So essentially James Comey's daughter was able to collect the names and phone numbers of women who proved themselves willing and able to tell any kind of story implicating someone in dubious sexual activity, all on the government's dime. Too bad she didn't find that information useful.
Good post. You've convinced me that I shouldn't trust much of the reporting on this issue. I actually stopped reading anything about Epstein a few months ago, but I trust Racket, so I made an exception.
At some point, I'd like to see you (and Matt) turn your attention to how Epstein came to be so rich and well connected as well as the circumstances surrounding his supposed suicide. In the meantime, people will just fill the void on their own.
There is quite a bit written about that subject. I can’t remember how he ended up befriending Les Wexner but it seems it all started around that time. He really didn’t graduate from anywhere but his ability to tell a good and convincing story while building so called friendships resulted in the scheme.
Yes, Les Wexner probably could clear things up, but I doubt he's willing to talk. And while there's been a lot written on the subject, I haven't seen anything that explains what he did for Wexner or Leon Black or any of his other "clients" that would merit such exorbitant compensation.
Yes. I ignored Leon Black and it seems those 2 were a major factor in his wealth building. I’ve just read about the very tight relationship Wexner had with Epstein.
I wouldn't be surprised if Epstein was a Psychopath, who had natural manipulation abilities. If so, this still does not make him more than a wealthy pimp and brothel owner.
There was a reason Epstein was able to charm his way to riches and blackmail the wealthy and powerful. It's because he knew the greatest secret of all.... Victoria's Secret.
Hello, enough is enough. The only reason that this story is around is because the Democrats and whoever else want to find something on our outstanding President of the United States and say they 'got him;. Not there, life is short, a New Year is coming in. Happy New Year to all.
"Nothing about this person’s anonymous story made a lick of sense, but it was all lapped up totally uncritically, as Judge Berman decided anyone who believed themselves a “victim” could saunter into the courthouse that day and tell any Epstein-related tale they cared to conjure."
This is an identical psychological situation to what happens in Parental Alienation or in the decades-old False Memory Syndrome. That the authorities -- the courts in these cases -- arbitrarily make the decision that whatever comes out of the mouths of one class of persons will be considered the truth. And whatever comes out of the mouth of those persons they are pointing a finger at, will be considered a lie.
What the authorities never consider, and perhaps have no idea of (though why have they failed to educate themselves here?) is that there are other potential reasons why a person might falsely accuse another person of wrongdoing.
The old "voice of the child" excuse (which sounds so noble) was wrong from the start. Children can be and are influenced by adults to an enormous degree, so that they are acting as no more than a ventriloquist's puppet for the con-artist adult behind the scenes. Think of a hostage being held captive and on the phone to their family asking for ransom but insisting they are being treated well...with a gun to their heads. They say what they are told to say because they are in a survival situation.
Same with many of these children and youth. Though they could not explain it to you in so many words. And will not be able to until they are grown...if even then. By that time, to save face, they may still insist they were telling the truth all along.
There are some very strong tactics for influencing the minds of dependent and vulnerable persons, to believe that black is white and up is down. Cult leaders and con-artists and general Cluster-B personalities use these tactics all the time, while maintaining a good-guy mask.
I refer everyone to the tragic Neurauter case. Or any case of bona fide Parental Alienation. Or the many cases of false accusations in the Satanic Panic or False Memory Syndrome mass hysterias of the 80s/90s.
Vulnerable persons claiming abuse of one sort or another may or may not be telling the truth. They may not be intentionally lying even, but saying what was programmed into them by a predator in their lives. And the motivation for survival is strong enough that they repeat what they have been told to say.
I recommend stories of accusers/redactors who grew up and realized the truth -- "My Lie: A True Story of False Memory" by Meredith Maran. Or "Sabotaged!" by Ryan Thomas.
And then, in a category of adult vulnerables under a Cluster-B Therapist who knew all their deepest secrets, and was quite willing to blackmail these well-to-do clients of hers, is the story out of Stockholm twenty-five years ago about the Cluster-B con-artist "professional" who almost brought down the Swedish medical and legal systems in this manner.
"The Strange Case of Thomas Quick" by Dan Josefsson (masterful journalism, btw).
Nevertheless, Epstein as "globalist kompromateur" working for Mossad and CIA has become an (almost?) crystal clear "no shit, Sherlock" case closed non-mystery.
Our leaders who have been effectively working on behalf of a foreign power need to be identified and dismissed, if not imprisoned. Anyone who yawns and waves hands dismissively is being stupid or is an enemy of the Constitution and Americans, imo.
I suggest you dig into Whitney Webb's "One Nation Under Blackmail". It is a bit dry but it shows quite a bit beside "unsupported innuendo" that leads straight to Mossad.
She is the most committed and thorough investivgative journalist of her generation. It's just hard to keep track of all the bad folks. I try to change what I can close to home. May 2026 bring us peace and joy. It starts from a commit to love.
The idea of a taxpayer-funded "Victim's Hearing" for an un-convicted, deceased would-be defendant is insane. And it's pretty outrageous that those mentally ill and/or sociopathic lying grifters got all those millions in settlements.
But regarding the Constitutional issue of the supposed threat to civil liberties, isn't the term "civil liberties" inapplicable to a dead person?
My take, hardly a leap, is that people are taking advantage of the opportunity the despicable Epstein created to try to generate some unearned cash. America has a long history of shysters, frauds and wannabe's. I should know - my grandfather did magic tricks in a traveling circus, after which he sold phony cure-all elixirs. It's part of the collateral damage one gets with an unusually free society. The U.S., with about 24% of global GDP, generates over 50% of all legal revenues worldwide. If my grandfather were alive today, he'd be a litigator just like Gloria Allred.
As for my grandfather, he fell in love with my grandmother and they settled down, farming potatoes in Idaho. Maybe Gloria should raise horses or grow wine grapes somewhere.
Good thing your grandparents didn't join the many potato farmers of Prince Edward Island, in east coast Canada. It's being taken over now by shyster CCP "Buddhists" who plan a 1000 Year reign there.
While Berman earned his law degree from NYU in 1967, he earned a Master of Social Work degree in May of 1996 from the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service.
His Fordham bio says he was appointed as New York State Family Court Judge (Queens County) in 1995 and was appointed Federal District Court Judge (SDNY) in November 1998.
He is the author of “Special Immigrant Juvenile Status;” “A Team Model to Identify Child Abuse;” “Seven Steps to Protect Children;” and “Community Service for Juvenile Offenders.” He was a member of the New York State Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children.
Judge Berman received the National Association of Social Workers (NYC) Emerald award for 20 years of leadership as a licensed social worker and judge in 2019.
It appears from your fine article that Berman's fervor for social justice overwhelmed his legal principles.
By the way, I had no idea that 'struggle session' referred to a Maoist China real-life version of Shirley Jackson's short story, The Lottery.
This Judge Berman, for all his supposed social justice instincts, does not seem to be aware of the patterns of psychology in cases such as these.
For someone holding such power to make or break individual lives, depending on whether he gets it right or not, I would have thought he'd have informed himself of the important psychological issues here.
He reminds me of the supposed professionals in the 70s/80s who grasped nothing at all about the nature of the cult movement of that era. In fact, Ted Patrick, a man with a grade 10 education, worked it out before the mental health professionals did.
Now the the Epstein files have been unloaded in the hundreds of thousands of documents, photos, statements, and every apparent morsel of information, but it ain't over until, somehow, some way, they can get Trump at Epstein Island holding his twang with a minor.
Today in the Wall Street Journal, a full blown article on the reason Trump kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago. Paraphrasing the headline "Mar-a-Lago would send spa workers to their guests and an 18 year old spa worker was sent to Epstein's room. She reported to human services that he pressured her to have sex". And, so it went on with a rambling dissertation on every comment, date, gossip, and story from workers and others about Epstein's stay at the resort including an eye opener that Marla Maples disliked Epstein.
You have to wonder about the plight of media and its continuing downfall when a supposedly business focused newspaper like the WSJ finds this twaddle relevant to its readers. It recently looked like the WSJ was having a reboot from its slide to the left but it was apparently that knock on the head I recently suffered. Oh well.
The only reason Epstein is still relevant is the Dems wholly believe this will be what finally gets Trump out of office. The RINO’S who support this are just nut jobs anyway. I was sick of it when Clinton killed him and even more sick of it now.
Obviously anything is acceptable to stop Trump. These leftists have lost any sense of reason they may have ever had due to an irrational hatred of one man.
I think some folks are overly emotional about Epstein. They will blast you for defending him.
But what you are really defending is law and rationality.
Good call.
While ignoring the role of the media, the prime mover and weapon in every witch hunt.
So essentially James Comey's daughter was able to collect the names and phone numbers of women who proved themselves willing and able to tell any kind of story implicating someone in dubious sexual activity, all on the government's dime. Too bad she didn't find that information useful.
Giving credence to bogus stories to smear others and aggrandize herself- the apple does not fall far from the tree does it?
Runs in the family.
Good post. You've convinced me that I shouldn't trust much of the reporting on this issue. I actually stopped reading anything about Epstein a few months ago, but I trust Racket, so I made an exception.
At some point, I'd like to see you (and Matt) turn your attention to how Epstein came to be so rich and well connected as well as the circumstances surrounding his supposed suicide. In the meantime, people will just fill the void on their own.
There is quite a bit written about that subject. I can’t remember how he ended up befriending Les Wexner but it seems it all started around that time. He really didn’t graduate from anywhere but his ability to tell a good and convincing story while building so called friendships resulted in the scheme.
Yes, Les Wexner probably could clear things up, but I doubt he's willing to talk. And while there's been a lot written on the subject, I haven't seen anything that explains what he did for Wexner or Leon Black or any of his other "clients" that would merit such exorbitant compensation.
Yes. I ignored Leon Black and it seems those 2 were a major factor in his wealth building. I’ve just read about the very tight relationship Wexner had with Epstein.
I wouldn't be surprised if Epstein was a Psychopath, who had natural manipulation abilities. If so, this still does not make him more than a wealthy pimp and brothel owner.
Scams, Schemes, Ruthless Cons: The Untold Story of How Jeffrey Epstein Got Rich
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/magazine/jeffrey-epstein-money-scams-investigation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.A1A.LdiT.FK3FR7XbvH9f&smid=url-share
Thanks for the link. The article was long but didn’t really seem to cover anything I hadn’t already read in “Filthy Rich” years ago.
And it ultimately concedes, “One unsolved mystery of the Epstein era is what exactly Wexner got out of their relationship.”
I agree, but it's the only article I've been able to find dealing pretty exclusively with from where the money originated.
There was a reason Epstein was able to charm his way to riches and blackmail the wealthy and powerful. It's because he knew the greatest secret of all.... Victoria's Secret.
🤣
Yet another example of why Matt Taibbi is currently one of the most consequential journalists working in the English language
This is a guest post by Michael Tracey, another old-fashioned journalist in the Taibbi mold.
Thanks for the correction. I am also a fan of Michael Tracey's work, having seen him a number of times on Glenn Greenwald's Rumble show.
Michael Tracey does the best interviews of Congress Critters of anyone.
He should tell us more about the civil rights of dead people. Do they have freedom of speech?
My Beetlejuice-avatar would like to know!
That's OK, Matt obviously thought it worth publishing here, so the remark about being consequential is still valid.
The victimhood industrial complex is alive and well. Thank you for this article and having the fortitude to hold your ground
Hello, enough is enough. The only reason that this story is around is because the Democrats and whoever else want to find something on our outstanding President of the United States and say they 'got him;. Not there, life is short, a New Year is coming in. Happy New Year to all.
I disagree. If enough were enough then what would too much be?
Enough's enough, but too much is plenty?
Too fair!
"Nothing about this person’s anonymous story made a lick of sense, but it was all lapped up totally uncritically, as Judge Berman decided anyone who believed themselves a “victim” could saunter into the courthouse that day and tell any Epstein-related tale they cared to conjure."
This is an identical psychological situation to what happens in Parental Alienation or in the decades-old False Memory Syndrome. That the authorities -- the courts in these cases -- arbitrarily make the decision that whatever comes out of the mouths of one class of persons will be considered the truth. And whatever comes out of the mouth of those persons they are pointing a finger at, will be considered a lie.
What the authorities never consider, and perhaps have no idea of (though why have they failed to educate themselves here?) is that there are other potential reasons why a person might falsely accuse another person of wrongdoing.
The old "voice of the child" excuse (which sounds so noble) was wrong from the start. Children can be and are influenced by adults to an enormous degree, so that they are acting as no more than a ventriloquist's puppet for the con-artist adult behind the scenes. Think of a hostage being held captive and on the phone to their family asking for ransom but insisting they are being treated well...with a gun to their heads. They say what they are told to say because they are in a survival situation.
Same with many of these children and youth. Though they could not explain it to you in so many words. And will not be able to until they are grown...if even then. By that time, to save face, they may still insist they were telling the truth all along.
There are some very strong tactics for influencing the minds of dependent and vulnerable persons, to believe that black is white and up is down. Cult leaders and con-artists and general Cluster-B personalities use these tactics all the time, while maintaining a good-guy mask.
I refer everyone to the tragic Neurauter case. Or any case of bona fide Parental Alienation. Or the many cases of false accusations in the Satanic Panic or False Memory Syndrome mass hysterias of the 80s/90s.
Vulnerable persons claiming abuse of one sort or another may or may not be telling the truth. They may not be intentionally lying even, but saying what was programmed into them by a predator in their lives. And the motivation for survival is strong enough that they repeat what they have been told to say.
I recommend stories of accusers/redactors who grew up and realized the truth -- "My Lie: A True Story of False Memory" by Meredith Maran. Or "Sabotaged!" by Ryan Thomas.
And then, in a category of adult vulnerables under a Cluster-B Therapist who knew all their deepest secrets, and was quite willing to blackmail these well-to-do clients of hers, is the story out of Stockholm twenty-five years ago about the Cluster-B con-artist "professional" who almost brought down the Swedish medical and legal systems in this manner.
"The Strange Case of Thomas Quick" by Dan Josefsson (masterful journalism, btw).
Interesting.
Nevertheless, Epstein as "globalist kompromateur" working for Mossad and CIA has become an (almost?) crystal clear "no shit, Sherlock" case closed non-mystery.
Our leaders who have been effectively working on behalf of a foreign power need to be identified and dismissed, if not imprisoned. Anyone who yawns and waves hands dismissively is being stupid or is an enemy of the Constitution and Americans, imo.
Where has there been any truth to what you’re saying? It’s only unsupported uniendo so far. Rumors.
I suggest you dig into Whitney Webb's "One Nation Under Blackmail". It is a bit dry but it shows quite a bit beside "unsupported innuendo" that leads straight to Mossad.
Candace Owens introduced me to Webb's book. I did not find it dry. She is a real journalist.
Candace Owens a real journalist? Scary thought!
Webb maybe?
She is the most committed and thorough investivgative journalist of her generation. It's just hard to keep track of all the bad folks. I try to change what I can close to home. May 2026 bring us peace and joy. It starts from a commit to love.
The idea of a taxpayer-funded "Victim's Hearing" for an un-convicted, deceased would-be defendant is insane. And it's pretty outrageous that those mentally ill and/or sociopathic lying grifters got all those millions in settlements.
But regarding the Constitutional issue of the supposed threat to civil liberties, isn't the term "civil liberties" inapplicable to a dead person?
My take, hardly a leap, is that people are taking advantage of the opportunity the despicable Epstein created to try to generate some unearned cash. America has a long history of shysters, frauds and wannabe's. I should know - my grandfather did magic tricks in a traveling circus, after which he sold phony cure-all elixirs. It's part of the collateral damage one gets with an unusually free society. The U.S., with about 24% of global GDP, generates over 50% of all legal revenues worldwide. If my grandfather were alive today, he'd be a litigator just like Gloria Allred.
As for my grandfather, he fell in love with my grandmother and they settled down, farming potatoes in Idaho. Maybe Gloria should raise horses or grow wine grapes somewhere.
She's got her hands full with her current vineyard of "sour grapes"
Good thing your grandparents didn't join the many potato farmers of Prince Edward Island, in east coast Canada. It's being taken over now by shyster CCP "Buddhists" who plan a 1000 Year reign there.
While Berman earned his law degree from NYU in 1967, he earned a Master of Social Work degree in May of 1996 from the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service.
His Fordham bio says he was appointed as New York State Family Court Judge (Queens County) in 1995 and was appointed Federal District Court Judge (SDNY) in November 1998.
He is the author of “Special Immigrant Juvenile Status;” “A Team Model to Identify Child Abuse;” “Seven Steps to Protect Children;” and “Community Service for Juvenile Offenders.” He was a member of the New York State Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children.
Judge Berman received the National Association of Social Workers (NYC) Emerald award for 20 years of leadership as a licensed social worker and judge in 2019.
It appears from your fine article that Berman's fervor for social justice overwhelmed his legal principles.
By the way, I had no idea that 'struggle session' referred to a Maoist China real-life version of Shirley Jackson's short story, The Lottery.
Sounds like he wants to be "judged by history" instead of following the law.
This Judge Berman, for all his supposed social justice instincts, does not seem to be aware of the patterns of psychology in cases such as these.
For someone holding such power to make or break individual lives, depending on whether he gets it right or not, I would have thought he'd have informed himself of the important psychological issues here.
He reminds me of the supposed professionals in the 70s/80s who grasped nothing at all about the nature of the cult movement of that era. In fact, Ted Patrick, a man with a grade 10 education, worked it out before the mental health professionals did.
Now the the Epstein files have been unloaded in the hundreds of thousands of documents, photos, statements, and every apparent morsel of information, but it ain't over until, somehow, some way, they can get Trump at Epstein Island holding his twang with a minor.
Today in the Wall Street Journal, a full blown article on the reason Trump kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago. Paraphrasing the headline "Mar-a-Lago would send spa workers to their guests and an 18 year old spa worker was sent to Epstein's room. She reported to human services that he pressured her to have sex". And, so it went on with a rambling dissertation on every comment, date, gossip, and story from workers and others about Epstein's stay at the resort including an eye opener that Marla Maples disliked Epstein.
You have to wonder about the plight of media and its continuing downfall when a supposedly business focused newspaper like the WSJ finds this twaddle relevant to its readers. It recently looked like the WSJ was having a reboot from its slide to the left but it was apparently that knock on the head I recently suffered. Oh well.
If you don't think that governments running on Epstein/Israel/CIA/Pedophilia is relevant, what is relevant to you?
That was a confusing article, I must say.
Judge Berman may be one of the great legal minds of our time...... Not!!!
He's not qualified to be an assistant dog catcher. Where do they find these bozos?
The only reason Epstein is still relevant is the Dems wholly believe this will be what finally gets Trump out of office. The RINO’S who support this are just nut jobs anyway. I was sick of it when Clinton killed him and even more sick of it now.
"Clinton killed him..." I hadn't heard that news!
Obviously anything is acceptable to stop Trump. These leftists have lost any sense of reason they may have ever had due to an irrational hatred of one man.
Thank you Racket News for posting these articles by Michael Tracey. Very informative.