This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
'The whiplash is on maximum here. Not so long ago, if you weren't wearing a mask, you were selfish, reckless, and not part of the team trying to curb the spread of COVID. Now, with ICE agents masking up to protect themselves from being doxed by left-wing domestic terrorists, the Democratic Party has suddenly become the most virulent anti-maskers in the country'
A Democrat senator whose stunt, crashing a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem without ID, leaving security fearful it was an attack on a federal official, now is demanding that federal agents wear their IDs on their uniforms.
It is Alex Padilla, of California, who has proposed legislation to require Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to wear identification badges.
His stunt at the news conference created quite a stir as he was forcibly removed by security because he charged the stage where Noem was, and had not identified himself.
The video showed multiple security officers restraining Padilla, then removing him from the room.
He shouts, "Hands off!" after being moved through double doors that partition off an entry area from the news conference room. Earlier, he is heard saying, "I'm Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary."
Increasingly strident encounters have been developing across the country as ICE officers have been carrying out President Donald Trump's campaign to secure the nation's border and remove mostly to their home countries illegal aliens, including criminals, allowed into the country under Joe Biden's tenure.
Further, Padilla was criticized for his stunt.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith criticized him.
"Can Kristi Noem speak? Could you have waited till she finished to ask your questions — to shout your questions?" Smith asked. "You are a senator, right? You couldn't wait? So that was just you out of control because you were just losing it, huh?"
"You — a United States senator — couldn't compose yourself and let the head of Homeland Security finish her thoughts before you asked a question?" he continued. "Couldn't do that, huh? Couldn't do it, huh?"
Noem was speaking about the riots taking place in Los Angeles before Padilla began shouting a question at her. Security quickly rushed to Padilla, telling him to put his hands up.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin also criticized Padilla for his behavior in an X post following the incident.
"Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem," McLaughlin wrote.
"Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers' repeated commands," she continued. "@SecretService thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately."
Beyond Padilla's own hypocrisy, a report at Townhall noted the hypocrisy of Democrats across the country, who mandated masks during COVID, but now want them banned.
"The whiplash is on maximum here. Not so long ago, if you weren't wearing a mask, you were selfish, reckless, and not part of the 'team' trying to curb the spread of COVID. Quietly, liberals cheered that leftist rioters were protected by masking up during the riots of 2020. Now, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents masking up to protect themselves from being doxed by left-wing domestic terrorists, the Democratic Party has suddenly become the most virulent anti-maskers in the country. It's truly amazing (and hilarious) stuff," the report said.
The report cited Padilla's plan.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
In his first public appearance at a religious event after a 23-day absence – likely due to fear of airstrikes – Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei made a calculated effort to present himself as a patriotic leader. Meanwhile, just one day after the ceasefire was declared, Iran's security and law enforcement forces launched a new campaign – this time, against their own people. They set up checkpoints across the country and began widespread arrests, particularly targeting youth, often simply for having anti-regime content on their mobile phones.
Enforced disappearances of prisoners and ordinary citizens have continued, as have the arrests of foreign and dual nationals – especially Europeans and French citizens. These acts appear aimed at preventing the reactivation of the U.N. "snapback" sanctions. Simultaneously, the regime has escalated executions to an unprecedented level, aiming to stifle any and all domestic dissent.
The targeted elimination of several senior intelligence and IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) commanders has shattered the regime's image of control, which heavily depended on its intelligence apparatus. A growing atmosphere of distrust and insecurity has spread within the regime, prompting significant defections. In response, the Supreme Leader has turned to hollow displays of strength in an effort to suppress a potential uprising.
In the early 1980s, a similarly vulnerable regime sought to suppress opposition – particularly members of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) – through widespread checkpoints and mass arrests. Today, the same strategy is being used to identify and detain members of the MEK-affiliated Resistance Units, which are now active throughout the country.
These units have become a nightmare for the regime. While state media entities avoid mentioning them, the regime knows its most serious threat comes not from foreign powers, but from within – namely, these Resistance Units. They have the potential to mobilize a powerful street force capable of confronting the Revolutionary Guards and security forces.
Escalating internal power struggles
As the regime's fall becomes more conceivable, internal fractures are widening. Recently, 180 economists, university professors and former officials called for a "paradigm shift" in the Islamic Republic's governance model, referencing the 12-day conflict with Israel. In stark contrast, the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency praised the 1988 massacre of political prisoners – mostly MEK members – as a "successful precedent," advocating for its repetition to suppress today's dissent. Simultaneously, calls for the impeachment of newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian are gaining momentum within parts of the regime.
The third option
The regime understands that war alone will not bring about its collapse. Its only real concern is the potential targeting of Supreme Leader Khamenei's hideouts in such a conflict. This explains its behind-the-scenes efforts to initiate talks with the United States – possibly via back channels in Norway – to defuse that threat. But retreating from its core policies – from repression to executions or nuclear ambitions – is not an option. Such concessions would signal the start of reform, inevitably triggering demands for basic freedoms and accelerating the regime's downfall.
The only realistic path to democracy in Iran lies with the organized resistance movement, which has fought the regime for over four decades, weathered two mass slaughter campaigns, and continued its struggle outside the clerical system. Despite relentless repression, the resistance has built a vast network of Resistance Units inside Iran – tasked with exposing regime crimes, mobilizing citizens, directing protests and hitting the regime's centers of oppression.
Alongside these units, a broad social support base – including families of political victims, former prisoners and various civic actors – actively participates in protest efforts. This network has succeeded in obtaining highly classified intelligence from within the regime. Much of what the world knows today about Iran's nuclear and terror programs comes from this very source.
Conclusion
Iran's crisis cannot be solved by foreign military intervention or appeasement. The only sustainable solution is to support the Iranian people and their organized resistance – a path that could actually lead to democracy, equality and enduring peace.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The Department of Defense is torpedoing the career plans of a Navy admiral who was caught facilitating drag shows on the USS Ronald Reagan.
The department confirmed it is withdrawing the nomination of Rear Adm. Michael "Buzz" Donnelly over the drag performances on the vessel while under his command.
The Daily Wire reported that Donnelly was commander of the aircraft carrier from April 2016 to September 2018.
During that time, the report said, "Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley performed as a drag queen under the name 'Harpy Daniels' at a department-sanctioned 'Morale, Welfare, and Recreation' event."
When President Donald Trump nominated Donnelly for promotion to vice-admiral and an appointment to command the 7th Fleet, the Daily Wire inquired about the drag shows.
The report said the result is that "a source at the Defense Department said that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is withdrawing Donnelly's nomination to lead the 7th Fleet. Hegseth is looking for a new 7th Fleet commander, the source shared."
The Daily Wire noted Donnelly drew national attention in 2023 when Sen. Tommy Tuberville held up his promotion as part of his blockade on Defense Department promotions. The Alabama Republican was challenging one part of Joe Biden's agenda to promote abortion and transgenderism.
In this fight, Tuberville opposed Biden's demand that taxpayers pay for three weeks of leave and travel expenses for military members and their dependents who demanded abortions.
The senator pointed out that the spending was completely unrelated to the department's mission of protecting the nation.
A number of legacy media outlets had highlighted the drag shows that occurred during Donnelly's tour, the report said.
Back at the time the performances were being scheduled, William Thibeau of The American Military Project at The Claremont Institute, told the Daily Signal, "Every military officer takes command of units large and small with the understanding they are responsible for everything that does and does not happen under their command. It's the basic truth of military leadership, whether you command an infantry company or an aircraft carrier."
He noted the drag shows are not "random acts of entertainment," they were "sanctioned Navy programs."
Donnelly's immediate future was unspecified in the report, but often when military commanders fail in one command, their next one is not considered a promotion.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a millionaire many times over, died allegedly by his own hand several years ago while waiting in a New York Jail for development of more sex charges against him.
People across America of multiple political ideologies have anxiously awaited the release of details about his death, and his associates during his lifetime, including a long list of high-profile personalities to include Bill Gates and Bill Clinton.
That, more or less, had been part of a commitment made by Trump administration officials just weeks ago.
But then came the Department of Justice notification, in an unsigned note, that little more information about Epstein and his lifestyle should be expected.
Obviously, the sudden change triggered an explosion of criticism and demands for details, which have not yet come.
But one explanation is being offered why Epstein information apparently, suddenly, went through a paper shredder, more or less.
Maybe he was a government asset?
That suspicion comes from things including his relatively gentle treatment when he first was convicted several years ago, and the currently handling of his record.
It is the Daily Caller that explains that the federal prosecutor, Alex Acosta, who went after Epstein on sex charges years ago allegedly confirmed, "I was told Epstein 'belonged to intelligence' and to leave it alone."
The report noted that Attorney General Pam Bondi was questioned at a Cabinet meeting this week on that topic.
Bondi responded, "I have no knowledge about that. We can get back to you on that."
She had been asked, "Your memo and release yesterday with Jeffrey Epstein left some lingering mysteries, one of the biggest ones is whether he ever worked for an American or foreign intelligence agency. … The former labor secretary and Miami U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta, he allegedly said that he did work for an intelligence agency. So could you resolve whether or not he did?"
Bondi, months ago, had told Fox News that Epstein's "list" was "sitting on my desk right now to review."
Acosta was part of the prosecution team that in 2007 gave Epstein immunity as part of a plea deal. Epstein pleaded to state charges and served time in a county jail.
The issue arose again when Epstein was arrested in another case in 2019.
The Daily Caller said:
The Miami Herald spent five years in a legal battle to obtain documents related to Epstein, while extensively covering both the current case and earlier proceedings against him in Florida, according to a Vanity Fair report.
"It's not beyond the realm of possibility that Epstein had connections to the [Israeli intelligence community]," Julie K. Brown, investigative reporter for the Miami Herald, told the Times of Israel in a 2021 interview.
She pointed to Epstein's convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell's father, Robert Maxwell.
"Robert Maxwell certainly had those kinds of connections, and Epstein had a close relationship with Robert Maxwell," she told the outlet.
Maxwell's 1991 burial on Jerusalem's Mount of Olives drew Israeli political leadership, according to a New York Times (NYT) obituary.
Ehud Barak, the former Israeli prime minister, allegedly visited Epstein numerous times, taking private jet flights and spending time at Epstein's homes in both Florida and New York, according to documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in 2023.
Further reported was that Iraseli officials met with Epstein at times early in the 2000s.
And, the report said, "William Burns, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) under the Biden administration, had three scheduled meetings with Epstein in 2014 during his time as deputy secretary of state, according to a separate 2023 WSJ report. Tammy Kupperman Thorp, former CIA spokeswoman, told the publication that Burns 'did not know anything about [Epstein] other than that he was introduced as an expert in the financial services sector and offered general advice on transition to the private sector.'"
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Six of the U.S. Secret Service agents on duty in Butler, Pennsylvania, a year ago when a gunman shot at and wounded President Donald Trump at a rally have been punished, according to a report.
During an interview with CBS, Matt Quinn, the agency's deputy director, affirmed that the agents were suspended for periods ranging from 10 to 42 days, during which they were not paid.
Then when they returned to duty they were placed on restricted duty, roles with less responsibility.
He defended the decision by the agency not to fire anyone.
"We are laser-focused on fixing the root cause of the problem," Quinn said.
It was July 13, 2024, when a gunman opened fire during a campaign rally. A bullet grazed Trump's ear and the president has credited God with saving his life. The gunman, carrying a rifle, inexplicably, had gained access to the roof of a building near the rally.
One person was killed by the gunman, and two others injured.
The alleged gunman, Thomas Crooks, was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
Quinn said Butler "was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again."
One development, he explained, is that the service has introduced a new fleet of military grade drones and mobile command posts that allows agents to communicate over radio directly with local law enforcement – interoperability that didn't exist last year, the report said.
That attack on Trump, as well as a second, failed attack plan in West Palm Beach, Florida, a few weeks later, triggered the resignation of then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and several investigations and confrontational congressional hearings.
A 180-page report released by a bipartisan House panel a few months ago confirmed that the security lapses that led to the first incident were "not isolated to the campaign event itself."
The "leadership and training" allowed for "failures" to happen, the report said.
It was Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, father and husband, who was killed by Crooks' shots.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Almost universally regarded as the most egregious single event of the Biden presidency, the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan is, in fact, considered by many to be one of the most disastrous and staggeringly incompetent military actions in modern history.
Indeed, this past May, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued an official statement announcing a special review of the event. Hegseth said:
Tens of thousands of Afghans who aided the U.S. military were left behind in the military withdrawal, and while many attempted to flee Taliban rule by leaving the country, others escaped torture and/or death through hiding.
One of them is Abdul (a pseudonym), who spoke to WorldNetDaily on the condition of anonymity due to concerns for his safety. He worked as a security guard for a U.S. company and had previously served in the Afghan National Army for nearly a decade as an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and improvised explosive device disposal (IEDD) technician. Abdul's last day of service was Aug. 15, 2021, about two weeks prior to the conclusion of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"When Afghanistan collapsed," he told WND, "it was very difficult to save my life and also my family." He considers himself "lucky" to have found the Afghan Liberty Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provided "safe housing for hundreds of Afghans at risk of retaliation by the Taliban for working with the U.S.-backed government," as a 2022 report by The Intercept described it.
Abdul expressed deep appreciation to Ryan Mauro, the organization's founding director and national security analyst at the Capital Research Center, saying, "Ryan is a very great and kind person, giving a safe house in Kabul and saving my family for one year with financial support and also food packages and medical care."
Due to a lack of funding after the fall of Kabul, Mauro was unable to continue providing safe houses for those hiding from the Taliban, so Abdul said for the following year he was forced to move from one house to another during the night to keep his wife and children safe.
In 2023, Abdul and his family finally escaped to Islamabad, Pakistan, purchasing visas from that country. "We waited for two years in Islamabad for the humanitarian visa of Brazil," Abdul said. A few weeks ago, he and his family arrived safely in Brazil.
Unfortunately, Abdul had to leave his parents behind in Kabul, telling WND "they're still hiding in different houses." Through it all, though, he remains hopeful: "In Brazil, I just want to work hard for my family." And "God willing," he added, he hopes to make it to America one day.
While building a new life for his family is his first priority, Abdul admitted, "I can't forget the very rough time for people who are left behind in Afghanistan under the brutal regime of Taliban." He recalls a friend by the name of Ihsanudin Zadran, who served as an Afghan National Army captain, but was subsequently tortured and killed by the Taliban in 2021 in Khost Province.
It's a fate many former U.S. allies and members of the ANA continue to fear on a daily basis.
One of them is Ahmad Ehsan (a pseudonym), who has received letters of denial for Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) status from the U.S. State Department and remains in hiding in Afghanistan. Ehsan is one of an estimated 62,000 Afghan interpreters and others who have sought a U.S. visa in exchange for having worked alongside U.S. forces prior to Biden's August 2021 withdrawal.
WND also spoke to Mauro, who explained: "Afghan Liberty Project was a volunteer effort," saying he "had never done anything close to running humanitarian operations overseas, nor had our volunteers." Yet, said Mauro, they were able to "provide crucial assistance to hundreds of Afghans in need, from medical aid to emergency rescues to safe shelter."
"If there's one thing that I hope people take away from this story," he said, "it's to never, ever doubt your ability to significantly help people in any situation – anywhere around the world. It's a blessing and a burden that everyone needs to understand and take seriously."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
There long have been claims, including some that are fairly wild, about the exhaust trails from passenger jets traveling over the United States.
Deliberate distribution of chemicals to change the weather, to alter populations, even for mind control.
Now Lee Zeldin, the chief of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President Donald Trump, has announced an online posting with explanations.
In his video message, he said the new web pages were posted to inform "anyone who's ever looked up to the streaks in the sky and asked, 'What the heck is going on?'"
A report in the New York Post said the facts debunk claims, including some from Zeldin's fellow Republicans, that contrails are actually "chemtrails" that are deliberately being used to distributed … something.
"We did the legwork, looked at the science, consulted agency experts, and pulled in relevant outside information to put these online resources together," Zeldin said. "Everything we know about contrails to solar geoengineering will be in there."
The EPA says the "contrails," or condensation trails, are common clouds created by the exhaust from high-altitude jets and can be seen "for the same reason that you can see the exhaust from your vehicle or your own breath on a cold day."
The EPA states, "The federal government is not aware of there ever being a contrail intentionally formed over the United States for the purpose of geoengineering or weather modification."
There are such distributions, the agency confirms, when low-altitude, propeller driven airplanes are used to distribute chemicals for firefighting, or farming, an industry that uses a variety of weed and pest controls.
Further, he said, despite headline claims about private individuals or government operations trying to "blot out the sun in the name of stopping global warming" are made up.
The report said, "Only one private company, South Dakota-based Make Sunsets, has experimented in the U.S. with solar geoengineering through what is known as stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) and marine cloud brightening (MCB) to potentially lower the Earth's temperature."
But there have been plans that used processes like cloud seeding to modify the weather.
Most cloud seeding is carried out to learn how to combat heavy droughts and is "primarily funded at the state or local level," the GAO has reported.
Rep. Marjorie Taylore Green, R-Ga., has promised legislation to ban releasing substances into the atmosphere in attempts to alter the weather, and HHS chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to a viral video by promising to "stop" such activity.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Commentator Wayne Allen Root has explained that the controversy over Jeffrey Epstein, his death and his files, are tarnishing the administration of President Donald Trump.
It was announced earlier that Epstein's death, in a New York jail, was suicide, and that there was no "client list" among his effects, regarding his known activities involving pedophilia and friendships with high-profile personalities such as Bill Gates and Bill Clinton.
That determination provoked a flood of outrage from even Trump supporters, who suspected a cover-up.
Root explained he's known as "the most fiery and loyal champion, celebrator and defender of President Donald J. Trump- the greatest patriot and President of my lifetime," and sticking to the "raw truth."
He warns that Trump needs, now, to "deal with" the statement that there is no Epstein list.
"It looks like a cover-up," he warned.
But a new report this week confirms that that dispute may not yet be closed.
It is Washington watchdog Judicial Watch that confirms it has filed a joint status report in federal court confirming that "the Justice Department and the FBI continue to search for and review records in response to Judicial Watch's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for records regarding Jeffrey Epstein."
"The lawsuit requests any records on the identities of clients or associates of Epstein."
The organization explained that disclosure "is at odds with the leaked, unsigned and undated Justice Department/FBI memo that suggests no more Epstein records would be disclosed to the American public."
It was Judicial Watch that sued the DOJ and FBI in April "after they failed to adequately respond to three separate FOIA requests for records filed in February 2025 concerning Epstein, including a specific request for records 'depicting the identities of clients or associates of Epstein.' Epstein document requests were sent to the Justice Department's Office of Information Policy, the Criminal Division, and two separate requests were sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)."
The status report confirmed that the FBI "has run its initial searches and is in the process of reviewing those search results," and the FBI's efforts "are ongoing."
Further, at this point, the FBI "does not yet have an anticipated number of documents or anticipated dates for release.
The same response from the Executive Office of United States Attorneys was given to the court.
A 200-page report on Epstein was unleashed earlier, but the latest unsigned statement suggests no more is coming.
"The Justice Department and FBI are sending out contradictory messages: telling the American people that no more Epstein material will be released, while telling the federal court in our case that the Epstein FOIA review is proceeding," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "But no matter, our FOIA lawsuit for the Epstein material continues. We will be relentless in demanding transparency under law."
Root delivered his verdict, after praising Trump for huge accomplishments in a short time for America, "I'm guessing half of Congress was on the Epstein list. Or certainly a lot of prominent Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle. I think Trump may have made the decision to stop the release of the Epstein list in return for passing the 'Big Beautiful Bill' – thereby preventing a massive tax increase on the American people – that could have led to an economic collapse. And/or … B) Trump made a moral decision that so many political leaders, business leaders and influential people who run this country were on this list, that releasing it would bring down much more than the Deep State. It would bring down our entire nation and our U.S. economy – leading to a collapse and Great Depression."
Root said now there is no choice: The list must be released.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
An ordinary citizen who would go online with a promotion of the digits "86 47," a reference many understood as a threat to President Donald Trump … to "86" or end the 47th president, they would have come under federal investigation.
And when a former high-ranking federal official, Barack Obama's FBI chief, James Comey, does it, it seems, the treatment is the same, under the Trump administration.
Comey flamboyantly posted the messaging online, and the FBI immediately confirmed it knew all about the apparent threat to Trump from Comey, who quickly canceled his posting.
And it promised an investigation.
Now, according to a report at Just the News, which quoted the New York Times, Comey was, in fact, interviewed, even followed, because of his behavior.
It explained the messaging was a picture of seashells arranged to spell "86 47."
"The first number has roots in the restaurant industry for getting rid of, or no longer having, a certain food. But others say it is a call for an assassination. The second number stands for the 47th president," the report said.
Now three anonymous government officials have confirmed law enforcement in unmarked cars tracked the location of Comey's cellphone the day after he posted online.
Comey, subsequently, had explained, "I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down."
The report noted, "Authorities tailed Comey and his wife, Patrice, as they drove from their North Carolina vacation through Virginia to their home in the Washington, D.C., area, the officials said, citing 'exigent' circumstances for the justification. "
Federal agents also were at his home awaiting his return, monitoring the location of his phone, and he also was interviewed both via telephone and in person in a Secret Service office in Washington, the report said.
Anthony Guglielmi, a service spokesman, explained, "The Secret Service will vigorously investigate any individual, regardless of position or status, that may pose or be perceived as a threat to any of our protectees. To preserve operational integrity, we are not able to comment on specific protective intelligence matters."
WND reported when the story first developed on the reaction.
There also, at the time, was a reminder that President Trump has faced two assassination attempts in just the last year, so the threat is serious.
Trump fired Comey in 2017 while Comey was orchestrating one of the many Democrat lawfare investigations of Trump.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Amid the fights developing over what Jeffrey Epstein did, or didn't do, and the documents and information the government has, or doesn't have, regarding his pedophilia and his acquaintances, there comes a high-profile personality with firsthand experience.
Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz, a longtime leftist who was swept up in allegations that erupted from the Epstein scenario, his activities and his controversies, found himself accused.
Falsely.
Here is his assessment of what's going on, with the DOJ's statement that no more information likely will be released about Epstein, the claim he did commit suicide in jail while awaiting additional charges, and the charge that there is no scandalous "client" list of his acquaintances.
There has been no explanation from the Trump administration about why that information first was discussed for release, then abruptly shut down.
He said:
This is not an opinion. This is a fact. I have seen … remember I was accused falsely and …. ultimately I was completely cleared … the woman admitted she may have mistook me for somebody else and withdrew all of her lawsuits, and so from Day One, from the day I was accused, I said I want every document, because I knew every document would prove that I was innocent.
So let me tell you I know for a fact documents are being suppressed, and they're being suppressed to protect individuals. I know the names of the individuals. I know why they're being suppressed. I know who's suppressing them, but I'm bound by confidentiality from a judge and cases and I can't disclose what I know. But I, hand to God, I know, I know the names of people, whose files are being suppressed, in order to protect them.
They're everything, uh, look, let me tell you, a lot of them, at least one of them is somebody who was accused. Others are accusers. The judge said if somebody calls themselves a victim, a victim, we're not going to give any information about them. But they may not be victims, they may be perpetrators so we don't have information about false accusers. And we know there have been many false accusers who have accused innocent people for money, and those records are being deliberately, willfully suppressed and they shouldn't be suppressed.
If the accusation is allowed out, so should the material that diminishes the credibility of the accusers. We want total transparency on this. Every single document. No redactions, that's what I said from day one. I waive any of my rights to privacy, anything there is about me I'm happy it will be exculpatory because I know I haven't touched a woman other than my wife from the day I met Jeffrey Epstein. I don't even hug people.
But I was falsely accused. But I was able to prove it and I was able to prove it through documents and I want other people to be able to disprove false accusations through documents. But these documents are being suppressed and withheld."
Commentator and author Victor Davis Hanson has a similar take on the protection of certain individuals connected to Epstein. Here is the explanation he recently gave to Glenn Beck: