Epstein Vaults Back into the Headlines – “The Sunday Political Brunch” - February 8, 2026
Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™
Epstein Vaults Back into the Headlines – “The Sunday Political Brunch” - February 8, 2026
“The Clintons to Testify” – Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will testify before Congress about their relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and his girlfriend, sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. While the Clintons offered written testimony, the House said no and was preparing to vote them in Contempt of Congress. The thought of them being brought in by U.S. marshals in shackles probably convinced them to willingly show up in person. Hillary Clinton issued a defiant statement, saying, “So let’s stop the games. If you want this fight Rep. James Comer, let’s have it in public. You love to talk about transparency. There’s nothing more transparent than a public hearing, cameras on. We will be there.” The Clintons’ depositions are scheduled for February 26 and 27.
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“Creepy Prince Andrew Photos” – Among the items released are four photos of the former UK Prince Andrew, who has been stripped of all royal titles. The photos show Andrew on all fours, positioned over a clothed woman lying flat on her back. Her face is blacked out, but she appears to be young. In one photo, Andrew has both his hands placed on her abdomen. In another photo, she has her left arm raised in the air, indicating she was awake and conscious. There is nothing sexual to see here, but he appears to be “sizing her up.” While there is nothing illegal, that we can see, it’s just downright creepy. Even British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Andrew should be cooperative with law enforcement and testify before Congress, saying, "Anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they are asked to do that." Prime Minister Starmer apologized to all of the Epstein victims.
“Other British Trouble” – Former British ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, remains in hot water over his friendship with Epstein. Mandelson is being investigated by British authorities in his ties to Epstein, but the accusations are not sexual; they are financial. Mandelson, 72, is suspected of passing on market-sensitive information that was of clear financial interest to Epstein, in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis. Prime Minister Starmer fired Mandelson as U.S. Ambassador, but he subsequently won a seat in the House of Lords, until he resigned this past Tuesday. I think it is important to examine some of the Americans mentioned. Forget the sexual investigation for a moment, and wonder if Epstein was involved in insider trading and some financial misdeeds with some American friends. It’s worth asking.
“Who’s Named Most Often?” – While President Donald Trump was named more than five thousand times in the newly released Epstein files, nothing points to any criminal behavior. Trump said, “I was told by some very important people that not only does it absolve me, it’s the opposite of what people were hoping, you know, the radical left.” Trump continues to say he never visited Epstein’s private Caribbean Island, and no one has yet offered evidence to the contrary. Other prominent people with hundreds, if not thousands, of new mentions are Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Sir Richard Branson, and lawyer Alan Dershowitz. All were one-time friends with Epstein. But the latest batch of files reveals no criminal behavior or knowledge of it on their part, at least for now. In my opinion, the most egregious thing is that the DOJ file release failed to redact names, faces, and even social security numbers of several of the victims. That is sloppy and unacceptable. Someone should be fired.
“Fight Out of the Starting ‘Gates’” – The latest Epstein revelations have sparked a war of words between Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates. In some of the new files were emails that Epstein apparently sent to himself, but not the person mentioned. In some emails, the late sex offender appeared to suggest that Gates was having an extramarital affair and seeking illicit drugs. Gates says none of that was true and that he never received such emails. He told the “Nine News Network” in Australia, "Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent; the email is false." He added, "So, I don’t know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way?" Gates says there were several dinners about global financial advice, which was Epstein’s expertise. Gates’s ex-wife Melinda, was not so kind, saying, “Whatever questions remain there ... for those people, and for even my ex-husband, they need to answer to those things, not me.” She added, “No girl should ever be put in the situation that they were put in by Epstein and whatever was going on with all of the various people around him. No girl.” Again, no smoking gun, but the tentacles of Epstein reached far and wide.
“Trump Backs Down” – On Friday the White House removed a meme posted on President Trump’s Truth Social platform. It depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys. There was outrage over the posting from both sides of the aisle. Sen. Tim Scott (R) South Carolina, the Senate’s only Black Republican said, “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House. The president should remove it.” At first White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Please stop the fake outrage.” But the meme was later removed and an unnamed staffer was blamed for posting it.
“Tiny Government Shutdown Ends” – It was like a weak earthquake that no one felt. Due to the U.S. government funding running out on January 30, we technically had a partial government shutdown. But the military and law enforcement remained on duty, as did air traffic controllers and postal workers. Many agencies may have furloughed some staff, but the majority stayed on the job and will receive back pay. But only five of the six individual spending bills were approved. The one paying for the Department of Homeland Security, including ICE funding, only has money through February 13. There will be a big fight in Congress, and many Democrats want ICE defunded after the violence in Minnesota. Already 700 ICE agents (out of 3,000) are said to be departing Minnesota, in what may be a GOP ploy to get enough Democrats to sign off on the final budget. This will be an interesting battle to watch.
“Supreme Court Smackdown” – In a surprise verdict, the U.S. Supreme Court says a new California Congressional District map that was redrawn in favor of Democrats is constitutional. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) California, hopes his party can win back five current Republican seats this year. It was surprising because the Supreme Court has a 6-3 Republican-appointed majority. But the vote was unanimous in favor of California Democrats. Back in December, the Supreme Court also upheld a similar Texas map drawn in favor of Republican gains, which might give the GOP two new seats. So, a tit-for-tat ruling, but control of the U.S. House could hang in the balance.
“The Continued Decline of American Newspapers” – It should not come as a surprise, but it still stings. This past week, the once-vaunted “Washington Post” laid off one-third of its staff, even eliminating the entire sports department and some foreign bureaus. The ongoing shift to digital news and electronic outlets has been a financial blow to traditional mainstream media. Executive Editor Matt Murray said in a staff memo, “We can’t be everything to everyone.” The Post was the paper of record during the Watergate scandal. I got my start in news by delivering the morning “Milwaukee Sentinel,” launching a career that now spans half a century. But I, too, have joined the new generation in getting most of my news instantly on my cell phone and laptop, 24-7. Times and technologies have changed, which is why digital news outlets, such as GoLocalProv, are now so dominant.
“Florida Congresswoman in More Trouble” – Late last year, I reported that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D) had been indicted on federal fraud and theft charges. She is accused of funneling millions of dollars in funds from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, into her campaign account and her own pockets. I actually live in her district, which is often the bullseye for hurricanes. To allegedly steal money from the agency that helps hurricanes relief is unthinkable. Her trial is pending, and the House Ethics Committee is investigating her as well. It released a statement saying, “The investigation has revealed substantial evidence of conduct consistent with the allegations in the indictment, as well as more extensive misconduct.” Her lawyer disputes that claim. The final House Ethics Committee report could lead to her removal from Congress.