- 17 hours ago
On 19 November 2019 Senators Lindsey Graham, Ben Sasse, and John Kennedy confront Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Kathleen Sawyer over the mysterious death of Jeffrey Epstein. With sharp questions and public outrage mounting, the senators demand accountability and transparency, highlighting that the American people deserve answers about the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death.
#JeffreyEpstein #EpsteinDeath #EpsteinInvestigation #FBIInvestigation #EpsteinControversy #EpsteinCase #SenatorsQuestionEpstein #GrahamSasseKennedy #PrisonOversight #EpsteinPrisonDeath #FederalBureauOfPrisons #EpsteinScandal #EpsteinConspiracy #EpsteinDeathQuestions #BreakingNews
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#JeffreyEpstein #EpsteinDeath #EpsteinInvestigation #FBIInvestigation #EpsteinControversy #EpsteinCase #SenatorsQuestionEpstein #GrahamSasseKennedy #PrisonOversight #EpsteinPrisonDeath #FederalBureauOfPrisons #EpsteinScandal #EpsteinConspiracy #EpsteinDeathQuestions #BreakingNews
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NewsTranscript
00:00As I indicated in my opening statement, I wanted to talk about the death of Mr. Epstein.
00:05Do you concur with the opinion that it was a suicide?
00:11That was the finding of the coroner, sir.
00:13Okay, do you have any evidence to suggest otherwise?
00:15I do not.
00:16How could this have happened?
00:19Unfortunately, sir, the death and the whole situation is still under the investigation of the FBI and the Inspector General's
00:26office,
00:26and I'm really not at liberty to discuss specifics of this case.
00:31I can discuss issues around institutional operations, but I can't specifically talk about that particular issue.
00:38Okay.
00:39With a case this high profile, there's got to be either a major malfunction of the system or a criminal
00:46enterprise at foot to allow this to happen.
00:49So are you looking at both?
00:51Is the FBI looking at both?
00:53If the FBI is involved, then they are looking at criminal enterprise, yes.
00:56Do we have people in custody today of this high profile nature?
01:02Have we done anything to adjust since Mr. Epstein's death?
01:06Sir, we take every inmate's life very seriously in the Bureau of Prisons.
01:10A high profile inmate is no more important or significant in terms of our operations than just the average inmate
01:16that comes our way.
01:17I mean high profile, somebody's on a suicide watch.
01:20I would like to explain our suicide watch system, if I may.
01:22I can't talk specifically about Epstein, but we have different tiers of response if we identify an inmate who appears
01:28to have suicidal thinking.
01:30And I came into the Bureau as a psychologist.
01:32I worked with lots of suicidal inmates.
01:34I was a warden at our psychiatric facility in Butner, and I know how difficult it is to always be
01:38able to predict who is suicidal and who is not.
01:40But once an inmate is identified as potentially suicidal, we have a suicide watch operation that we can place them
01:45in.
01:46It's a very stark, very difficult setting where everything is stripped from the room except a mattress.
01:51They get a coarse gown like to wear that cannot be twisted in any way that they could hang themselves
01:56from it.
01:57They have one mattress and one blanket, and they are watched constantly.
02:00There's nothing else in that room.
02:01Is Mr. Epstein on suicide watch?
02:03Yes, he watched.
02:04However, the average time on suicide watch is only about 24 hours because it is such a stark and actually
02:10depressing situation.
02:11We then can move them to another tier of observation, which is called psychological observation.
02:16Did that happen in this case?
02:17I can't speak specifically, but I am sharing this with you so that you understand our procedure, sir.
02:22They then can move to another tier, which is psychological observation, where they get their clothes back.
02:28They're in a more normalized setting.
02:30They are watched and scrutinized every moment of the day, but that is a much more normal environment.
02:35Do they have roommates?
02:36I'm sorry, sir?
02:38Do they have roommates?
02:39No, they do not when they're on psychological observation because they're being watched continuously.
02:42Did Mr. Epstein have a roommate when he allegedly committed suicide?
02:46No, he did not.
02:47Okay.
02:48Go ahead.
02:50They move into psychological observation.
02:52Psychologists see them routinely, interview them repeatedly,
02:55and once it's determined that the threat of suicide seems to have passed,
03:01then that inmate can be returned back to open population.
03:04Well, clearly it didn't work here, so we await the report because all the victims of Mr. Epstein have to
03:12have their heart ripped out.
03:14I still never see justice.
03:18Dr. Sawyer, can you think of any other incidents in the history of the BOP that have caused as much
03:24crisis for public trust for your institution as Epstein's death?
03:27I can only speak since 1976 when I joined the Bureau.
03:32I don't know prior to that, but I would say it's probably gotten the most public attention.
03:35There are lots of taxpayers and citizens who've never thought about the BOP, and you have lots of good, patriotic,
03:41hardworking folks there.
03:42I get that.
03:43But in terms of a crisis of public trust in general, but also in terms of your workforce, this death
03:48happened in the middle of August, early August.
03:51It's Thanksgiving, and you're here to testify today, and you say you're not allowed to speak about this incident.
03:56I think that's crazy.
03:58Can you distinguish among types of investigations, at least for us?
04:01Because I'm aware of at least three Epstein investigations.
04:03You've got a whole bunch of women who were raped by this guy.
04:06This is a sex trafficking ring in the United States.
04:10This guy had evidence.
04:11He's got co-conspirators, and there are victims out there who want to know where the evidence has gone.
04:17Can you tell us a little bit more about the different investigations?
04:20I understand there's at least one that you're directed by Maine Justice not to speak about, but there are at
04:24least three investigations.
04:26Can you unpack them, please?
04:27There are two investigations that are ongoing.
04:29One is the FBI's investigation, and the other is the Inspector General's investigation.
04:33Both inside BOP, but there's a third one outside, which is why Epstein was in your institution to begin with.
04:38Yeah, and that, sir, is completely out of my daily life.
04:41I get that.
04:42There's a lot here where DOJ has failed.
04:44There's a lot here that BOP has failed.
04:46Let's just be clear, so we have a level set for everybody in this room.
04:48You're in your job because of this crisis, right?
04:52You come here today, and you say you can't testify about it, but the reason you're director now is because
04:57the last guy got fired, right?
04:58Senator, I can't tell you what I don't know.
05:00I have received no information from the FBI investigation yet, nor no information from the Inspector General.
05:05Once those entities go into one of our facilities, we are forbidden from talking to anybody in the institution.
05:11We can send in a team and look at wherever there might have been a security flaw or something,
05:15but we are not allowed to talk to anybody in our institutions about anything that happened over the Epstein.
05:21With all due respect, you still have an obligation to speak to the girls who were raped by this guy
05:26today.
05:26You may not have to speak about every particular of the guards that were arrested last night,
05:31but the fact that there is an ongoing attempt by the United States government to find out if there's still
05:37any evidence about the co-conspirators,
05:39you do have an obligation to speak to those girls who were raped today.
05:42You may not speak about the specifics of the charges against those two guards this morning who were taken into
05:49custody,
05:49but more broadly, you should be able to unpack, have we changed any processes about how cases like this are
05:55handled?
05:56It's been more than 90 days, and you said, I think your quote was, we treat every inmate the same.
06:01We believe in America that every individual has equal dignity, but not every inmate has equal value for future criminal
06:08investigations.
06:09Jeffrey Epstein was still to testify in a case.
06:12Somebody who's already been convicted, who may be on suicide watch,
06:16there are lots of good reasons to not want that guy to be able to kill himself.
06:19This is different, because it isn't just about the individual inmate who might kill themselves,
06:24it's about the fact that that bastard wasn't able to testify against his other co-conspirators.
06:29So it is wrong, as a management matter, for you to say we treat everybody the same.
06:34We should be treating people who are yet to testify against other felons, against other rapists.
06:40They have a lot more priority for your institution, don't they?
06:44Senator, pretty much all of our inmates that are in any of our jail facilities are pretrial.
06:48They're still yet to testify, to be involved, to share information on other cases.
06:53I don't know what evidence you're asking of me.
06:55If you're saying was there any evidence in his room, in his possession at the time, that was all confiscated
06:59by the FBI.
07:00In his brain, and in the cameras, and in the tapes, that the American public well understands,
07:04appear to not be urgent enough for the Department of Justice.
07:08No, it's very urgent for the Department of Justice, and it's all been confiscated by the FBI,
07:12and it's all part of their investigation.
07:14That's why none of that is shared with the director of the Bureau of Prisons,
07:16or anyone in the Bureau, until the investigations are completed.
07:20Once those are completed, I'd be very happy to come up here and talk with any one of you that
07:24want to hear
07:24everything about we glean from those investigations.
07:27But until I have that information, there's nothing I can tell you.
07:30If I don't have the information, I cannot share anything with you.
07:33Then how widespread is the problem of sleeping on the job?
07:36There are lots of people in the public who think this seems a very convenient excuse.
07:41And so, tell us, is it a systemic problem?
07:43Do we have a lot of people who sleep on the job when they're supposed to be guarding federal inmates?
07:47We have a few, sir.
07:48And we have been monitoring the cameras that are existing in every one of our institutions
07:53to determine how well and how effectively our staff members are doing their rounds and counts in the institutions.
07:59We have found a couple of other instances, and we have immediately referred those to the Inspector General's Office.
08:04And I'm encouraging that if people just chose not to do their job,
08:08we're hoping the U.S. Attorney's Office will pick up those cases and prosecute them for us,
08:12because we don't want those people in the Bureau of Prisons.
08:15They are dangerous to everybody, the inmates and the staff.
08:18And so, we are zealously going about trying to determine which of our employees are good employees
08:24and who do their job, and that is the vast majority of the prison staff.
08:27But we do have some, I know, out there who obviously choose not to follow policy,
08:33choose not to do their job, and we want them gone.
08:36I do not want them in our institutions, and I am exploring those very, very carefully
08:40to identify them and get them out of our system.
08:42Now, if it's a training problem and they didn't know what they were supposed to do, that's our problem.
08:46That's management's problem. We have to do a better job training our staff.
08:50But if someone is well-trained, well-experienced, and chooses not to do their job, we want them gone.
08:55I assure you of that.
08:57I'm at time, so I'll just give you a preview of something I'm going to ask you for the record
09:01after the event.
09:01You made a really important statement about drone drops of different kinds of contraband into your institutions.
09:07That's obviously a new and hard problem.
09:09That's a problem against which we have to play defense, but there's also new opportunities for offense.
09:13And so what's your long-term strategy is inside the institution about cameras is something that I think a lot
09:19of us would like to hear more,
09:20and I'll send you a letter with some questions.
09:22Because Epstein's hallway should have still been monitored by cameras, even if his guards were asleep,
09:26and we don't have information about whether or not there were adequate cameras there.
09:30And so I think a lot of us would like to understand where technology dollars are going.
09:34Absolutely.
09:34Thank you, Dr. Sartor.
09:34Thank you, Senator.
09:35Senator Blumenthal is next, but just to follow up on this, will there be an IG report regarding what happened?
09:40There should be.
09:42Usually after the inspector general's office investigates, they do come out with a report.
09:45If people are pending criminal charges, we're not going to interfere in their cases.
09:48But if there's an IG report, I promise you we'll get fully briefed by the committee here.
09:57How can I put this?
10:00Christmas ornaments, drywall, and Jerry Epstein.
10:06Name three things that don't hang themselves.
10:08That's what the American people think.
10:12That's what the American people think.
10:15And they deserve some answers.
10:18And I know that you're not in charge of these investigations.
10:23Yes, sir.
10:24But you talk to the people who are.
10:26And I need you to take a very respectful message today.
10:36Tell the American people what happened.
10:40And don't rush it so that they don't do a thorough investigation.
10:44But you and I both know they can make this a top priority and get it done more quickly than
10:51they normally would.
10:52Good morning.
10:55My name is Annie Farmer, and this is a photo of me and my sister, Maria Farmer, around the time
11:01I was 16 and she was 25.
11:03That's how old we were when we were abused by Epstein and Maxwell.
11:09Survivors have repeatedly stated that our pursuit of transparency and justice is a nonpartisan issue.
11:15But given the political noise surrounding this case, I just want to remind people of some of the facts.
11:21In 1996, when my sister, Maria, bravely blew the whistle on this group by reporting to the FBI what Epstein
11:29and Maxwell did to both of us.
11:31They hung up on the phone on her, and there was no follow-up of any kind.
11:35Bill Clinton was president.
11:37In 2006, the FBI came to us, finally interviewed us, and asked us both to be witnesses against Epstein.
11:45We were very anxious, but we agreed.
11:47And then we didn't hear back from them due to their infamous sweetheart deal.
11:51George W. Bush was president.
11:54In 2015, when the DOJ was sent FOIA requests for Maria's FBI files, and they were denied, as they have
12:02been many times, Barack Obama was president.
12:05In 2019, when Epstein died in prison due to either negligence or foul play, Donald Trump was president.
12:14In 2023, Maria's attorneys sent a letter on her behalf to the government requesting an investigation into the repeated law
12:21enforcement failures in this case, similar to what was done in the case of Larry Nassar.
12:26They declined to do so.
12:28Consequently, my sister filed notice that she would be suing the government for failing to uphold its legal, ethical, and
12:34moral duties in this case.
12:36Joe Biden was president.
12:38This year, after campaigning on a pledge to finally release the files, under Trump's second presidency, the DOJ announced they
12:45were closing the investigation into Epstein's co-conspirators,
12:49and then transferred Ghislaine Maxwell into a prison camp, where it is well documented that she is receiving special treatment.
12:57This is not an issue of a few corrupt Democrats or a few corrupt Republicans.
13:03This is a case of institutional betrayal.
13:06Because these crimes were not properly investigated, so many more girls and women were harmed.
13:12My sister, because of her bravery, was repeatedly threatened and lived in fear, with dire consequences for her health and
13:20her career.
13:21Thirty years later, even as oceans of allegations and obvious truths have emerged, the government has still not chosen transparency.
13:28This is why we have all come together as one united voice to demand the release of all the Epstein
13:35files and to finally bring the truth out of the shadows.
13:38And I just want to remind the president and the attorney general that they are right now in violation of
13:46the law.
13:47And when the president makes a speech tonight, he is going to know that looking back at him will be
13:54numerous survivors of Epstein's abuse.
13:57And that he is facilitating the single largest cover-up in modern American history.
14:05It's the single largest cover-up in modern American history.
14:10And who are we protecting?
14:13Why are we protecting powerful, wealthy, connected men?
14:18Why are we protecting billionaires from justice?
14:24Because we are always going to center the survivors.
14:28The single most important part of our investigation and what we're guided by is justice for Annie.
14:37It's justice for Maria.
14:40It's justice for so many that have been wronged, harmed, and terrorized by not just Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,
14:50but by the co-conspirators and all that helped them commit their abuse.
14:56Let's be clear.
14:58Over 50 percent of the files have still not been released to the public.
15:04And we know as early as just today and yesterday, there are numerous files that we have confirmed that are
15:10missing from the DOJ that we know exist,
15:14including accusations and serious accusations, not just against the president, but against others.
15:21It's time to release the files.
15:23It's time to center the survivors.
15:25And the president should know that even though he wants to call this a hoax,
15:29that our investigation is just getting started.
15:37Thank you so much, Congressman Garcia.
15:40Your leadership has meant so much to myself and to so many of us.
15:45The government's original sin in this case was not following up in any way on my sister Maria Farmer's 1996
15:53report to the FBI
15:54about Epstein and Maxwell and the powerful circle that surrounded them.
15:59Since that time, the girls and women who were abused by these criminals have been repeatedly neglected and re-victimized
16:08by our own government.
16:09The recent release of materials highlights this, as the names of many powerful individuals remain redacted,
16:16while the names, personal data, and even images, nude images, of many victims were released.
16:23Rather than apologize for this failure, this DOJ has doubled down on denial and distraction.
16:31We are tired of the games.
16:34When those we elect to office misuse their positions, it harms us all.
16:38We are here to remind our elected leaders and other Americans that there is always a choice.
16:45You can sit by and watch the abuse of power, as so many wealthy, educated, connected individuals did in the
16:54Epstein case.
16:55Or you can do the right thing, the courageous thing.
16:59You can speak out the way my sister Maria Farmer did, because of her concern for her younger sisters.
17:05You can speak out the way Virginia Roberts-Dufresne did, after she looked down and saw her daughter, and knew
17:13she deserved safety and protection.
17:17I know that courage is contagious, because these women inspired me to find my voice.
17:22And the more I have used it, the more I have heard from others who are speaking out about their
17:27own experiences of abuse,
17:29and standing with us in demanding true transparency, the whole truth that survivors and the American people deserve.
17:46I think it was about, not even a week ago, maybe, that I was sitting in a TV studio, hearing
17:54some men talk about what this next legislative process entailed,
18:00and how it was really incredibly unlikely that we would ever make it to pass this point.
18:06Maybe we get the votes we needed in the House.
18:08And so, I just think that the fact that we are here with a nearly unanimous vote today says so
18:15much.
18:16And that we are really, that the power of people coming together, and the power of women coming together.
18:23So, I just, I want to also express my gratitude to all the people standing here behind us.
18:29We have not been heard for so long, and I think the power of being heard, and being recognized, and
18:35being validated is incredibly healing.
18:37So, thank you so much.
18:44You know, I, there are so many people that are with me in my heart today.
18:53And I've spoken quite a bit today about my sister, Maria Farmer, who, you know, was a whistleblower who bravely
18:59spoke out in 1996 against Epstein.
19:02And I had the chance to speak with her right before coming here today about what I had seen transpire.
19:08And she, you know, is at home because of health problems that I believe were very directly related to the
19:14stress that all this caused.
19:16But she was full of joy hearing about what's happened.
19:20And hearing that we are so close to being where we need to be to finally bring the light into
19:25the darkness of this case.
19:28But I, of course, am also thinking about others in this case.
19:32And we know that they're, the harms that are caused by these types of traumas have long-lasting results, right?
19:39And there are people that are no longer with us, in part due to the trauma that they suffered because
19:44of this case.
19:46One of those women I've been thinking of today is Carolyn Adriano, who spoke out so bravely in the Maxwell
19:52trial,
19:53which I know, as a witness in that case, was an extremely stressful experience.
20:00And after that, she lost her life to, you know, I think, you know, issues related to just the stress
20:08of all the trauma that she had been through in her life.
20:12And I think that's what people, you know, sometimes don't understand about the lasting effects of these types of crimes.
20:20And, you know, I've had the opportunity, the great privilege of my life as a psychologist to work with, you
20:28know,
20:28people who have been victims of these types of crimes in all different settings.
20:34One of the most transformative experiences of my life was working with Native Alaskan women in rural Alaska,
20:42Yup'ik women, where there are very high rates of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
20:47And, you know, what I saw from them in terms of the courage and resilience and moving forward really inspired
20:53me,
20:54you know, before, long before, you know, I had ever spoken out in this case, right?
21:01And since then, working, doing therapy with women, I've seen so much of how these, the long-lasting impacts of
21:09these things.
21:10And so, I am thinking about so many women as I am here today.
21:15And most of all, you know, I am thinking...
21:21It's all right.
21:23About Virginia Roberts-Gufresne.
21:26We would not be here without her.
21:28There is no doubt in my mind about that.
21:31And, you know, I very much, I think, like many people, you know, there were fights going on.
21:38There were definitely women that, you know, worked so hard for so long for justice.
21:42But I had, you know, given up on the idea that anything would happen in this case.
21:49You know, after the Sweetheart deal, I felt like everyone knew about Epstein.
21:53We would see things in tabloids about Epstein.
21:55This was not a secret, right?
21:58And when I first saw the photo of Virginia in Prince Andrew, I was at my job.
22:04I remember so clearly the moment that it popped up on my computer screen.
22:08And I just kind of was taken aback.
22:11And I just immediately knew the truth behind that photo.
22:15And I felt the bravery of this woman who was taking on the world with this story.
22:20And it was being met with such contempt and disrespect.
22:26And, you know, at a time, you know, before the Me Too movement, when there was such this kind of
22:31attitude of disregard for people that spoke out in this way.
22:35And it was a short time later that I was contacted by an attorney and told about her defamation suit.
22:43And spoke with my sister, and we agreed that we would be witnesses in that case.
22:47When we had no desire, we thought this was behind us.
22:50But we thought, if this woman is brave enough to take on Maxwell and to bring this into the light,
22:55we have to stand with her.
22:58And then, you know, I had the opportunity to meet Virginia in 2019.
23:05And seeing her in this, you know, this insane group of reporters, everyone mobbing, you know.
23:13And she just had this poise and this strength that I felt like it was incredible to see.
23:20It was incredible to be witness to.
23:22She immediately rallied all of us together and had this vision for what could happen, what people could learn from
23:29this, what she wanted to do with this platform, and push that forward in such a brave way.
23:36And I think the fact that her memoir has just been released as a bestseller, and we are here today,
23:42is not a coincidence.
23:43She is changing hearts and changing minds all over this country and all over the world.
23:49And so I just want to, you know, take a moment.
23:53I feel like she's here with us.
23:55I feel like she can see this.
23:57So thank you, Virginia, for all that you've done for all of us.
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