Trauma and Influence: Survivors Reframe the Narrative Around Epstein’s Global Network (3/25/26)

0:00This is Mike Follow of Lexicon Valley. And I'm Bob Garfield. Are you one of those people who sometimes uses words? Do you communicate or acquire information with, you know, language? Hey, us too! So, join us on Lexicon Valley to true over the history, culture, and many mysteries of English. Plus, some ice cracks. Find us on one of those apps where people listen to podcasts. Hi, this is Alex Cantrowitz. I'm the host of Big Technology Podcast, a long-time reporter and an on-air contributor to CNBC. And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So, each week on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it. Asking where this is all going. They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, and plenty more. So, if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, and meetings with your colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

1:04What's up everyone and welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. The most important part of the story when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein is the fact that he destroyed so many lives. And the truth is, we've only heard from a fraction of the people that suffered at his hands. And over the past few months or so, there has been a concerted effort to try and destroy the credibility of a lot of these survivors. And they try to be smooth about it. You have people like Anna Paulina Luna, who has a pretty big reach, right, as a congresswoman. Out here posting all kinds of crazy stuff on X, about the survivors being traffickers themselves. And while there certainly was a few instances of people that were in Epstein Circle that ended up trafficking Forum after being abused by them, Luna instead chose to use a broad brush. She could have narrowed it down, she could have said this one or that one, or you know, name the core four by name,

2:08but instead she lobbed that grenade knowing that it would cause confusion, and that confusion with lead, to people saying that the survivors themselves were traffickers. She's never come back out and provided any clarity about that, right, or context, and you know what's really telling about people like Anna Paulina Luna? The fact she has nothing to say about the land Maxwell getting the homie hook up because I have news for you. If you want to be angry at somebody or people when it comes to this case, the survivors are not the ones to be angry at. If you're looking for somebody to target with your anger, my suggestion is you start with the people that actually did the abusing, and the people that helped enable that abuse. So today we have an article from the independent and the headline. This is my way of trying to breathe. Epstein survivors speak out about abuse. This article was authored by Rebecca Whitaker. Four years, Joanna Harrison lived with the shame of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein.

3:12But when her name was included in the millions of documents released as part of the Epstein files, she felt she had to speak up. And remember all the bullshit they gave us about all the man hours being spent to make sure that these names were redacted, how that worked out. Todd Blanche is an absolute buffoon, and he thinks the rest of us are gullible. Imagine trying to pitch that BS story that he pitched us, that whole ass narrative, and doing it with a straight face. How do you go home at night and look at yourself in the mirror? Like honestly, the job doesn't pay that much money. What would make you sell your soul? And in my opinion, that's exactly what Blanche has done. It gets to a point where you're being suffocated, and you need to breathe. And I feel that this is my way of trying to breathe. She told BBC's News Night. Miss Harrison and four other Epstein survivors were brought together to share their stories of grief, and anger, and memories of his private island,

4:16Little St. James. And look again, keep in mind, this is only a small portion of the women that were abused overall. These were the women that are coming forward and sharing their stories. And for Joanna Harrison, she didn't even want to come forward. She was outed in the files. And once she was outed, she decided that it was time to tell her story. But the vast majority of these women who were girls when they were abused, they just want to put this behind them. They don't want this to blow up and be a whole last thing. They have kids of their own. They have careers. They have things they can lose, right? Nevermind bringing up all these old memories. So for a lot of people, this is very traumatizing. And as far as I'm concerned, people that have been abused, they should set the timeline for when they want to talk about things. And if they feel like they never want to talk about it outside of, you know, their therapist or a confidant, whatever, that's their business too.

5:17What should never happen, at least in my opinion, is that the DOJ should be outing people who wanted their names to stay redacted. Considering we spent a whole bunch of money and man hours to make sure that didn't happen, it's gross that it did. And it just shows you the kind of negligence that we're dealing with. If you can't go through those documents and look for the survivor's names and make sure they're redacted and do so in a manner that is acceptable, why should we trust you with anything when it comes to this case? You can't even do the redactions correctly, but you investigate it everything. You left no doors unopened, no rocks overturned. I mean, come on, nobody believes that. Even though that's what they continue to pitch, nobody believes it. She met Epstein in Florida, aged 18, and recounted how he raped her on his birthday. Speaking publicly for the first time, she expressed her concerns that she and other survivors would not get justice now that Epstein is dead. And that's a valid concern, especially considering the history here.

6:23Imagine being one of these survivors and being told time and time again that people were taking you seriously that they were going to look into it. They were going to find out what happened only to be deceived once again, because that's what's happened with these women time and time again by multiple administrations, by multiple law enforcement agencies, and by multiple people in power. So why should they think that they're going to get justice? After all these years, all of a sudden, they're going to get justice. Another survivor, Shantae Davies, who was a trained massage therapist, shared images with the BBC from her time traveling with Epstein on his private plane to Africa. They included photographs of actor Kevin Spacey and former president Bill Clinton, who were traveling on a humanitarian trip to promote AIDS prevention. And it was Shantae Davies, who was giving Bill Clinton that massage in the airport photo. They were called traveling on a once in a lifetime trip to five different countries in five days, but she said the experience was tainted by what was happening behind closed doors.

7:29She said that she was raped by Epstein on his private island after being hired to give him massages, but she said she never considered telling Clinton who, while giving testimony in front of the US House Oversight Committee in February, said he wished Miss Davies had told him about Epstein's wrongdoing. So let me go and tell Jeffrey Epstein's buddy Bill Clinton that I'm being assaulted. You know, the guy that I watched on TV lie about Monica Lewinsky, the guy that I saw being accused by multiple women. Yeah, let me go and tell him. Can we be serious for a minute, please? Nobody's going to run until Bill Clinton. What is he, sir, fucking Lance a lot? This guy's out here hanging out with Epstein having a big laugh, sharing a hotel suite, but sure, I'm going to go and talk to you about my abuse being included in the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing and the former US president has repeatedly said he didn't witness Epstein's abuse. Spacey has called for a release of all the Epstein files saying, for those of us with nothing to fear, the truth can't come soon enough. Imagine being Kevin Spacey and speaking confidently about anything that has to do with sexual assault seems like a pretty big leap to me.

8:43The release of the files by the US Justice Department brought to light allegations that prompted the US state of New Mexico to reopen a criminal probe in Epstein's oral ranch after an investigation in 2019. Miss Davies said the ranch was where most of the assaults happened, calling it dark and eerie. Another survivor, Lisa Phillips, also said the range was creepy. Yo, no doubt about it. I was never in the house, but when I went to the property, God damn. Absolutely eerie is hell. Hi, this is Alex Cantrowitz. I'm the host of Big Technology podcast, a long time reporter and an on air contributor to CNBC. And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it. Asking where this is all going, they come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon and plenty more.

9:44So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, and meetings with your colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology podcast wherever you get your podcasts. It was so vast and in the middle of nowhere and as somebody that understands that kind of terrain and the kind of climate that comes with it. Yo, you're in for a big trouble if you're trying to get away. Like say you're brought there against your will and it's the middle of the winter during the high desert, it's going to be freezing out and chances are there's going to be snow. And then in the summer, forget it. You're in the desert. It's hot. And for people that aren't skilled in the outdoors, navigating that is not easy and it just added to the eariness and just the overall creep factor that the ranch has. Miss Phillips, who was a fashion model when she met Epstein, spoke about his connection to King Charles brother Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. She said that her friend who wanted to remain anonymous was allegedly instructed to have sex with Mountbatten Windsor in a New York apartment in 2003.

10:52The former Prince, who was stripped of his last royal titles last year over his links to the convicted pedophile has consistently denied all wrongdoing. That's worked out well for him, huh? Denied all wrongdoing? Well, we all believe you, Prince Andrew. You're exactly the kind of truthful guy that everybody gives the benefit of the doubt to. No, no, I hear you laugh and don't laugh. He's earned it. Prince Andrew is, you know, a pillar of the community, right? Just ask him. He wasn't even wearing the right kid to commit any kind of abuse. The former Duke of York was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office over accusations that he shared confidential information with Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy. He remains under police investigation by Tames Valley Police, whose officers are assessing the claims that emerged in the Epstein files. Now, look, who knows where that's going to go. We've talked about that how many times now.

11:55And I hope that they keep digging, and I think if they do, there's plenty there. But do I think it's going to end up with Prince Andrew rotting in a cell? I do not. And maybe that's just the cynicism that has been built up in me throughout the years dealing with this nonsense that comes with Epstein, but I'm in the show me phase. They can say whatever they want, but I want proof. Miss Phillips told the BBC she asked Epstein why he had made her friend have sex with Mount Baton Windsor. She claimed that Epstein replied, I'd like to have things on people. Well, that all fits. We all know that the Compromot was real, and anybody denying it has no idea what they're talking about. Survivor Generalisa Jones and Wendy Passante both met Epstein when they were age 14. Miss Passante said that a 14-year-old should not have the mindset of a sex worker. And this is what I'm talking about with people like Anna Paulina Luna. You have a girl that shows up. She's 14, and she gets caught up in this nonsense.

13:02We're going to call her a sex trafficker. You're going to be more mad at her than you are at Leon Black, or Jess Staley, or Andrew, or Golan Maxwell, who they're not talking about at all, who they should be talking about. Do you know all these people that act like they're concerned? Why are they concerned that Golan Maxwell is getting the treatment that she's getting? Shouldn't that be a big deal? Shouldn't you be talking about that instead of trying to paint these survivors as criminals? Because make no mistake, that's what people are trying to do, and the whole reason that they're trying to do that is because they know that the credibility factor is going to come into play. So they're trying to preempt what survivors have to say by trying to paint them all as not being credible, and I think at this point that narrative has been shattered. Because people can see and hear for themselves what went down, and now that that's happening, and people are being exposed to what these women are saying, there's no moving on.

14:03There's only moving forward. All the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box.