Retail magnate Les Wexner testified before the House Oversight Committee, New Mexico approved a probe of the former Epstein ranch in New Mexico, we track more fallout at home and abroad in the expanding Epstein scandal, and attorney Anne P. Mitchell joins the show to talk about legal pathways for justice after the Department of Justice indicates its Epstein cases are ... closed.

Mentioned in this episode

Anne P. Mitchell’s Notes from the Front Substack

BBC: Les Wexner’s testimony before the House subcommittee

Thomas Pritzker retires as Hyatt’s chairman

Kimbal Musk off the Burning Man board

Lawrence Summers resigns from Open AI board

Larry Summers columns at The New York Times

Ghislane Maxwell hints at ties to Trump administration 

Jmail.world 

State AGs lead opposition to Trump in 2026

Call your reps with 5Calls.org

Contact the Florida bar

Our Patreon to join the Book Club

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Updates on the latest fallout from the release of the most recent trove of Epstein documents. Those affected include Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at the major investment bank Goldman Sachs, and the CEO of Dubai’s largest port. Plus, a deeper dive into retail magnate Les Wexner, the man responsible for much of Epstein’s money, his New York mansion, and his jet.

Mentioned in this episode:

DOJ’s letter naming 300+ prominent people

Kathy Ruemmler steps down from Goldman Sachs

Wasserman to sell his agency

Head of Dubai ports giant quits

Forrner Norweigan Prime Minister charged with corruption

Rho Khanna on seeking justice

Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon by Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez

Jean Luc Brunel dies by suicide

Faith Kates leaves her agency, NEXT Models

The New Yorker’s David Remnick interviews Julie K Brown

Julie K. Brown’s reporting on Alex Acosta and the non-prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein

Anne P Mitchell’s Substack
eliseandjena [at] gmail.com is our email, Patreon.com/epsteinfilesbookclub is our Patreon

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Betches Media Co-Founder Sami Sage joins Elise and Jena this week to discuss the systemic flaws to bear in mind as we continue our reading, and why Steve Bannon is a fulcrum in, well, all of this. Plus, context on AG Pam Bondi’s combative testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, the latest fallout from the files, and Jena makes a provocative bet.

Mentioned in this episode:

Ghislane Maxwell wants to cut a deal

​​Howard Lutnick faces calls to resign

Chappell Roan and other artists leave Casey Wasserman

Lawmakers react to unredacted files

Massie and Khanna release a list of six co-conspirators

Four Takeaways from Pam Bondi’s testimony before House Judiciary

Watch exchange between Ted Lieu and AG Pam Bondi 

Sami Sage on Threads

Betches Media

Steve Bannon and Epstein and a global populist movement

Bannon and Epstein on Justice Brett Kavanaugh 

The implications of the SCOTUS Chevron decision

Dr. Mark Landon received payments from Jeffrey Epstein

Democracy in Retrograde by Sami Sage and Emily Amick

Jeffrey Epstein and Leon Black

Les Wexner of Victoria’s Secret and Jeffrey Epstein

Morning Announcements podcast

Find Jena @jenafriedman on Instagram, or on her YouTube or Substack

Find Elise @elisewho on Instagram, @whoelise on TikTok, or on Substack

Join our Patreon at patreon.com/epsteinfilesbookclub where we have a running chat with the community and will start putting up video episodes.

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We’ve got a rundown of the latest headlines in the Epstein fallout, including the Epstein friends both domestic and abroad who are resigning from their posts — as ambassadors and protein bar advisors. Then, Jena reviews Virginia Giuffre’s memoir and why it’s so important, and Elise digs into Lawrence Summers and his anxiety over “Yellow Peril.”

Mentioned in this episode:

Ghislane Maxwell testifying before a Congressional subcommittee

Survivors’ Superbowl spot

A Threads post about the way the files were released 

Valeria Chomsky’s apology saying they were ‘careless’ about Epstein

Brad Karp at Paul Weiss

"60 Minutes"pulling the Peter Attia segment 

Dave McPhillips CEO of Chuck E Cheese

Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Giuffre

The Larry Summers-Jeff Epstein chat about “Yellow Peril”

Join our Patreon at patreon.com/epsteinfilesbookclub where we have a running chat with the community and video episodes. 

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This week, we decided to start podcasting to talk about the files. Jena and Elise riff on why the Epstein story is so important, as it's tied into wealth and power in this moment, and how they'd love a community to come together to process the sheer volume of information we're learning from the Epstein investigations.

To support the show, spread the word. And you can join our live chat and community at patreon.com/epsteinfilesbookclub, where we will post exclusive video episodes each week and other member extras. Profits will go to RAINN, to support and advocate for victims of sexual violence.

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The Epstein Files Book Club is a show where comedian Jena Friedman and journalist Elise Hu break down the latest revelations from the trove of documents released about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his sprawling network of powerful people to try to understand what’s real, what’s not and what we can do about it. Join us as we try to get to the bottom of one of the craziest and widest reaching scandals of our time.

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