00:00from Tennessee is recognized. Thank you. I'd like to introduce for the record a letter
00:04a letter to Director Gabbard from Mr. Warner and Mr. Himes and a letter of response from her to
00:15them about who invited her to Atlanta and a copy of the search warrant. And I'd also like to just
00:21make clear for the record the reason people in Memphis weren't going out was because the ice
00:25was on the ground and we were afraid we'd fall. But other than that, we go out all the time.
00:31Gentlemen, without objection, the gentlelady from Vermont is recognized.
00:36Thank you, Mr. Chair. Attorney General Bondi, according to your department, a child is sexually
00:41abused in the United States every nine minutes and the vast majority of survivors never get justice.
00:48And that's one of the reasons why I think the Epstein case has resonated so deeply with so
00:53many Americans. And the other reason, I think, is because it has revealed a two-tiered system of
00:58justice. And the powerful are protected and the survivors rarely get any accountability.
01:05And the Epstein files contain evidence of a multi-decade international criminal conspiracy
01:11involving some of the wealthiest and the most powerful people in the world. There's evidence
01:17of financial crimes, political corruption, sex trafficking, and of course, horrible sexual
01:22abuse. And I want to remind everybody, this isn't a game. These are real people, people who have
01:30suffered, who are sitting here with us today. And they deserve answers, and they deserve accountability.
01:37And I'm here to try to get some for them. Now, I've seen some of the unredacted Epstein files.
01:43And obviously, as you know, President Trump's name is all over them. But so are the names of other
01:48senior Trump officials. Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce. John Phelan, the Secretary of the Navy.
01:54And Stephen Feinberg, the Deputy Secretary of Defense. These men were appointed by President Trump
02:00to senior positions in his administration. All of them have clear and confirmed ties to Jeffrey
02:07Epstein. Attorney General Bondi, yes or no, has the Justice Department asked Secretary Lutnick about his
02:15ties to Epstein? Excuse me. Secretary Lutnick has addressed those ties himself. I'm asking you,
02:24has the Justice Department specifically asked Secretary Lutnick about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein?
02:31He has addressed those ties himself. Has the DOJ asked Secretary Phelan about his ties to Jeffrey
02:39Epstein? I don't know whether he has addressed those or not. Has the Deputy Secretary, has Deputy
02:44Secretary Feinberg talked to the Department of Justice about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein?
02:53Yes or no? Has the Department of Justice talked to Secretary, Deputy Secretary Feinberg about his ties
02:59to Jeffrey Epstein, which are clearly spelled out in the files. It's a very simple question. It's not
03:04a trick question. I'm just asking you. Yeah, I'm stunned that you want to continue talking about
03:10Oh my gosh. Okay, I'm recording my time. I'm asking you not a trick question, a simple question.
03:18Okay, so what is clear is we have evidence. Do you know who Chris Malin is?
03:22We have evidence that three senior officials within the Trump administration have ties to Jeffrey
03:29Epstein. And what I can conclude... What does ties mean? I can conclude from what you are saying
03:34that you have not talked to them. What does ties mean? Can you define that? I think Americans would
03:39be shocked to learn that you are not interested in talking with these officials who have ties to
03:47Jeffrey Epstein. Across the world, prominent men who've been exposed in the files have resigned
03:55their jobs in disgrace. And that's a good first start. And that same standard... Disgrace is not
04:00saying the word Chris Malin. This same standard should apply here. And Americans want accountability.
04:06Who is Chris Malin? Was the president aware... Who was he? Please stop talking. It is not your time
04:12time to ask questions. Who was he? It is not your time. I'm reclaiming my time, Mr. Chair. One second.
04:16Time belongs to the General A from Vermont. Was the president aware of Secretary Lutnik's ties to Epstein
04:22when he chose him to lead the Department of Commerce? Was he aware? Chris Malin was a border patrol agent.
04:30Okay, so I'm going to conclude that the president, in fact, did know about his ties because he was the
04:36next-door neighbor. Shame on you. Oh, for goodness sakes. This is pathetic. This is pathetic, Mr. Chair.
04:43The committee will be in order. I am not asking trick questions here. The American people have a right to
04:49know
04:49the answers to this. These are senior officials in the Trump administration. This is not a game, Secretary.
04:57I'm Attorney General. My apologies. I couldn't tell.
05:03By 2008, we knew that Epstein was a convicted sexual abuser. And we now know that Lutnik went to
05:12Epstein's island in 2012. How was that not a deal-breaker for the president? And why aren't you
05:18asking questions of the Commerce Secretary about what he saw when he was at the island, which he lied
05:26about not ever going to? Why are you not asking these questions? And I see that my time is almost
05:32expired,
05:32so I will say this. Do the right thing, Attorney General. Meet with the survivors. They have been asking
05:38for a year. Meet with the survivors. Do the right thing. I yield back.
05:43General Lady yields back. The gentleman from South Carolina is recognized. Four or five minutes.
05:48May I have 20 seconds of his time?
05:49That would be up to the gentleman.
05:50Absolutely. Madam President.
05:52Thank you. Thank you. I was curious if you, Congresswoman, asked Bill Clinton that.
06:00Didn't see one tweet, not one. I didn't see one tweet when Joe Biden was in office about Bill Clinton.
06:08Didn't ask Merrick Garland anything about Epstein. Not once.
06:12Weak sauce.
06:13And also, I want the record to reflect that, you know, with this anti-Semitic culture right now,
06:19she voted against a resolution condemning.
06:23Oh.
06:24I just want to be clear.
06:26Do you want to go there, Attorney General?
06:28Do you want to go there?
06:30Are you serious?
06:31I belong to the gentleman from South Carolina.
06:32Talking about anti-Semitism to a woman who lost her grandfather in the Holocaust.
06:36I reclaim my time.
06:37Really?
06:38Really?
06:39The committee will be in order.
06:41Talk to Jared Wise about anti-Semitism.
06:43The ranking member knows that.
06:45I'm going to, can I get like 30 seconds back, you know?
06:48I've been, I think the whole committee knows.
06:50I've been very generous in making sure everyone gets their five minutes in the Senate.
06:53Attorney General, I'm going to talk about sanctions.
Comments