Major News: DOJ Releases Letter of "Politically Exposed Persons" in Epstein Files to Muddy the Waters as Europe Em…

                                                                                        

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Major News: DOJ Releases Letter of "Politically Exposed Persons" in Epstein Files to Muddy the Waters as Europe Embraces Democratic Leaders

Aaron Parnas Feb 15

Good evening everyone. Apologies for the late email, but I have spent the past several hours working a major scoop. I obtained the letter the DOJ is required to send to Congress under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, outlining a list of “politically exposed persons” referenced in the files. There is one glaring problem: the list that was publicly released appears designed to muddy the waters and further confuse the public about who is actually connected to the documents.

At the same time, Democrats are being embraced in Europe as the transatlantic alliance scrambles for stable partners while Trump distances the United States from longstanding allies.

Yes, it is Valentine’s Day, and I am about to spend the evening with my wife. But getting you this breaking news mattered. If you believe in independent journalism that follows the evidence wherever it leads and refuses to look away, please subscribe today. Your support directly funds the document review and the countless hours required to uncover what others would rather keep buried, especially as the threats only get more serious.

Here’s the news:

• The Department of Justice has sent over a letter to Congress outlining why it made redactions to the Epstein files. The six-page letter also includes a list of all “government officials and politically exposed persons” in the files. I reported on this first and broke the story. The full letter is below, starting with the first two pages:

• The DOJ continues to muddy the waters by combining names in the files of “politically exposed persons” who were actually involved with Epstein with random individuals who were mentioned in unrelated ways. The next two pages are below:

• The final two pages are below:

• One Epstein survivor tells me this evening that this letter released by the Department of Justice is "missing a few names......"

• A limited US government shutdown—the third of Donald Trump’s second term—has begun after talks collapsed over Democratic demands to impose new restrictions on federal immigration agents following fatal shootings in Minneapolis, affecting about 13% of the federal civilian workforce within the Department of Homeland Security (including TSA screeners working without pay and potential airport delays), while core immigration enforcement operations continue due to prior funding and Congress remains in recess for 10 days, likely prolonging the standoff.

• U.S. Democrats attending the Munich Security Conference—including Gavin Newsom, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ruben Gallego and Gretchen Whitmer—urged European leaders to resist Donald Trump’s “wrecking ball” foreign policy, as Europe remains divided between confronting his coercive diplomacy on issues such as Ukraine and Greenland or maintaining U.S. goodwill for security, with leaders like Emmanuel Macron calling for greater European strategic independence while others, including NATO chief Mark Rutte, warn the continent cannot defend itself without America.

• At the Munich Security Conference, California Gov. Gavin Newsom told European leaders that “the rest of the world sees America as a wrecking ball” and “unreliable” under Donald Trump, but stressed that “Trump is temporary” while states like California are “permanent,” portraying them as stable, reliable, long-term partners despite turbulence in U.S. federal leadership.

• Senator Ruben Gallego called out the perceived double standards in how the United States applies the rule of law.

• At a key moment during the Munich Security Conference, bipartisan U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal called for supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles and intensifying secondary sanctions on Russia, prompting Ukraine’s ambassador to Sweden to respond that similar promises were made the previous year even as U.S. aid to Ukraine has since been reduced by 99%.

• Paris prosecutors have formed a special magistrates’ team to analyse newly released Epstein files for evidence implicating French nationals, reopen and reassess the case of Jean-Luc Brunel (a close Epstein associate who died in custody in 2022 after being charged with raping minors), and examine new allegations involving a senior diplomat, model recruiter Daniel Siad (accused of rape in France in 1990), and conductor Frédéric Chaslin, while separate financial crime authorities investigate former minister Jack Lang over suspected tax fraud and money laundering following his appearance in the documents.

• Following Republican complaints that Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show contained uncensored explicit lyrics, the FCC reportedly reviewed the performance for indecency violations and found that sexually explicit references in songs such as “Tití Me Preguntó,” “Monaco,” and “Safaera” had been removed for the broadcast, leading the agency to shelve further investigation absent new evidence, even as some GOP lawmakers—despite not speaking Spanish—continued to criticize the show, which drew over 128 million TV viewers and billions of social media views.

• Newly released Justice Department files show that Steve Bannon communicated with Jeffrey Epstein in 2018 and 2019 about efforts to undermine Pope Francis, with Bannon writing that he would “take down” the pontiff and discussing broader opposition to figures including the EU and China. The messages suggest Epstein engaged with Bannon as the former Trump adviser worked to build a nationalist-populist movement in Europe and explored turning a controversial book critical of the Vatican into a film project, though it is unclear how serious that proposal was. Full file here.

• Donald Trump posted a lengthy, angry Valentine’s Day message attacking Bill Maher on Truth Social, calling a recent dinner with the comedian “a total waste of time” and signaling escalating personal animosity despite Maher’s previous statements that he harbored no ill will toward the president.

• Barack Obama publicly backed anti-ICE demonstrators in Minneapolis, condemning what he called the “unprecedented” and intimidating tactics of federal immigration agents following fatal shootings by ICE officers, arguing that public protests helped prompt the Trump administration to scale back operations in Minnesota and urging Americans to defend democratic values and accountability in law enforcement.

• Ahead of Lent, Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics to “disarm” their language by avoiding harsh words, slander, and rash judgment—remarks widely viewed as a pointed moral rebuke amid tensions with the Trump administration and following criticism of its policies—encouraging the faithful to cultivate kindness and restraint in public discourse.

• South Texas home builders and GOP lawmakers are warning the White House that aggressive immigration raids at construction sites are driving away workers, raising housing costs, and eroding Hispanic voter support in once-Republican-leaning areas, with industry leaders urging targeted enforcement and expanded legal visa programs while cautioning that continued crackdowns could jeopardize Republican electoral gains in regions that shifted toward Trump in 2024.

• ADDED: FOX BOOB JEANINE PIRRO PRESENTED THE CHARGES TO A GRAND JURY THAT DECLINED TO INDICT - SHE'S AN INCOMPETENT FLUNKIE!

• Sen. Mark Kelly’s lawyer has urged the Justice Department not to seek a second indictment against him and five other Democratic lawmakers over a video advising service members to refuse “illegal orders,” arguing that a prior grand jury already declined to indict, that any renewed effort would be an abuse of power, and that a recent federal court ruling affirming Kelly’s First Amendment protections undermines any legal basis for criminal prosecution.

• Four astronauts—NASA’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot, and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev—arrived at the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX rocket, restoring full crew capacity after a January medical emergency forced the early return of four astronauts, prompted NASA’s first in-orbit medical evacuation in 65 years, and led to paused spacewalks and reduced research, with the agency declining to disclose details of the illness for privacy reasons.

• Lindsey Vonn, 41, is set to be released from an Italian hospital after a successful third surgery to repair a complex tibia fracture sustained in a crash 13 seconds into her Olympic downhill race in Milan Cortina, just days after rupturing her ACL in another fall; despite multiple injuries and her father’s doubts about her returning to competition, Vonn said she knowingly accepted the risks and remains determined to race again.

See you in the morning.

— Aaron