Jailhouse Blues

Tulsi Gabbard's new role as Director of National Intelligence may be more than just ceremonial. The Epstein case is taking a surprising turn, with the Deputy Attorney General deposing Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's second-in-command, for nine hours. This is the first time Maxwell has been interviewed by any state or federal law enforcement official. It's also surprising that billionaire Les Wexner, Epstein's chief benefactor, has never been interviewed by any government official. A federal district judge, Robin Rosenberg, who ruled against unsealing Epstein grand jury transcripts, is married to a former Palm Beach County State's Attorney who helped negotiate Epstein's "sweetheart" plea deal. This raises questions about conflict of interest in the ruling. The Epstein case may now have two sets of files: one curated by AG Merrick Garland and another from Maxwell's deposition. If the Garland files contained defamatory information about Donald Trump, it's likely it would have been used during the 2024 election. The Epstein case may lead to a fresh investigation, and CIA chief John Ratcliffe is promising to disclose the "annex" files to John Durham's special counsel report on RussiaGate. The RussiaGate case may also lead to prosecutions, with Ratcliffe implying that the material is serious and the statute of limitations won't apply due to ongoing conspiracy.