The Epstein files cover-up: Botched or calculated? | The Listening Post

February 14, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of the latest release of the Epstein files and the apparent cover-up by the US Department of Justice.

The latest tranche of the Epstein files contains more than three million documents - the largest release of its kind. In what appears to be a clumsy attempt at a cover-up by the US Department of Justice, the sloppily redacted names of high-profile perpetrators have failed to conceal the intricate web of global elites spanning politics, royalty, Hollywood and tech. The fallout in Europe has resulted in a string of resignations, but in the US, there has been limited accountability for the politicians named in the files, including Donald Trump. Contributors: Mehdi Hasan - Editor-in-chief and CEO, Zeteo News Chris Hedges - Host, The Chris Hedges Report Nikki McCann Ramirez - Politics reporter at Rolling Stone Danielle Moodie - Host, The Danielle Moodie Show On our radar: It’s been a month since Iranian authorities imposed a total internet blackout during a violent crackdown on antigovernment protesters. Since then, the state has ramped up the targeted repression of journalists and progressive politicians in Iran. The limited information that has managed to make it out of the country, via Elon Musk’s Starlink, is now struggling against what experts say are internet filtering…

People in this episode

Guests: Mehdi Hasan, Chris Hedges, Nikki McCann Ramirez, Danielle Moodie

Topics covered

Epstein files
cover-up
political accountability
global elites
internet censorship
journalism

Keywords

Epstein
cover-up
politicians
accountability
internet blackout
journalism
Iran
global elites

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: US Department of Justice, Rolling Stone, Zeteo News, The Danielle Moodie Show, The Chris Hedges Report

Places: Iran, Europe, US