{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"startTime":73.63,"endTime":78.66999999999999,"body":"3 million pages of evidence, Thousands of unsealed flight logs,"},{"startTime":79.14999999999999,"endTime":84.03,"body":"millions of data points, names, themes and timelines connected."},{"startTime":84.83,"endTime":88.91,"body":"You are listening to the Epstein Files, the world's first"},{"startTime":89.07,"endTime":94.14999999999999,"body":"AI native investigation into the case that traditional journalism simply"},{"startTime":94.14999999999999,"endTime":95.22999999999999,"body":"could not handle."},{"startTime":99.71,"endTime":101.19,"body":"Welcome back to the Epstein Files."},{"startTime":101.19,"endTime":102.03,"body":"It's good to be here."},{"startTime":102.10999999999999,"endTime":105.63,"body":"The central mystery of this entire saga isn't just about"},{"startTime":105.71,"endTime":106.91,"body":"the crimes committed."},{"startTime":107.07,"endTime":108.35,"body":"We know about the abuse."},{"startTime":108.35,"endTime":110.10999999999999,"body":"We know, you know about the network."},{"startTime":110.19,"endTime":110.59,"body":"Right."},{"startTime":110.66999999999999,"endTime":113.10999999999999,"body":"The real mystery, the one that keeps people up at"},{"startTime":113.10999999999999,"endTime":115.94999999999999,"body":"night, is the legal system's initial failure."},{"startTime":116.42999999999999,"endTime":120.19,"body":"We're talking about a mountain of evidence, dozens of victims,"},{"startTime":120.27,"endTime":123.50999999999999,"body":"and yet the initial response from the machinery of justice"},{"startTime":123.50999999999999,"endTime":127.47999999999999,"body":"was, well, it was silence and then it was leniency."},{"startTime":127.47999999999999,"endTime":129.35999999999999,"body":"It's the question that hangs over everything."},{"startTime":130.32,"endTime":133.39999999999998,"body":"Why did the wheels of justice, which usually grind so"},{"startTime":133.39999999999998,"endTime":136.68,"body":"fine for the average citizen, grind to a complete halt"},{"startTime":136.68,"endTime":137.36,"body":"for one man?"},{"startTime":137.44,"endTime":138.07999999999998,"body":"Exactly."},{"startTime":138.32,"endTime":140.88,"body":"Some prosecutors pursued the case, some didn't."},{"startTime":141.04,"endTime":144.36,"body":"Today we examine the prosecutors who fought for justice and"},{"startTime":144.36,"endTime":146.56,"body":"who walked away and what happened to their careers after."},{"startTime":146.72,"endTime":149.56,"body":"We are going to map out the trajectory of the"},{"startTime":149.56,"endTime":150.32,"body":"legal battle."},{"startTime":150.32,"endTime":153.16,"body":"We'll look at the specific prosecutors involved in those early"},{"startTime":153.16,"endTime":156.56,"body":"decisions and the heated internal debates revealed in the Department"},{"startTime":156.56,"endTime":157.72,"body":"of Justice documents."},{"startTime":157.88,"endTime":162.92,"body":"And that infamous non prosecution agreement, the MPA that baffled"},{"startTime":162.92,"endTime":164.6,"body":"legal experts for over a decade."},{"startTime":164.68,"endTime":167.56,"body":"And we'll finish by looking at the pivot, the moment"},{"startTime":167.56,"endTime":171.6,"body":"a new team of prosecutors years later decided to, well,"},{"startTime":171.6,"endTime":173.24,"body":"to tear that agreement up."},{"startTime":173.56,"endTime":175.07999999999998,"body":"So let's not waste any time."},{"startTime":175.39999999999998,"endTime":176.36,"body":"Let's dive in."},{"startTime":176.92,"endTime":179.89,"body":"We have to start with the smoking gun of the"},{"startTime":179.89,"endTime":182.89,"body":"legal failure, the 2008 non prosecution agreement."},{"startTime":182.89,"endTime":183.25,"body":"Right?"},{"startTime":183.41,"endTime":186.05,"body":"This is often referred to as the deal of a"},{"startTime":186.05,"endTime":186.69,"body":"lifetime."},{"startTime":186.69,"endTime":189.29,"body":"And frankly, when you actually sit down and read the"},{"startTime":189.29,"endTime":192.05,"body":"terms, it feels less like a legal agreement and more"},{"startTime":192.05,"endTime":192.61,"body":"like a."},{"startTime":192.93,"endTime":194.57,"body":"A get out of jail free card."},{"startTime":194.57,"endTime":196.08999999999997,"body":"I've got the text of it in front of me"},{"startTime":196.08999999999997,"endTime":197.09,"body":"and it's still shocking."},{"startTime":197.17,"endTime":199.32999999999998,"body":"It really is an anomaly in the legal world."},{"startTime":199.41,"endTime":202.97,"body":"In the files we've analyzed, specifically the documents, reviewing the"},{"startTime":202.97,"endTime":205.41,"body":"history of the case, there is a lot of discussion"},{"startTime":205.41,"endTime":206.45,"body":"about this npa."},{"startTime":206.75,"endTime":208.79,"body":"Now, for everyone listening, we should probably clarify what a"},{"startTime":208.79,"endTime":212.23,"body":"non prosecution agreement usually is, because this isn't something you"},{"startTime":212.23,"endTime":213.67,"body":"see in your average criminal case."},{"startTime":213.67,"endTime":214.82999999999998,"body":"Okay, let's unpack this."},{"startTime":214.98999999999998,"endTime":217.63,"body":"Because usually when I hear a non prosecution agreement, I"},{"startTime":217.63,"endTime":218.71,"body":"think of a corporation, right?"},{"startTime":218.71,"endTime":221.59,"body":"Like a massive bank gets caught looking the other way"},{"startTime":221.59,"endTime":222.43,"body":"on money laundering."},{"startTime":222.43,"endTime":225.10999999999999,"body":"Or an energy company cooks the books, they pay a"},{"startTime":225.10999999999999,"endTime":228.63,"body":"massive fine, they agree to fix their compliance department, and"},{"startTime":228.63,"endTime":231.87,"body":"the government agrees not to press criminal charges because putting"},{"startTime":231.87,"endTime":234.4,"body":"the company out of business or would hurt the economy."},{"startTime":234.79999999999998,"endTime":235.68,"body":"Precisely."},{"startTime":236.07999999999998,"endTime":239.28,"body":"It is a tool typically reserved for white collar corporate"},{"startTime":239.28,"endTime":239.68,"body":"crime."},{"startTime":240.23999999999998,"endTime":243.48,"body":"It gained popularity after the Arthur Andersen case, the accounting"},{"startTime":243.48,"endTime":245.12,"body":"firm that collapsed after Enron."},{"startTime":245.44,"endTime":248.35999999999999,"body":"The government realized that, you know, indicting a company is"},{"startTime":248.35999999999999,"endTime":249.76,"body":"a death sentence for the company."},{"startTime":250.23999999999998,"endTime":253.4,"body":"So they created these NPAs to reform the entity without"},{"startTime":253.4,"endTime":254.0,"body":"killing it."},{"startTime":254.07999999999998,"endTime":256.6,"body":"So the logic is, we want you to behave better,"},{"startTime":256.6,"endTime":258.08,"body":"but we don't want to destroy you."},{"startTime":258.08,"endTime":258.56,"body":"Correct."},{"startTime":259.04999999999995,"endTime":260.81,"body":"But here is the critical distinction."},{"startTime":261.13,"endTime":264.21000000000004,"body":"It is almost unheard of to apply an NPA to"},{"startTime":264.21000000000004,"endTime":267.04999999999995,"body":"a sex offender, let alone a sex trafficking ring involving"},{"startTime":267.04999999999995,"endTime":267.69,"body":"Niners."},{"startTime":268.01,"endTime":270.73,"body":"You can't reform a sex offender's compliance department."},{"startTime":270.81,"endTime":271.21000000000004,"body":"Right."},{"startTime":271.21000000000004,"endTime":274.53,"body":"You can't monitor their business practices to ensure they aren't"},{"startTime":274.53,"endTime":275.28999999999996,"body":"abusing children."},{"startTime":275.69,"endTime":278.65,"body":"So applying a corporate loophole to a human predator is"},{"startTime":278.65,"endTime":279.53,"body":"already bizarre."},{"startTime":279.93,"endTime":280.93,"body":"But it wasn't just that."},{"startTime":280.93,"endTime":282.16999999999996,"body":"Epstein got off easy."},{"startTime":282.33,"endTime":286.03999999999996,"body":"The language in this document, it's breathtaking."},{"startTime":286.12,"endTime":288.32,"body":"It didn't just protect Jeffrey Epstein."},{"startTime":288.32,"endTime":288.68,"body":"No."},{"startTime":288.84000000000003,"endTime":291.52,"body":"And this is the part that enraged so many observers"},{"startTime":291.52,"endTime":293.15999999999997,"body":"and victims later on."},{"startTime":293.56,"endTime":297.68,"body":"The agreement contained a clause that provided immunity to any"},{"startTime":297.68,"endTime":299.15999999999997,"body":"potential co conspirators."},{"startTime":299.48,"endTime":300.359,"body":"That is wild."},{"startTime":300.359,"endTime":302.52,"body":"I want to read the specific phrasing here because it"},{"startTime":302.52,"endTime":303.48,"body":"sounds like fiction."},{"startTime":303.88,"endTime":306.84000000000003,"body":"It says, the United States agrees not to prosecute any"},{"startTime":306.84000000000003,"endTime":311.4,"body":"potential co conspirators of Epstein, including any potential co conspirators."},{"startTime":311.48,"endTime":312.94,"body":"See Seeking immunity."},{"startTime":313.1,"endTime":315.7,"body":"It's essentially a blanket immunity for anyone who might have"},{"startTime":315.7,"endTime":316.46000000000004,"body":"ever met the guy."},{"startTime":316.53999999999996,"endTime":319.74,"body":"It effectively shut down the investigation into the entire network."},{"startTime":320.38,"endTime":322.29999999999995,"body":"Think about the implications of that sentence."},{"startTime":322.86,"endTime":325.86,"body":"By signing that document, the federal government agreed not only"},{"startTime":325.86,"endTime":327.78,"body":"to stop looking at Epstein, but to stop looking at"},{"startTime":327.78,"endTime":329.17999999999995,"body":"anyone associated with them."},{"startTime":329.58000000000004,"endTime":332.58000000000004,"body":"The pilots who flew the planes, the recruiters who found"},{"startTime":332.58000000000004,"endTime":335.82000000000005,"body":"the girls, the wealthy friends who visited the island."},{"startTime":336.05999999999995,"endTime":337.02,"body":"It's a force field."},{"startTime":337.35,"endTime":340.47,"body":"It tied the hands of the FBI and future prosecutors."},{"startTime":340.78999999999996,"endTime":344.30999999999995,"body":"If an FBI agent found evidence that a recruiter named,"},{"startTime":344.30999999999995,"endTime":348.23,"body":"say, Jane Doe had trafficked a girl across state lines,"},{"startTime":348.47,"endTime":352.18999999999994,"body":"this piece of paper signed in Florida could theoretically be"},{"startTime":352.18999999999994,"endTime":354.99,"body":"waived in court to say, sorry, you promised not to"},{"startTime":354.99,"endTime":355.51,"body":"touch her."},{"startTime":355.66999999999996,"endTime":357.83000000000004,"body":"But here is the disconnect that I found in the"},{"startTime":357.83000000000004,"endTime":358.30999999999995,"body":"files."},{"startTime":358.39,"endTime":362.03,"body":"We have documents showing that the prosecutors, the people on"},{"startTime":362.03,"endTime":364.15,"body":"the ground, knew this was a serious case."},{"startTime":364.15,"endTime":365.27,"body":"They absolutely knew."},{"startTime":365.42999999999995,"endTime":368.51,"body":"There's a memo where prosecutors alleged that the sentence should"},{"startTime":368.51,"endTime":369.11,"body":"be extensive."},{"startTime":369.66999999999996,"endTime":371.90999999999997,"body":"They were looking at a life sentence, essentially, or at"},{"startTime":371.90999999999997,"endTime":372.78999999999996,"body":"least decades."},{"startTime":372.95000000000005,"endTime":375.66999999999996,"body":"And yet the agreement Resulted in what?"},{"startTime":375.66999999999996,"endTime":376.54999999999995,"body":"13 months."},{"startTime":376.63,"endTime":379.78999999999996,"body":"13 months in a county jail with work release for"},{"startTime":379.78999999999996,"endTime":381.749,"body":"12 hours a day, six days a week."},{"startTime":381.90999999999997,"endTime":384.27,"body":"So let's be clear about what work release means here."},{"startTime":384.27,"endTime":386.18999999999994,"body":"This wasn't picking up trash on the highway."},{"startTime":386.18999999999994,"endTime":387.59000000000003,"body":"No, no, not at all."},{"startTime":387.59000000000003,"endTime":390.23,"body":"This was him leaving the jail in the morning, being"},{"startTime":390.23,"endTime":391.88,"body":"driven by his own driver to."},{"startTime":391.95000000000005,"endTime":394.90999999999997,"body":"To his office in West Palm beach, spending the day"},{"startTime":394.90999999999997,"endTime":397.47,"body":"there, where, by the way, he was allegedly visited by"},{"startTime":397.47,"endTime":400.18999999999994,"body":"young women and then returning to the jail to sleep."},{"startTime":400.18999999999994,"endTime":402.59000000000003,"body":"So he was basically sleeping at the jail and living"},{"startTime":402.59000000000003,"endTime":403.63,"body":"his life during the day."},{"startTime":403.87,"endTime":404.42999999999995,"body":"Correct."},{"startTime":404.59000000000003,"endTime":406.03,"body":"And we have to ask why?"},{"startTime":406.75,"endTime":410.75,"body":"Why would federal prosecutors, who had a 53 page indictment"},{"startTime":410.75,"endTime":413.54999999999995,"body":"drafted, we know this from the files."},{"startTime":413.54999999999995,"endTime":416.23,"body":"Why would they trade that for a 13 month slap"},{"startTime":416.23,"endTime":416.83000000000004,"body":"on the wrist?"},{"startTime":416.90999999999997,"endTime":418.75,"body":"The files give us a clue, don't they?"},{"startTime":419.15,"endTime":422.54999999999995,"body":"There's a reference to a prosecutor discussing the realistic likelihood"},{"startTime":422.54999999999995,"endTime":426.11,"body":"of conviction and interestingly, the public interest."},{"startTime":426.42999999999995,"endTime":428.59000000000003,"body":"That phrase does a lot of heavy lifting here."},{"startTime":428.59000000000003,"endTime":429.47,"body":"Public interest."},{"startTime":430.03,"endTime":430.42999999999995,"body":"Right."},{"startTime":430.66999999999996,"endTime":433.87,"body":"How do you determine that prosecuting a prolific sex ring"},{"startTime":433.87,"endTime":435.389,"body":"isn't in the public interest?"},{"startTime":435.47,"endTime":438.42999999999995,"body":"I mean, isn't protecting children the definition of public interest?"},{"startTime":438.66999999999996,"endTime":440.03,"body":"That is the central debate."},{"startTime":440.18999999999994,"endTime":441.54999999999995,"body":"The argument made by the U.S."},{"startTime":441.54999999999995,"endTime":444.59000000000003,"body":"attorney at the time, Alexandra Acosta, was that this was"},{"startTime":444.59000000000003,"endTime":446.95000000000005,"body":"a guaranteed way to get some registration as a sex"},{"startTime":446.95000000000005,"endTime":447.47,"body":"offender."},{"startTime":447.97,"endTime":449.92999999999995,"body":"He argued that taking the case to trial was a"},{"startTime":449.92999999999995,"endTime":450.37,"body":"gamble."},{"startTime":450.37,"endTime":451.09000000000003,"body":"A gamble?"},{"startTime":451.16999999999996,"endTime":451.68999999999994,"body":"Yeah."},{"startTime":451.68999999999994,"endTime":454.77,"body":"The victims were young, their stories varied slightly as trauma"},{"startTime":454.77,"endTime":457.65,"body":"often causes, and he feared a jury might not convict."},{"startTime":458.04999999999995,"endTime":460.16999999999996,"body":"So the logic was better to get him on something"},{"startTime":460.16999999999996,"endTime":461.97,"body":"small than risk him walking on everything."},{"startTime":462.28999999999996,"endTime":463.65,"body":"That was the stated logic."},{"startTime":464.13,"endTime":467.73,"body":"Acosta has consistently maintained that he was playing 4D chess,"},{"startTime":467.97,"endTime":469.57000000000005,"body":"that state laws were weaker."},{"startTime":469.65,"endTime":472.89,"body":"Federal laws were tricky, and securing a plea that forced"},{"startTime":472.89,"endTime":476.27,"body":"Epstein to register as a sex offender was a victory."},{"startTime":476.27,"endTime":477.95000000000005,"body":"But hold on, is that a valid fear?"},{"startTime":477.95000000000005,"endTime":479.54999999999995,"body":"I mean, you're the expert here."},{"startTime":479.71000000000004,"endTime":482.54999999999995,"body":"Federal prosecutors have a conviction rate of something like 90"},{"startTime":482.54999999999995,"endTime":483.30999999999995,"body":"plus percent."},{"startTime":483.63,"endTime":486.75,"body":"They don't bring 53 page indictments unless they are sure."},{"startTime":487.07000000000005,"endTime":489.71000000000004,"body":"Was this case actually that flimsy?"},{"startTime":489.95000000000005,"endTime":492.78999999999996,"body":"That's where the public interest argument falls apart for many"},{"startTime":492.78999999999996,"endTime":493.63,"body":"legal scholars."},{"startTime":493.78999999999996,"endTime":495.54999999999995,"body":"The FBI had raided the house."},{"startTime":495.71000000000004,"endTime":498.15,"body":"They had the evidence, they had the massage logs, they"},{"startTime":498.15,"endTime":499.39,"body":"had corroborating witnesses."},{"startTime":499.39,"endTime":501.30999999999995,"body":"This wasn't a he said, she said."},{"startTime":501.30999999999995,"endTime":503.87,"body":"This was a he said and the physical evidence and"},{"startTime":504.11,"endTime":505.87,"body":"20 other people said situation."},{"startTime":506.18999999999994,"endTime":508.99,"body":"So the fear of losing argument feels thin."},{"startTime":509.15,"endTime":510.27,"body":"Extremely thin."},{"startTime":510.27,"endTime":511.95000000000005,"body":"The files suggest a different story."},{"startTime":512.1899999999999,"endTime":515.35,"body":"They suggest a deep reluctance to engage in a messy,"},{"startTime":515.35,"endTime":519.31,"body":"high profile trial against a defendant with unlimited resources."},{"startTime":519.63,"endTime":521.23,"body":"It wasn't about whether they could win."},{"startTime":521.39,"endTime":523.51,"body":"It was about whether they wanted to endure the fight"},{"startTime":523.51,"endTime":524.35,"body":"required to win."},{"startTime":524.67,"endTime":527.27,"body":"And that leads us to the jurisdictional shuffle."},{"startTime":527.27,"endTime":529.31,"body":"This is another thing that pops up in the documents."},{"startTime":529.79,"endTime":533.47,"body":"The tension between the federal prosecutors and the state prosecutors"},{"startTime":533.47,"endTime":534.51,"body":"in Palm Beach County."},{"startTime":534.75,"endTime":536.83,"body":"Yes, because you have two different sovereigns Here."},{"startTime":536.83,"endTime":537.15,"body":"Right."},{"startTime":537.39,"endTime":539.95,"body":"This is crucial to understanding how the deal went down."},{"startTime":539.95,"endTime":540.67,"body":"You have the U.S."},{"startTime":540.67,"endTime":544.51,"body":"attorney's office, the feds, and the state attorney's office."},{"startTime":544.67,"endTime":549.07,"body":"Now, normally, under the concepts of dual sovereignty, both can"},{"startTime":549.07,"endTime":552.07,"body":"prosecute you for the same act if it violates both"},{"startTime":552.07,"endTime":553.39,"body":"state and federal laws."},{"startTime":553.55,"endTime":556.11,"body":"So the feds could charge him with sex trafficking across"},{"startTime":556.11,"endTime":558.91,"body":"state lines and the state could charge him with solicitation."},{"startTime":559.07,"endTime":559.79,"body":"Exactly."},{"startTime":559.95,"endTime":560.21,"body":"But."},{"startTime":560.28,"endTime":563.24,"body":"But the files show the feds effectively abstained."},{"startTime":563.48,"endTime":564.84,"body":"They handed the case down."},{"startTime":564.84,"endTime":567.64,"body":"They essentially said, we are going to step back and"},{"startTime":567.64,"endTime":569.16,"body":"let the state of Florida handle this."},{"startTime":569.16,"endTime":570.2,"body":"It's like a hot potato."},{"startTime":570.2,"endTime":571.04,"body":"We don't want this."},{"startTime":571.04,"endTime":573.84,"body":"You take it in a way, but it was more"},{"startTime":573.84,"endTime":574.92,"body":"calculated than that."},{"startTime":575.4,"endTime":578.0,"body":"The document notes that the decision was to allow the"},{"startTime":578.0,"endTime":579.56,"body":"state to handle the prosecution."},{"startTime":580.2,"endTime":583.0,"body":"But by doing that, they allowed Epstein to plead to"},{"startTime":583.0,"endTime":588.01,"body":"state charges solicitation of prostitution rather than federal sex trafficking"},{"startTime":588.01,"endTime":591.49,"body":"charges, which carry vastly different sentences night and day."},{"startTime":591.65,"endTime":595.57,"body":"Solicitation is a misdemeanor or a low level felony."},{"startTime":595.97,"endTime":598.45,"body":"In Florida specifically, it can be very minor."},{"startTime":598.61,"endTime":602.409,"body":"Sex trafficking is a major federal crime with mandatory minimums"},{"startTime":602.409,"endTime":603.97,"body":"that can put you away for life."},{"startTime":604.21,"endTime":605.49,"body":"So the jurisdiction matters."},{"startTime":605.49,"endTime":606.73,"body":"It matters immensely."},{"startTime":606.73,"endTime":609.1700000000001,"body":"By handing it off, they insured the lighter sentence."},{"startTime":609.1700000000001,"endTime":610.85,"body":"They took the teeth out of the prosecution."},{"startTime":611.41,"endTime":615.44,"body":"And remember, the man act, the federal law prohibiting transporting"},{"startTime":615.44,"endTime":619.48,"body":"people across state lines for immoral purposes was designed exactly"},{"startTime":619.48,"endTime":620.32,"body":"for this right."},{"startTime":620.32,"endTime":621.8000000000001,"body":"The Feds had jurisdiction."},{"startTime":621.96,"endTime":624.6800000000001,"body":"The victims were flown in from New York, from Europe."},{"startTime":624.9200000000001,"endTime":626.84,"body":"This is a federal case by definition."},{"startTime":626.9200000000001,"endTime":629.1990000000001,"body":"And that consequence rippled out for a decade."},{"startTime":629.1990000000001,"endTime":631.96,"body":"It allowed him to continue his life effectively."},{"startTime":632.28,"endTime":634.9200000000001,"body":"But let's zoom in on the people, because the government"},{"startTime":634.9200000000001,"endTime":635.88,"body":"didn't make this decision."},{"startTime":636.28,"endTime":637.32,"body":"Specific people did."},{"startTime":637.4,"endTime":637.96,"body":"That's right."},{"startTime":637.96,"endTime":640.28,"body":"Institutions don't make choices, individuals do."},{"startTime":640.74,"endTime":643.0600000000001,"body":"And inside the DOJ, it wasn't a monolith."},{"startTime":643.3000000000001,"endTime":647.0600000000001,"body":"The files mention 20 or 30 line attorneys."},{"startTime":647.0600000000001,"endTime":648.34,"body":"Can you explain what that means?"},{"startTime":648.4200000000001,"endTime":651.38,"body":"What is a line attorney versus, say, Acosta?"},{"startTime":651.46,"endTime":654.26,"body":"Yes, and this distinction is vital."},{"startTime":654.58,"endTime":655.1800000000001,"body":"In the U.S."},{"startTime":655.1800000000001,"endTime":658.1,"body":"attorney's office, you have the line attorneys."},{"startTime":658.1800000000001,"endTime":659.58,"body":"These are the career prosecutors."},{"startTime":659.58,"endTime":662.98,"body":"They are the ones interviewing victims, building the case files,"},{"startTime":662.98,"endTime":664.02,"body":"doing the grunt work."},{"startTime":664.1,"endTime":664.74,"body":"Okay."},{"startTime":664.9,"endTime":666.5,"body":"They aren't political appointees."},{"startTime":666.58,"endTime":669.77,"body":"They are there to prosecute crimes, usually for decades, and"},{"startTime":670.16,"endTime":671.16,"body":"they are the engine room."},{"startTime":671.16,"endTime":673.0400000000001,"body":"And then you have the boss, the U.S."},{"startTime":673.0400000000001,"endTime":675.6,"body":"attorney in this case, Alexander Acosta."},{"startTime":675.76,"endTime":677.24,"body":"He is a political appointee."},{"startTime":677.24,"endTime":679.5600000000001,"body":"He is nominated by the president and confirmed by the"},{"startTime":679.5600000000001,"endTime":680.0,"body":"Senate."},{"startTime":680.16,"endTime":681.52,"body":"He makes the final call."},{"startTime":681.52,"endTime":682.6,"body":"His job is legal."},{"startTime":682.6,"endTime":684.72,"body":"Yes, but it is also inherently political."},{"startTime":684.96,"endTime":688.0,"body":"He has to weigh resources, public perception, and policy."},{"startTime":688.88,"endTime":690.72,"body":"So was there friction?"},{"startTime":690.96,"endTime":693.12,"body":"Did the line attorneys agree with this Deal."},{"startTime":693.44,"endTime":696.32,"body":"The evidence suggests significant internal friction."},{"startTime":697.28,"endTime":701.08,"body":"The files refer to prosecutors who declined to prosecute versus"},{"startTime":701.08,"endTime":702.08,"body":"those who pushed forward."},{"startTime":702.72,"endTime":705.72,"body":"There is a sense in the documents that the recommendation"},{"startTime":705.72,"endTime":707.88,"body":"from the Lyme prosecutors, the ones who knew the case"},{"startTime":707.88,"endTime":709.6,"body":"best, was to go hard."},{"startTime":710.16,"endTime":711.48,"body":"They had the indictment ready."},{"startTime":711.48,"endTime":712.96,"body":"They had looked the victims in the eye."},{"startTime":712.96,"endTime":714.6800000000001,"body":"So you have the people who did the work saying,"},{"startTime":714.6800000000001,"endTime":716.72,"body":"let's get them, and the boss saying, let's cut a"},{"startTime":716.72,"endTime":716.96,"body":"deal."},{"startTime":717.28,"endTime":718.0,"body":"Precisely."},{"startTime":718.4,"endTime":721.64,"body":"The boss pivoted to the deal, and this creates a"},{"startTime":721.64,"endTime":722.72,"body":"huge morale issue."},{"startTime":723.51,"endTime":726.47,"body":"Imagine working for two years on a case, gathering evidence"},{"startTime":726.47,"endTime":729.11,"body":"of horrific abuse, and then your boss comes in and"},{"startTime":729.11,"endTime":730.87,"body":"says, we're going to let him go with a warning."},{"startTime":731.19,"endTime":734.23,"body":"And we touched on Acosta's defense that he was afraid"},{"startTime":734.23,"endTime":735.19,"body":"Epstein would walk."},{"startTime":735.83,"endTime":738.83,"body":"But looking at the files, there is this phrase disparate"},{"startTime":738.83,"endTime":739.4300000000001,"body":"treatment."},{"startTime":739.83,"endTime":743.15,"body":"It suggests that federal prosecutors treated this case differently than"},{"startTime":743.15,"endTime":744.71,"body":"they handled other similar cases."},{"startTime":745.19,"endTime":747.59,"body":"That is the key indicator of something going wrong."},{"startTime":747.99,"endTime":748.63,"body":"In law."},{"startTime":748.71,"endTime":750.15,"body":"Consistency is everything."},{"startTime":750.5500000000001,"endTime":753.39,"body":"If you have a standard operating procedure for drug dealers"},{"startTime":753.39,"endTime":756.61,"body":"or bank robbers or other sex traffickers, and then suddenly"},{"startTime":756.61,"endTime":759.21,"body":"for this defendant, you throw out the rule book and"},{"startTime":759.21,"endTime":762.69,"body":"invent a new type of agreement that is disparate treatment."},{"startTime":762.77,"endTime":763.09,"body":"Why?"},{"startTime":763.09,"endTime":763.8100000000001,"body":"That's the question."},{"startTime":763.8100000000001,"endTime":766.25,"body":"Was it just fear of losing, or was it the"},{"startTime":766.25,"endTime":767.8100000000001,"body":"person on the other side of the table?"},{"startTime":767.97,"endTime":770.01,"body":"Because Epstein didn't just have a public defender."},{"startTime":770.01,"endTime":771.2090000000001,"body":"He had a dream team."},{"startTime":771.2090000000001,"endTime":772.2900000000001,"body":"He had the legal avengers."},{"startTime":772.2900000000001,"endTime":772.61,"body":"Yeah."},{"startTime":772.61,"endTime":776.01,"body":"Kenneth Starr, the man who investigated Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz,"},{"startTime":776.01,"endTime":778.01,"body":"the Harvard professor, Jay Lefkowitz."},{"startTime":778.01,"endTime":779.57,"body":"These were titans of the legal industry."},{"startTime":779.89,"endTime":781.57,"body":"These are guys who don't just know the law."},{"startTime":782.0500000000001,"endTime":782.8100000000001,"body":"They know the judges."},{"startTime":782.8100000000001,"endTime":785.01,"body":"They know the prosecutors, they know the politicians."},{"startTime":785.09,"endTime":787.73,"body":"And the files show they played dirty."},{"startTime":787.89,"endTime":790.57,"body":"Or let's say they played incredibly aggressively."},{"startTime":790.57,"endTime":792.61,"body":"This wasn't just a polite disagreement in court."},{"startTime":792.69,"endTime":793.25,"body":"They did."},{"startTime":793.73,"endTime":797.929,"body":"We see documents regarding Alan Dershowitz's attempts to disqualify the"},{"startTime":797.929,"endTime":798.57,"body":"prosecutors."},{"startTime":798.57,"endTime":801.09,"body":"This wasn't just, my client is innocent."},{"startTime":801.41,"endTime":806.65,"body":"This was, the people investigating my client are corrupt, biased,"},{"startTime":806.65,"endTime":807.57,"body":"misbehaving."},{"startTime":807.98,"endTime":810.86,"body":"It's a strategy called investigating the investigators."},{"startTime":810.86,"endTime":811.58,"body":"Exactly."},{"startTime":811.58,"endTime":813.1,"body":"They turned the heat back on the U.S."},{"startTime":813.1,"endTime":813.82,"body":"attorney's office."},{"startTime":814.22,"endTime":816.78,"body":"They filed complaints against the prosecutors personally."},{"startTime":816.86,"endTime":818.4200000000001,"body":"They dug into their backgrounds."},{"startTime":818.4200000000001,"endTime":819.26,"body":"They made it personal."},{"startTime":819.34,"endTime":821.02,"body":"I want to spend a moment on this because it"},{"startTime":821.02,"endTime":822.5400000000001,"body":"feels like a thriller movie plot."},{"startTime":822.5400000000001,"endTime":825.78,"body":"We're talking about private investigators looking into the lives of"},{"startTime":825.78,"endTime":826.82,"body":"federal prosecutors."},{"startTime":826.82,"endTime":827.26,"body":"Yes."},{"startTime":827.58,"endTime":831.1800000000001,"body":"The defense team reportedly hired private investigators to dig up"},{"startTime":831.1800000000001,"endTime":832.46,"body":"dirt on the prosecutors."},{"startTime":832.46,"endTime":835.36,"body":"And the investigators, they looked for anything."},{"startTime":835.84,"endTime":839.52,"body":"Marital problems, financial issues, past professional complaints."},{"startTime":839.9200000000001,"endTime":841.84,"body":"The goal is to create leverage."},{"startTime":842.08,"endTime":845.72,"body":"If you can threaten a prosecutor's career or reputation, they"},{"startTime":845.72,"endTime":847.44,"body":"might become much more willing to settle."},{"startTime":847.52,"endTime":849.44,"body":"That has to have a psychological effect."},{"startTime":849.84,"endTime":853.4,"body":"If you're a prosecutor and suddenly your own career is"},{"startTime":853.4,"endTime":855.76,"body":"being threatened by the most powerful lawyers in the country,"},{"startTime":856.8000000000001,"endTime":858.88,"body":"maybe you start looking for an exit ramp."},{"startTime":858.88,"endTime":860.64,"body":"It creates an environment of siege."},{"startTime":861.38,"endTime":861.74,"body":"The U.S."},{"startTime":861.74,"endTime":863.62,"body":"attorney's office felt under attack."},{"startTime":864.02,"endTime":866.66,"body":"The files reflect this siege mentality."},{"startTime":867.0600000000001,"endTime":870.62,"body":"And in that context, the MPA looks less like a"},{"startTime":870.62,"endTime":874.66,"body":"strategy for justice and more like a peace treaty to"},{"startTime":874.66,"endTime":876.4200000000001,"body":"end a war they were tired of fighting."},{"startTime":876.5,"endTime":879.0600000000001,"body":"There's this one handwritten note in the files that really"},{"startTime":879.0600000000001,"endTime":879.7,"body":"stuck with me."},{"startTime":879.7,"endTime":882.02,"body":"It just says, pitch to other prosecutors."},{"startTime":882.1800000000001,"endTime":882.9,"body":"Book deal."},{"startTime":883.22,"endTime":884.74,"body":"That is a fascinating artifact."},{"startTime":884.74,"endTime":886.5,"body":"What does that even mean, book deal?"},{"startTime":886.5,"endTime":889.94,"body":"It's ambiguous, but in the context of the defense's aggression,"},{"startTime":890.1800000000001,"endTime":893.16,"body":"it likely reflects the defense team's attempt to impugify hewn"},{"startTime":893.16,"endTime":894.48,"body":"the motives of the prosecutors."},{"startTime":894.64,"endTime":896.9200000000001,"body":"They were suggesting that the only reason the police and"},{"startTime":896.9200000000001,"endTime":900.08,"body":"prosecutors were going after Epstein was to get famous to"},{"startTime":900.08,"endTime":900.64,"body":"write a book."},{"startTime":900.72,"endTime":901.9200000000001,"body":"So they were gaslighting them."},{"startTime":901.9200000000001,"endTime":903.12,"body":"You don't care about justice."},{"startTime":903.12,"endTime":904.08,"body":"You just want fame."},{"startTime":904.16,"endTime":904.96,"body":"Precisely."},{"startTime":904.96,"endTime":906.76,"body":"It's a classic deflection tactic."},{"startTime":906.76,"endTime":908.84,"body":"If you can paint the accuser, or in this case,"},{"startTime":908.84,"endTime":913.64,"body":"the prosecutor, as greedy or fame hungry, you undermine the"},{"startTime":913.64,"endTime":914.72,"body":"credibility of the case."},{"startTime":915.2,"endTime":917.6800000000001,"body":"And when you see that note scrawled in the file,"},{"startTime":917.76,"endTime":921.13,"body":"you realize how deep that psychological warfare went."},{"startTime":921.45,"endTime":922.97,"body":"It wasn't about the evidence anymore."},{"startTime":922.97,"endTime":925.09,"body":"It was about the motives of the people bringing the"},{"startTime":925.09,"endTime":925.45,"body":"charges."},{"startTime":925.45,"endTime":926.25,"body":"And it worked."},{"startTime":926.25,"endTime":926.89,"body":"It worked."},{"startTime":926.89,"endTime":928.01,"body":"The prosecutors blinked."},{"startTime":928.01,"endTime":929.37,"body":"So 2008 happens."},{"startTime":929.61,"endTime":930.89,"body":"The deal is signed."},{"startTime":931.21,"endTime":932.53,"body":"The victims are left in the dark."},{"startTime":932.53,"endTime":933.53,"body":"We'll get to that in a minute."},{"startTime":933.53,"endTime":936.41,"body":"And Epstein walks with a slap on the wrist for"},{"startTime":936.41,"endTime":936.97,"body":"10 years."},{"startTime":937.0500000000001,"endTime":938.13,"body":"That was the end of the story."},{"startTime":938.13,"endTime":939.37,"body":"It was the lost decade."},{"startTime":939.37,"endTime":940.25,"body":"Until it wasn't."},{"startTime":940.33,"endTime":941.21,"body":"Enter Julie K."},{"startTime":941.21,"endTime":941.69,"body":"Brown."},{"startTime":941.9300000000001,"endTime":944.65,"body":"We cannot overstate the impact of journalism here."},{"startTime":945.1,"endTime":946.5,"body":"The legal system had closed the book."},{"startTime":946.5,"endTime":947.9,"body":"The FBI had moved on."},{"startTime":948.22,"endTime":949.0600000000001,"body":"But Julie K."},{"startTime":949.0600000000001,"endTime":950.62,"body":"Brown at the Miami Herald didn't."},{"startTime":950.86,"endTime":955.7,"body":"Her reporting, specifically the series Perversion of justice, exposed the"},{"startTime":955.7,"endTime":957.5,"body":"2008 deal to the sunlight."},{"startTime":957.5,"endTime":958.4200000000001,"body":"It's amazing, right?"},{"startTime":958.4200000000001,"endTime":961.38,"body":"The documents were there, the deal was done, but nobody"},{"startTime":961.38,"endTime":962.66,"body":"really looked at it until she did."},{"startTime":962.66,"endTime":963.5,"body":"She dug it up."},{"startTime":963.5,"endTime":965.0600000000001,"body":"She went back and found the victims."},{"startTime":965.0600000000001,"endTime":968.22,"body":"She laid out the terms of the npa, and when"},{"startTime":968.22,"endTime":970.26,"body":"the public saw it in black and white."},{"startTime":970.26,"endTime":973.49,"body":"Immunity for co conspirators, no federal charges."},{"startTime":973.89,"endTime":975.65,"body":"The outrage was universal."},{"startTime":975.73,"endTime":977.8100000000001,"body":"It forced the Department of Justice to look in the"},{"startTime":977.8100000000001,"endTime":978.09,"body":"mirror."},{"startTime":978.09,"endTime":980.49,"body":"Yeah, you have to remember, this was post."},{"startTime":980.49,"endTime":981.1700000000001,"body":"Me too."},{"startTime":981.41,"endTime":984.33,"body":"The tolerance for this kind of sweeping immunity for sexual"},{"startTime":984.33,"endTime":985.8100000000001,"body":"abuse had evaporated."},{"startTime":985.97,"endTime":988.53,"body":"And this brings us to the resurrection 2019."},{"startTime":988.9300000000001,"endTime":992.0500000000001,"body":"A new team of prosecutors, the Southern District of New"},{"startTime":992.0500000000001,"endTime":992.37,"body":"York."},{"startTime":992.37,"endTime":993.25,"body":"Sdny."},{"startTime":993.49,"endTime":995.2900000000001,"body":"Now, SDNY has a reputation, right?"},{"startTime":995.2900000000001,"endTime":998.0500000000001,"body":"The Sovereign District, as they are sometimes jokingly called."},{"startTime":998.59,"endTime":1002.51,"body":"They are known for being independent, aggressive, and incredibly sophisticated."},{"startTime":1002.75,"endTime":1006.83,"body":"They handle the biggest financial crimes, terrorism cases and organized"},{"startTime":1006.83,"endTime":1007.23,"body":"crime."},{"startTime":1007.39,"endTime":1008.75,"body":"They don't take orders easily."},{"startTime":1008.83,"endTime":1010.15,"body":"So how did they get around the deal?"},{"startTime":1010.15,"endTime":1011.7900000000001,"body":"I mean, contract is a contract, right?"},{"startTime":1011.7900000000001,"endTime":1013.6700000000001,"body":"If the government signed a deal in 2008 saying we"},{"startTime":1013.6700000000001,"endTime":1016.59,"body":"won't prosecute, how can they prosecute in 2019?"},{"startTime":1016.83,"endTime":1018.51,"body":"That was the central legal battle."},{"startTime":1018.6700000000001,"endTime":1022.27,"body":"Epstein's lawyers waived that 2008 paper and said, you promised."},{"startTime":1022.59,"endTime":1024.87,"body":"They argued that the United States had signed the agreement,"},{"startTime":1024.87,"endTime":1026.87,"body":"and SDNY is part of the United States, so they"},{"startTime":1026.87,"endTime":1028.68,"body":"are bound by it, which seems logical."},{"startTime":1028.68,"endTime":1029.1599999999999,"body":"Honestly."},{"startTime":1029.1599999999999,"endTime":1030.32,"body":"It is logical, yeah."},{"startTime":1030.32,"endTime":1034.24,"body":"But SDNY found a loophole, or rather, they enforced a"},{"startTime":1034.24,"endTime":1035.6399999999999,"body":"specific reading of the document."},{"startTime":1036.04,"endTime":1037.1599999999999,"body":"They argued that the U.S."},{"startTime":1037.1599999999999,"endTime":1039.52,"body":"attorney in the Southern District of Florida did not have"},{"startTime":1039.52,"endTime":1041.28,"body":"the authority to bind the U.S."},{"startTime":1041.28,"endTime":1043.6399999999999,"body":"attorney in the Southern District of New York."},{"startTime":1043.72,"endTime":1044.2,"body":"Oh."},{"startTime":1044.52,"endTime":1047.48,"body":"They argued that the agreement was regional, not national."},{"startTime":1047.72,"endTime":1049.2,"body":"Then New York isn't Florida."},{"startTime":1049.2,"endTime":1049.8,"body":"Argument."},{"startTime":1049.8,"endTime":1053.76,"body":"Basically, they said, Acosta signed for Florida, he can't sign"},{"startTime":1053.76,"endTime":1054.2,"body":"for us."},{"startTime":1055.02,"endTime":1056.1399999999999,"body":"It was a bold move."},{"startTime":1056.22,"endTime":1057.74,"body":"It's not legally watertight."},{"startTime":1057.74,"endTime":1060.42,"body":"There's plenty of debate about it, but they were willing"},{"startTime":1060.42,"endTime":1061.1,"body":"to take the risk."},{"startTime":1061.18,"endTime":1063.82,"body":"That feels like a technicality, but thank goodness for it."},{"startTime":1063.82,"endTime":1065.1,"body":"It was a fierce legal fight."},{"startTime":1065.34,"endTime":1069.06,"body":"The files describe federal prosecutors as fighting to throw out"},{"startTime":1069.06,"endTime":1070.3,"body":"the lenient agreement."},{"startTime":1070.54,"endTime":1073.46,"body":"They had to effectively argue that their own colleagues in"},{"startTime":1073.46,"endTime":1076.82,"body":"Florida had overstepped their bounds back in 2008."},{"startTime":1076.82,"endTime":1079.74,"body":"They had to throw the previous prosecutors under the bus"},{"startTime":1079.82,"endTime":1080.7,"body":"to save the case."},{"startTime":1080.7,"endTime":1081.1,"body":"Yes."},{"startTime":1081.1,"endTime":1084.06,"body":"And then, of course, Epstein is arrested, but then he"},{"startTime":1084.06,"endTime":1084.46,"body":"dies."},{"startTime":1084.94,"endTime":1087.46,"body":"The files reference it as suicide, though."},{"startTime":1087.46,"endTime":1089.46,"body":"I know that's a whole other deep dive we could"},{"startTime":1089.46,"endTime":1089.74,"body":"do."},{"startTime":1089.8999999999999,"endTime":1095.02,"body":"The official determination was suicide, but from a prosecutorial standpoint,"},{"startTime":1095.02,"endTime":1097.1799999999998,"body":"his death presented a massive problem."},{"startTime":1097.6599999999999,"endTime":1099.4199999999998,"body":"You can't prosecute a dead man."},{"startTime":1099.98,"endTime":1103.26,"body":"The criminal case against him evaporated the moment he died."},{"startTime":1103.34,"endTime":1105.74,"body":"So the target shifted to Ghisalay Maxwell."},{"startTime":1105.8999999999999,"endTime":1108.3,"body":"The files referred to her in very stark terms."},{"startTime":1108.74,"endTime":1110.8999999999999,"body":"Epstein pimp Ghislaine Maxwell."},{"startTime":1110.8999999999999,"endTime":1113.86,"body":"With Epstein gone, she became the proxy for justice."},{"startTime":1114.02,"endTime":1116.4599999999998,"body":"The prosecutors needed to prove that this wasn't just one"},{"startTime":1116.4599999999998,"endTime":1118.34,"body":"man acting alone, but a conspiracy."},{"startTime":1118.5,"endTime":1121.82,"body":"And the 2008 deal, remember, was supposed to protect potential"},{"startTime":1121.82,"endTime":1122.82,"body":"co conspirators."},{"startTime":1122.8999999999999,"endTime":1124.4589999999998,"body":"So they had to break that deal to get her"},{"startTime":1124.4589999999998,"endTime":1124.82,"body":"too."},{"startTime":1124.82,"endTime":1125.54,"body":"Exactly."},{"startTime":1125.54,"endTime":1126.1799999999998,"body":"And they did."},{"startTime":1126.1799999999998,"endTime":1130.2199999999998,"body":"The strategy shifted entirely to holding her accountable for facilitating"},{"startTime":1130.2199999999998,"endTime":1130.8999999999999,"body":"the abuse."},{"startTime":1131.1399999999999,"endTime":1133.3,"body":"The files show a long term plan."},{"startTime":1133.54,"endTime":1136.6599999999999,"body":"A possible Maxwell prosecution was on the radar."},{"startTime":1136.6599999999999,"endTime":1139.54,"body":"But it became the primary mission after Epstein's death."},{"startTime":1139.82,"endTime":1142.1799999999998,"body":"They had to prove she was an active participant, not"},{"startTime":1142.1799999999998,"endTime":1143.98,"body":"just a bystander covered by immunity."},{"startTime":1143.98,"endTime":1146.54,"body":"And she got 20 years, a far cry from 13"},{"startTime":1146.54,"endTime":1147.58,"body":"months on work release."},{"startTime":1147.8999999999999,"endTime":1150.6599999999999,"body":"It was a vindication, in many ways, of the victim's"},{"startTime":1150.6599999999999,"endTime":1151.1799999999998,"body":"testimony."},{"startTime":1151.5,"endTime":1154.3799999999999,"body":"It proved that if a jury actually heard the evidence,"},{"startTime":1154.6999999999998,"endTime":1157.4199999999998,"body":"the evidence that Acosta was afraid to show a jury"},{"startTime":1157.4199999999998,"endTime":1159.82,"body":"back in 2008, they would convict."},{"startTime":1160.2199999999998,"endTime":1163.34,"body":"It proved that Acosta's fear was unfounded."},{"startTime":1163.58,"endTime":1164.86,"body":"Let's talk about the fallout."},{"startTime":1165.59,"endTime":1167.55,"body":"Because if I screw up this badly at my job,"},{"startTime":1167.55,"endTime":1168.4699999999998,"body":"I get fired."},{"startTime":1168.6299999999999,"endTime":1170.6699999999998,"body":"If I sign a contract that gives away the farm,"},{"startTime":1170.6699999999998,"endTime":1171.27,"body":"I'm out."},{"startTime":1171.75,"endTime":1174.1899999999998,"body":"What happened to the prosecutors who signed the deal of"},{"startTime":1174.1899999999998,"endTime":1174.87,"body":"a lifetime?"},{"startTime":1175.1899999999998,"endTime":1177.87,"body":"Well, Alexandra Acosta went on to become the Secretary of"},{"startTime":1177.87,"endTime":1180.1499999999999,"body":"Labor in the Trump administration, which is a pretty high"},{"startTime":1180.1499999999999,"endTime":1180.7099999999998,"body":"promotion."},{"startTime":1181.029,"endTime":1181.509,"body":"It is."},{"startTime":1181.6699999999998,"endTime":1184.9499999999998,"body":"But when the Epstein case resurfaced in 2019, thanks to"},{"startTime":1184.9499999999998,"endTime":1188.79,"body":"the Miami Herald, the scrutiny on that 2008 deal became"},{"startTime":1188.79,"endTime":1189.35,"body":"intense."},{"startTime":1189.83,"endTime":1193.37,"body":"Acosta held a press conference to defend his actions, repeating"},{"startTime":1193.37,"endTime":1195.77,"body":"the argument that he got the best deal possible at"},{"startTime":1195.77,"endTime":1196.1299999999999,"body":"the time."},{"startTime":1196.1299999999999,"endTime":1197.49,"body":"But the public didn't buy it."},{"startTime":1197.49,"endTime":1199.6499999999999,"body":"No, the dissonance was too loud."},{"startTime":1199.8899999999999,"endTime":1202.4099999999999,"body":"The public sought a sweetheart deal for a billionaire and"},{"startTime":1202.4099999999999,"endTime":1204.29,"body":"a Cabinet position for the prosecutor."},{"startTime":1204.53,"endTime":1206.37,"body":"He eventually resigned from the Cabinet."},{"startTime":1206.37,"endTime":1207.61,"body":"But was there punishment?"},{"startTime":1207.61,"endTime":1208.53,"body":"Legal punishment?"},{"startTime":1208.53,"endTime":1211.33,"body":"The Department of Justice conducted an internal review."},{"startTime":1212.29,"endTime":1215.57,"body":"The Office of Professional Responsibility, or opr."},{"startTime":1215.9699999999998,"endTime":1218.1299999999999,"body":"They looked at professional misconduct."},{"startTime":1218.62,"endTime":1220.58,"body":"And this is where it gets frustrating for people looking"},{"startTime":1220.58,"endTime":1221.3,"body":"for accountability."},{"startTime":1221.3,"endTime":1221.98,"body":"Uh oh."},{"startTime":1222.06,"endTime":1224.1799999999998,"body":"They found poor judgment."},{"startTime":1224.1799999999998,"endTime":1224.98,"body":"Poor judgment."},{"startTime":1224.98,"endTime":1226.6999999999998,"body":"That's like saying, oops, my bad."},{"startTime":1226.86,"endTime":1229.98,"body":"They explicitly concluded that while the decision making was flawed,"},{"startTime":1230.06,"endTime":1233.3799999999999,"body":"it didn't rise to the level of professional misconduct that"},{"startTime":1233.3799999999999,"endTime":1236.62,"body":"would warrant disbarment or prosecution of the prosecutors."},{"startTime":1237.26,"endTime":1241.86,"body":"They said he exercised his discretion poorly, but exercising discretion"},{"startTime":1241.86,"endTime":1242.6999999999998,"body":"is part of the job."},{"startTime":1242.78,"endTime":1245.1799999999998,"body":"That seems incredibly convenient."},{"startTime":1245.3999999999999,"endTime":1248.12,"body":"It highlights the broad immunity prosecutors enjoy."},{"startTime":1248.4399999999998,"endTime":1251.4399999999998,"body":"It is very, very difficult to punish a prosecutor for"},{"startTime":1251.4399999999998,"endTime":1253.56,"body":"making a bad deal, as long as you can't prove"},{"startTime":1253.56,"endTime":1255.9599999999998,"body":"they were bribed or acted with malicious intent."},{"startTime":1255.9599999999998,"endTime":1256.36,"body":"Right."},{"startTime":1256.4399999999998,"endTime":1259.04,"body":"Being bad at your job or being outmaneuvered by the"},{"startTime":1259.04,"endTime":1260.6,"body":"defense isn't a crime."},{"startTime":1260.9199999999998,"endTime":1262.1599999999999,"body":"It's just incompetence."},{"startTime":1262.1599999999999,"endTime":1263.6799999999998,"body":"But it leaves a bitter taste."},{"startTime":1263.6799999999998,"endTime":1264.1999999999998,"body":"It does."},{"startTime":1264.4399999999998,"endTime":1267.52,"body":"It signals that you can fail upwards even on that"},{"startTime":1267.52,"endTime":1269.8,"body":"failure, leave dozens of children vulnerable."},{"startTime":1269.8799999999999,"endTime":1272.48,"body":"Now we have to talk about the politics, because you"},{"startTime":1272.48,"endTime":1274.84,"body":"can't open these files without seeing the names."},{"startTime":1275.0,"endTime":1276.04,"body":"It's a minefield."},{"startTime":1276.04,"endTime":1279.12,"body":"We see references to Bill Clinton, we see references to"},{"startTime":1279.12,"endTime":1281.6399999999999,"body":"Donald Trump, and it's important to look at these neutrally"},{"startTime":1281.7199999999998,"endTime":1283.32,"body":"as data points in the file."},{"startTime":1283.8,"endTime":1287.36,"body":"The files mention Clinton regarding flight log strips taken on"},{"startTime":1287.36,"endTime":1288.36,"body":"Epstein's plane."},{"startTime":1288.84,"endTime":1292.1599999999999,"body":"They mention Trump in relation to document requests in social"},{"startTime":1292.1599999999999,"endTime":1293.32,"body":"circles in Palm Beach."},{"startTime":1293.3999999999999,"endTime":1295.56,"body":"But neither of them were prosecuted in this case."},{"startTime":1295.56,"endTime":1298.9599999999998,"body":"No, but the concept of political pressure is all over"},{"startTime":1298.9599999999998,"endTime":1299.56,"body":"the files."},{"startTime":1300.1,"endTime":1303.1,"body":"There is a document that mentions substantial political pressure not"},{"startTime":1303.1,"endTime":1303.9399999999998,"body":"to prosecute."},{"startTime":1304.34,"endTime":1307.86,"body":"Now, in that specific snippet, it's actually contextually linked to"},{"startTime":1307.86,"endTime":1308.5,"body":"Microsoft."},{"startTime":1308.6599999999999,"endTime":1310.6599999999999,"body":"It's an analogy used in a legal brief."},{"startTime":1310.8999999999999,"endTime":1313.54,"body":"But the files use it to discuss how high profile"},{"startTime":1313.54,"endTime":1314.1799999999998,"body":"cases work."},{"startTime":1314.1799999999998,"endTime":1315.4199999999998,"body":"It's the atmosphere, right?"},{"startTime":1315.4199999999998,"endTime":1317.74,"body":"When you're dealing with a guy who knows presidents, who"},{"startTime":1317.74,"endTime":1321.1799999999998,"body":"knows Princes, who knows CEOs, the air in the room"},{"startTime":1321.1799999999998,"endTime":1321.6999999999998,"body":"changes."},{"startTime":1321.78,"endTime":1322.82,"body":"It absolutely does."},{"startTime":1323.06,"endTime":1324.34,"body":"Prosecutors are human."},{"startTime":1324.5,"endTime":1325.58,"body":"They are ambitious."},{"startTime":1325.58,"endTime":1326.58,"body":"They have careers."},{"startTime":1326.82,"endTime":1328.86,"body":"And when they go up against someone with that kind"},{"startTime":1328.86,"endTime":1332.05,"body":"of Rolodex, they know that a wrong move can end"},{"startTime":1332.05,"endTime":1332.85,"body":"their aspirations."},{"startTime":1333.09,"endTime":1335.57,"body":"This leads to the idea of a two tiered justice"},{"startTime":1335.57,"endTime":1335.8899999999999,"body":"system."},{"startTime":1336.29,"endTime":1338.09,"body":"This is a theme that comes up in the source"},{"startTime":1338.09,"endTime":1338.53,"body":"material."},{"startTime":1338.6899999999998,"endTime":1343.81,"body":"Specifically, a discussion about plea bargains creating a criminal underclass."},{"startTime":1343.81,"endTime":1345.4099999999999,"body":"We talked about this before the show."},{"startTime":1345.49,"endTime":1348.73,"body":"97% of ordinary cases end in guilty pleas."},{"startTime":1348.73,"endTime":1349.05,"body":"Right?"},{"startTime":1349.05,"endTime":1350.1299999999999,"body":"Let's do a comparison."},{"startTime":1350.6899999999998,"endTime":1353.57,"body":"If you are an average citizen, let's say you get"},{"startTime":1353.57,"endTime":1356.09,"body":"caught with a bag of weed and an unlicensed firearm"},{"startTime":1356.09,"endTime":1358.34,"body":"in Miami, what happens?"},{"startTime":1358.34,"endTime":1359.02,"body":"You're in trouble."},{"startTime":1359.02,"endTime":1361.4199999999998,"body":"The prosecutor slaps five charges on you."},{"startTime":1361.4199999999998,"endTime":1362.9399999999998,"body":"They threaten you with 20 years."},{"startTime":1363.1,"endTime":1365.6599999999999,"body":"They say, plead guilty today and we'll give you five."},{"startTime":1366.06,"endTime":1367.4199999999998,"body":"You don't have money for a lawyer."},{"startTime":1367.4199999999998,"endTime":1369.02,"body":"You take the plea because you're terrified."},{"startTime":1369.34,"endTime":1370.54,"body":"You don't get to negotiate."},{"startTime":1370.62,"endTime":1373.74,"body":"But if you're Jeffrey Epstein, if you are Jeffrey Epstein,"},{"startTime":1373.82,"endTime":1375.1,"body":"you get a sweetheart deal."},{"startTime":1375.1,"endTime":1377.58,"body":"You get to negotiate the terms of your surrender."},{"startTime":1377.6599999999999,"endTime":1379.74,"body":"You get to dictate where you serve your time."},{"startTime":1379.82,"endTime":1381.98,"body":"You get to write in immunity for your friends."},{"startTime":1382.1399999999999,"endTime":1384.1,"body":"You sit in a conference room with the U.S."},{"startTime":1384.1,"endTime":1385.82,"body":"attorney, not a holding cell."},{"startTime":1386.23,"endTime":1388.9099999999999,"body":"It really highlights that if you have enough money to"},{"startTime":1388.9099999999999,"endTime":1392.83,"body":"hire Dershowitz and Starr, you essentially get a different prosecutor"},{"startTime":1392.83,"endTime":1393.99,"body":"than the average citizen."},{"startTime":1394.1499999999999,"endTime":1396.3899999999999,"body":"You get a prosecutor who is willing to negotiate."},{"startTime":1396.6299999999999,"endTime":1398.59,"body":"It's not just a different prosecutor."},{"startTime":1398.59,"endTime":1399.99,"body":"It's a different legal system."},{"startTime":1399.99,"endTime":1401.99,"body":"One for the underclass and one for the donor class."},{"startTime":1402.23,"endTime":1405.11,"body":"The system is designed to process the poor quickly and"},{"startTime":1405.11,"endTime":1406.79,"body":"accommodate the rich slowly."},{"startTime":1406.87,"endTime":1408.7099999999998,"body":"And the people who paid the price for that two"},{"startTime":1408.7099999999998,"endTime":1410.79,"body":"tiered system were the victims."},{"startTime":1410.79,"endTime":1412.99,"body":"This is the most painful part of the files, the"},{"startTime":1412.99,"endTime":1413.6699999999998,"body":"exclusion."},{"startTime":1414.05,"endTime":1417.01,"body":"The 2008 deal wasn't just bad, it was done behind"},{"startTime":1417.01,"endTime":1417.73,"body":"their backs."},{"startTime":1417.8899999999999,"endTime":1420.53,"body":"That's a violation of the Crime Victims Rights Act."},{"startTime":1420.53,"endTime":1424.1299999999999,"body":"The cvra, federal law says victims have a right to"},{"startTime":1424.1299999999999,"endTime":1425.57,"body":"be informed of plea deals."},{"startTime":1425.6499999999999,"endTime":1426.81,"body":"They have a right to be heard."},{"startTime":1426.81,"endTime":1429.25,"body":"But the files mention secret meetings."},{"startTime":1429.25,"endTime":1432.61,"body":"Yes, there's a reference to denied meetings with attorneys."},{"startTime":1433.33,"endTime":1437.29,"body":"The prosecutors were meeting with Epstein's defense team, hammering out"},{"startTime":1437.29,"endTime":1441.9099999999999,"body":"this secret NPA while simultaneously telling the victims lawyers, we're"},{"startTime":1441.9099999999999,"endTime":1442.7099999999998,"body":"still working on it."},{"startTime":1442.7099999999998,"endTime":1445.23,"body":"Or trust us, we have your best interests at heart."},{"startTime":1445.23,"endTime":1446.1499999999999,"body":"They misled them."},{"startTime":1446.1499999999999,"endTime":1447.11,"body":"They lied to them."},{"startTime":1447.1899999999998,"endTime":1450.59,"body":"They essentially colluded with the defense to finalize the deal"},{"startTime":1450.59,"endTime":1452.1499999999999,"body":"before the victims could object."},{"startTime":1452.7099999999998,"endTime":1454.51,"body":"They knew that if the victims found out about the"},{"startTime":1454.51,"endTime":1457.35,"body":"npa, they would challenge it in court."},{"startTime":1457.509,"endTime":1459.7099999999998,"body":"They knew a judge might block it if the victims"},{"startTime":1459.7099999999998,"endTime":1460.23,"body":"spoke up."},{"startTime":1460.7099999999998,"endTime":1463.35,"body":"So they kept it secret until the ink was dry."},{"startTime":1463.35,"endTime":1465.27,"body":"How did they legally justify that?"},{"startTime":1465.27,"endTime":1466.87,"body":"They played semantic games."},{"startTime":1467.27,"endTime":1470.4699999999998,"body":"They argued that because the indictment hadn't been officially filed"},{"startTime":1470.4699999999998,"endTime":1472.1499999999999,"body":"yet, the CVRA didn't apply."},{"startTime":1472.75,"endTime":1475.23,"body":"They argued that the investigation was ongoing."},{"startTime":1475.87,"endTime":1479.4699999999998,"body":"It was a cynical, technical reading of the law designed"},{"startTime":1479.4699999999998,"endTime":1482.11,"body":"to silence the very people they were sworn to protect."},{"startTime":1482.4299999999998,"endTime":1484.1899999999998,"body":"That is a profound betrayal."},{"startTime":1484.1899999999998,"endTime":1486.99,"body":"These prosecutors were supposed to be the victims champions."},{"startTime":1486.99,"endTime":1489.11,"body":"They were the ones standing between the predator and the"},{"startTime":1489.11,"endTime":1489.55,"body":"prey."},{"startTime":1489.87,"endTime":1490.6699999999998,"body":"And instead."},{"startTime":1490.99,"endTime":1493.55,"body":"Instead, they prioritized, making the problem go away."},{"startTime":1493.7099999999998,"endTime":1497.1499999999999,"body":"They prioritized their own convenience and their own careers over"},{"startTime":1497.1499999999999,"endTime":1498.4299999999998,"body":"the safety of those girls."},{"startTime":1498.8799999999999,"endTime":1501.6799999999998,"body":"There is a source, Jackie Berger's testimony, that draws a"},{"startTime":1501.6799999999998,"endTime":1503.04,"body":"parallel to this kind of thing."},{"startTime":1503.28,"endTime":1506.84,"body":"Allegations of prosecutors making up charges or dropping them based"},{"startTime":1506.84,"endTime":1508.08,"body":"on external influence."},{"startTime":1508.32,"endTime":1510.48,"body":"It feels like the same thematic rot."},{"startTime":1510.8,"endTime":1514.28,"body":"Whether it's cartel influence or billionaire influence, the result is"},{"startTime":1514.28,"endTime":1514.7199999999998,"body":"the same."},{"startTime":1514.8799999999999,"endTime":1518.24,"body":"The system bends for the powerful and brings the vulnerable."},{"startTime":1518.56,"endTime":1520.0,"body":"So where does this leave us?"},{"startTime":1520.24,"endTime":1524.37,"body":"We have a system that failed spectacularly in 2008 and"},{"startTime":1524.37,"endTime":1527.6499999999999,"body":"then tried to correct itself in 2019, only after public"},{"startTime":1527.6499999999999,"endTime":1528.1699999999998,"body":"shaming."},{"startTime":1528.1699999999998,"endTime":1530.25,"body":"It leaves us with a lesson about vigilance."},{"startTime":1530.6499999999999,"endTime":1534.01,"body":"The legal system is not a machine that automatically outputs"},{"startTime":1534.01,"endTime":1534.57,"body":"justice."},{"startTime":1534.8899999999999,"endTime":1536.25,"body":"It is run by people."},{"startTime":1536.8899999999999,"endTime":1539.9299999999998,"body":"People who can be intimidated, people who can be ambitious,"},{"startTime":1540.09,"endTime":1542.1699999999998,"body":"people who can make poor judgments."},{"startTime":1542.33,"endTime":1545.61,"body":"And it shows that without the press, without Julia K."},{"startTime":1545.61,"endTime":1549.2099999999998,"body":"Brown, without the people who kept digging, that 2008 deal"},{"startTime":1549.2099999999998,"endTime":1550.2099999999998,"body":"would have been the end of it."},{"startTime":1550.2099999999998,"endTime":1552.4099999999999,"body":"Epstein would have lived out his days as a wealthy"},{"startTime":1552.4099999999999,"endTime":1555.57,"body":"financier, and Maxwell would likely still be a socialite in"},{"startTime":1555.57,"endTime":1555.9299999999998,"body":"Lond."},{"startTime":1556.35,"endTime":1558.27,"body":"The deal was designed to be the final word."},{"startTime":1558.35,"endTime":1559.6299999999999,"body":"History proved it wasn't."},{"startTime":1559.6299999999999,"endTime":1561.07,"body":"It's terrifying to think about."},{"startTime":1561.07,"endTime":1561.6299999999999,"body":"It is."},{"startTime":1561.9499999999998,"endTime":1563.1499999999999,"body":"But the files exist."},{"startTime":1563.1499999999999,"endTime":1564.03,"body":"We have them now."},{"startTime":1564.51,"endTime":1566.83,"body":"And that means we can see exactly how the sausage"},{"startTime":1566.83,"endTime":1569.07,"body":"was made, however unappetizing it is."},{"startTime":1569.23,"endTime":1570.6699999999998,"body":"So what does this all mean?"},{"startTime":1570.83,"endTime":1573.51,"body":"We've looked at the prosecutors who folded, the ones who"},{"startTime":1573.51,"endTime":1575.7099999999998,"body":"fought, and the system that allowed both to happen."},{"startTime":1576.03,"endTime":1578.55,"body":"We established that the failure wasn't just an accident."},{"startTime":1578.55,"endTime":1581.23,"body":"It was a series of choices made by specific people"},{"startTime":1581.23,"endTime":1581.79,"body":"in power."},{"startTime":1582.1699999999998,"endTime":1585.09,"body":"And while some measure of justice was eventually served with"},{"startTime":1585.09,"endTime":1590.1699999999998,"body":"Maxwell's conviction, the question of the potential co conspirators, those"},{"startTime":1590.1699999999998,"endTime":1593.53,"body":"people protected by the 2008 deal, still lingers."},{"startTime":1593.85,"endTime":1596.81,"body":"The deal is gone, but the clock has ticked on."},{"startTime":1597.05,"endTime":1598.73,"body":"Next time, we're going to help you do what we've"},{"startTime":1598.73,"endTime":1599.1699999999998,"body":"been doing."},{"startTime":1599.1699999999998,"endTime":1601.37,"body":"We're going to give you a guide to the documents,"},{"startTime":1601.4499999999998,"endTime":1604.9299999999998,"body":"how to read the files, key document types, methodology for"},{"startTime":1604.9299999999998,"endTime":1605.53,"body":"researchers."},{"startTime":1605.9299999999998,"endTime":1608.85,"body":"Because there are thousands of pages and understanding how to"},{"startTime":1608.85,"endTime":1610.8899999999999,"body":"navigate them is the only way to find the truth"},{"startTime":1610.8899999999999,"endTime":1613.6,"body":"yourself, it's going to be a practical toolkit for anyone"},{"startTime":1613.6,"endTime":1615.08,"body":"who wants to see the raw data."},{"startTime":1615.1599999999999,"endTime":1617.24,"body":"That's next time on the Epstein Files."},{"startTime":1622.4399999999998,"endTime":1625.6399999999999,"body":"You have just heard an analysis of the official record."},{"startTime":1626.52,"endTime":1630.32,"body":"Every claim, name and date mentioned in this episode is"},{"startTime":1630.32,"endTime":1632.4399999999998,"body":"backed by primary source documents."},{"startTime":1633.0,"endTime":1637.9599999999998,"body":"You can view the original files for yourself@epstein files.com fm."},{"startTime":1638.6799999999998,"endTime":1641.8,"body":"If you value this data first approach to journalism."},{"startTime":1642.04,"endTime":1645.1999999999998,"body":"Please leave a five star review wherever you're listening right"},{"startTime":1645.1999999999998,"endTime":1645.48,"body":"now."},{"startTime":1645.9599999999998,"endTime":1648.1999999999998,"body":"It helps keep this investigation visible."},{"startTime":1648.6,"endTime":1650.1999999999998,"body":"We'll see you in the next file."}]}