong opinion about it because it is a disgusting policy that they are doing this. They are hiding it. It is not the behavior of innocent people. And everything that is in these files is, it could bring an entire house down.

And if it has to, it has to. If it brings down Republicans, bring them down. If it brings down Republicans, bring them down princes, world leaders, Hollywood people, bring them down. But what it feels like right now is that there's a giant cabal of people that do not have to listen to the law,

do not have to oppose the law, and they were supposed to do something, then they didn't do something, and now they're trying to have a new law that says, we don't even have to do it. And then on CNN, they did a good segment, actually, where they said how, if Donald Trump is trying to cover up the Epstein files

with Greenland, he's not doing a good job. Play this clip. There's been a suggestion among some that one of the things the president is trying to do by focusing on Greenland is maybe to distract from other things. With us now, CNN, Chief, analyst Harry Enton.

So how much are people focused on Greenland opposed to other things? Yeah, okay. So this is the whole idea, John. The President of the United States didn't like the focus on the Epstein files. We're going to change the subject and we're going to go over to Greenland.

And from that perspective, it's work. Look at this, Google searches versus December for the Epstein files down through the floor. Far fewer people are searching for the Epstein files down 72%. Of course, you can't fall any lower than down being 100% versus for Greenland. Look at this.

The highest on record. up like a rocket, almost up 1,600 percent, my goodness gracious. So if the idea was to distract from the Epstein files and focus the American people on something else, it has been a success by that metric. We don't know if that was the goal here. But if it was. If it was. If it was.

Now, how is saying focus on Greenland opposed to the Epstein files in terms of focusing on an issue that's good for you? Yeah, okay. So if this was the idea, right, well, it's a bad idea, politically speaking, Why do I say that? Because take a look here. Trump's not approval rating on the Epstein files. Look at that. Just absolutely awful.

38 points below water. But any try to buy Greenland is somehow even more unpopular. Look at this. It's 40 points below water. There is barely an issue out there that's worse for Donald Trump than the Epstein files, but any attempts to buy Greenland or use military force on Greenland, which even polls worse than this, is one of them.

It is arguably the most unprofit. One popular thing that Donald Trump can try to do is mess with Greenland. So Greenland is polling worse than the Epstein file. You got it. There you have it, folks. We'll keep you posted every step of the way. Hit subscribe. Help us get to 6 million subscribers.

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