>>> A BIPARTISAN PUSH TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF HOW JEFFREY
EPSTEIN WAS ABLE TO TAKE HIS OWN
LIFE IN PRISON.
THE CHAIRMAN AND RANKING MEMBER
OF THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
HAVE SENT A LETTER TO THE
FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS
DEMANDING ANSWERS AND FRENCH
OFFICIALS ARE CALLING FOR IT
SINCE HE MAINTAINED A RESIDENCE
IN PARIS AND SENIOR LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TELL NBC
NEWS THE FBI IS SEARCHING
EPSTEIN’S HOME ON HIS PRIVATE
ISLAND IN THE U.S. VIRGIN
ISLANDS.
ISLANDS. JOINING US NOW, THE
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER COVERING
THE EPSTEIN CASE FOR "THE MIAMI
HERALD," JULIE BROWN AND ALSO
WITH US IS JENNIFER TAUB, THE
AUTHOR OF "OTHER PEOPLE’S
HOUSES" AND A PROFESSOR AT
VERMONT LAW SCHOOL.
JULIE, YOU’RE THE REASON THIS
STORY IS SITTING IN FRONT OF US,
BECAUSE OF YOUR SINGULAR
REPORTING.
REPORTING. WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THE
DEATH OF JEFFREY EPSTEIN AND
THAT THE PROSECUTION CONTINUES
THAT WE SAW THE FBI SORT OF
SWARM ON HIS PRIVATE ISLAND
YESTERDAY DOWN IN THE VIRGIN
ISLANDS.
ISLANDS. >> WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE’S A LOT
OF SHOCK, JUST LIKE EVERYBODY
ELSE.
ELSE. WE WONDERED, YOU KNOW, FROM THE
START HOW COULD SOMEBODY WHO
ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO HARM HIMSELF
BEFORE BE ABLE TO COMMIT
SUICIDE.
SUICIDE. YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT GIVEN HIS
HIGH PROFILE STATUS WITH THE
BUREAU OF PRISONS THAT THEY
WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY KEEPING
AN EYE ON HIM.
SO IT WAS REALLY A SHOCK THAT
SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD HAVE
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. >> YOU HAVE BEEN TALKING TO THE
VICTIMS FOR YEARS.
GETTING SOME OF THEM TO GO ON
THE RECORD AND TELL THEIR
PAINFUL STORIES.
PAINFUL STORIES. HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO THEM SINCE
EPSTEIN DIED?
EPSTEIN DIED? >> YEAH, THEY WERE THE FIRST
PEOPLE I CALLED AND THEY WERE
VERY DISTRAUGHT.
VERY DISTRAUGHT. IT HAS BEEN AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER
COASTER FOR THEM, FOR OVER A
DECADE, YOU KNOW?
YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT THEY HID
THIS AGREEMENT FROM HIM TO START
WITH.
WITH. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, AS THE YEARS
WENT ON FIGHTING SO LONG FOR
JUSTICE AND FINALLY COMING ON
THE PRECIPICE OF THAT WITH HIS
ARREST.
ARREST. SO NOW TO HEAR THAT HE COMMITTED
SUICIDE IS SORT OF A FEELING
THAT ONCE AGAIN THEY HAVE BEEN
BETRAYED BY THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM. >> ARE THEY ENCOURAGED AT ALL BY
PROSECUTORS SAYING THIS CASE NOT
OVER FOR US, WE’LL CONTINUE TO
FIGHT FOR THE VICTIMS?
>> YEAH, THEY ARE.
THEY FULLY REALIZE THERE’S OTHER
PEOPLE THAT WERE INVOLVED IN
THIS.
THIS. HE HAD A WHOLE STAFF OF PEOPLE
WHO HELPED HIM LURE GIRLS AND
YOUNG WOMEN INTO THIS ENTERPRISE
THAT HE WAS RUNNING.
>> JENNIFER, ONE OF THE TERRIBLE
ASPECTS OF THIS IS THAT ONCE
THIS NEWS POPPED OUT, JEFFREY
EPSTEIN COMMITS SUICIDE, THE
LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY, THE LACK
OF EXPLANATION IN THIS ERA OF
SOCIAL MEDIA WHICH IS SO
POWERFUL AND SO PREVALENT, IT
LENDS OTHERWISE NORMAL PEOPLE TO
IMMEDIATELY GO TO CONSPIRACY
THEORIES AND THEY’RE TERRIBLY
DESTRUCTIVE AND I’M WONDERING
WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON THE
LEVEL OF DESTRUCTION WITHIN OUR
CULTURE THAT IS ALREADY
SUFFERING.
SUFFERING. >> IT’S REALLY TRAGIC AND WHAT’S
IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW ARE THE
VICTIMS HERE.
VICTIMS HERE. WE OWE IT TO THOSE VICTIMS TO
DEPOLITICIZE THIS INVESTIGATION
AND I THINK THE REASON WHY
PEOPLE ARE TURNING TO CONSPIRACY
THEORIES ARE TWO REASONS.
FIRST THEY’RE SEEING IT FROM THE
TOP AS YOU KNOW.
THE PRESIDENT IS PEDDLING THESE
CONSPIRACIES THROUGH THE TWITTER
FEED AND ALSO BECAUSE THERE IS
NOW A LACK OF TRUST IN QUITE
FRANKLY ATTORNEY GENERAL BARR.
IT REALLY IS IMPORTANT, YOU
KNOW, FOR THE VICTIMS AND TO
RESTORE TRUST IN A CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT HE RECUSE
HIMSELF FROM THIS INVESTIGATION
AND LET IT BE HANDLED IN A WAY
THAT WILL RESTORE CONFIDENCE AND
DO JUSTICE FOR THESE VICTIMS.
>> JULIE, PICKING UP ON THAT
POINT, YOU KNOW, THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL WAS INITIALLY RECUSED
AND THEN UNRECUSED EVEN THOUGH
HIS FATHER HIRED JEFFREY EPSTEIN
AT DALTON HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.
WE HAVE A -- IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE
HE’S POINTING A FINGER, SAYING
I’M NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
BUREAU OF PRISONS.
THESE ARE SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS IN
THIS PRISON.
THIS PRISON. PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN ALREADY
THAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY BLAMED
HILLARY CLINTON FOR BENGHAZI FOR
YEARS.
YEARS. THE PERSON WHO RUNS THE BUREAU
IS RESPONSIBLE.
IS RESPONSIBLE. SO I ASK THE QUESTION WHETHER
FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE
VICTIMS AND FROM OTHERS WHETHER
YOU LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, DO
PEOPLE TRUST THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THIS
CASE TO BE THOROUGH ABOUT
INVESTIGATING IT, TO BE
RESPONSIBLE AND DO THE THINGS
THAT HE SAYS HE’S COMMITTED TO
DOING?
DOING? >> I DON’T THINK THEY TRUST
ANYBODY REALLY INVOLVED IN THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
I THINK THEY’RE HOPING THAT U.S.
ATTORNEY BERMAN WILL TAKE UP
THIS CASE AND HE’S MADE A
PROMISE TO CONTINUE TO PURSUE
IT.
IT. BUT I DO THINK THEY MORE THAN
MOST PEOPLE REALIZE HOW BROKEN
OUR SYSTEM IS.
AND ATTORNEY GENERAL BARR REALLY
NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND I DO AGREE THAT MAYBE HE
SHOULD STEP ASIDE AND LET
SOMEONE ELSE HANDLE IT, GIVEN
THE POLITICALIZATION OF WHAT’S
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW WITH THE
CASE.
CASE. >> YOU HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS
FOR AGES.
FOR AGES. ONE PERSON I’M INTERESTED IN IS
WHERE IS GHISLAINE MAXWELL,
PROSECUTORS SAY THEY CAN’T FIND
HER.
HER. IS SHE SOMEONE TO FOCUS THEIR
ATTENTION ON?
ATTENTION ON? >> I DON’T KNOW THAT’S TRUE, I
HEARD THEY KNOW WHERE SHE IS.
AND I HAVE HEARD SHE’S IN
LONDON.
LONDON. I THOUGHT ALL ALONG, I DON’T
THINK SHE -- I THINK THEY SHOULD
HAVE PAID ATTENTION TO WHERE SHE
WAS GOING.
WAS GOING. SO I THINK THEY KNOW EXACTLY --
>> THEY CAN GO AFTER HER?
>> YES.
>> YES. THEY SHOULD BECAUSE OF ALL THE
EVIDENCE THAT’S COME OUT
ESPECIALLY IN THE RELEASE OF
DOCUMENTS A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO.
AND THERE’S A LOT OF DAMNING
EVIDENCE IN THERE FROM
COLLABORATING WITNESSES AND
PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN HER DO WHAT
SHE DID TO HELP MR. EPSTEIN.
>> JENNIFER, FROM YOUR
STANDPOINT AS A LAWYER WHERE
WOULD YOU BE LOOKING NEXT?
>> I AGREE WITH JULIE.
I WOULD BE LOOKING AT THE
CO-CONSPIRATORS AND I WOULD BE
VERY INTERESTED IN FOLLOWING THE
MONEY HERE AS WELL.
WHERE DID HIS MONEY COME FROM,
WAS THIS PART OF A LARGER
EXTORTION TYPE CRIME?
>> JULIE, YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE
BUREAU OF PRISONS.
ALMOST AN UNACCOUNTABLE AGENCY.
THEY SHIP THE INMATES AROUND,
THEY DON’T NOTIFY THE FAMILIES.
THE BUREAU OF PRISONS.
>> YOU KNOW, OUR PRISON SYSTEM
IS VERY BROKEN IN OUR COUNTRY.
I COVERED PRISONS FOR FOUR YEARS
BEFORE I UNDERTOOK THIS STORY
AND, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE
INCREDIBLY UNDERSTAFFED.
INCREDIBLY UNDERSTAFFED. THEY’RE INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS
BECAUSE THEY’RE UNDERSTAFFED.
AND ALSO WHEN YOU’RE
UNDERSTAFFED LIKE THAT AND
YOU’RE WORKING SO MANY HOURS,
YOU JUST CAN’T PAY ATTENTION TO
EVERYBODY AND YOU ALSO TEND TO
SEEP IN CORRUPTION BECAUSE
YOU’RE TIRED.
YOU’RE TIRED. IT’S EASIER TO LOOK THE OTHER
WAY.
WAY. SO I THINK THAT WE REALLY -- IF
ANYTHING, THIS COULD BE A
LEARNING MOMENT FOR THE COUNTRY
TO LEARN ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW
EASY IS IT FOR CORRUPTION TO
SEEP IN.
SEEP IN. >> THANK YOU, THANK YOU JULIE
AND ALWAYS PUTTING THE VICTIMS
FIRST.
FIRST. >>> COMING UP NEXT "THE
WASHINGTON POST" HAS BEEN
KEEPING THE MURDER OF JAMAL
KHASHOGGI IN THE HEADLINES AND
NOW IT’S DRAWING ATTENTION TO