FIVESTACK LIVE: White House in Disarray, Susie Wiles, Hegseth Hides Video, Trump on Reiner, and more

5️⃣ Wiles Tells All: Trump’s “Alcoholic Personality”Trump’s chief of staff gave 11 on-the-record interviews to Vanity Fair and New York Times reporter Chris Whipple over the past year, revealing unprecedented details about the administration’s inner chaos. Susie Wiles told Whipple that Trump has “an alcoholic’s personality,” called JD Vance “a conspiracy theorist for a decade” whose conversion was “sort of political,” and described OMB Director Vought as “a right-wing absolute zealot.” On Elon Musk, who she said sleeps in a sleeping bag in the Executive Office Building, Wiles described him as “a complete solo actor” and “an avowed ketamine user.” When asked about Musk’s tweet claiming to report to Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, she said “I think that’s when he’s microdosing.” The interviews, all recorded, also revealed that Wiles admitted the Letitia James prosecution is retribution, said Trump wants to “keep blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle” in Venezuela, and that she was outvoted on the January 6 pardons. When Wiles attempted to walk back the remarks, Whipple began releasing audio clips confirming every quote.4️⃣ Hegseth Hides War Crime VideoThe Pentagon is refusing to release the unedited video of a September 2 boat strike that killed two survivors who had climbed onto wreckage and waved for help. Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to order a second strike against the boat, which was allegedly carrying cocaine in the Caribbean, after two survivors were visible on the debris. John Yoo, who wrote the Bush administration’s torture memos, stated bluntly: “If it’s not a war against Venezuela, then you’re shooting civilians. There’s no military purpose for it.” Last night, the U.S. military attacked three more boats in the eastern Pacific, killing eight additional people, all without congressional authorization or a declaration of war. The Pentagon has never conducted a damage assessment on Hegseth’s Signal app security leaks, but Hegseth has threatened to polygraph his own staff to identify who leaked information about his misconduct. A Pentagon spokesperson said “of course we’re not going to release a top secret, full, unedited video of that to the general public.”3️⃣ Trump Celebrates Critic’s MurderAt yesterday’s White House press conference, President Trump doubled down on his Truth Social post celebrating the murder of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele. Trump rambled about how “Reiner never liked Trump” and declared him “very bad for the country,” implying that political opposition deserves consequences. The same press conference featured Trump repeating lies from convicted election criminal Tina Peters, claiming Venezuelan gangs have “overrun” Colorado, and inventing drug trafficking statistics. Trump also threatened a $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC and claimed credit for a Thailand-Cambodia peace deal that doesn’t exist. Multiple reporters noted that Trump “appeared confused, physically unsteady, and struggled to exit the Oval Office after appearing to get lost behind his desk.”2️⃣ Pulitzer Lawsuit Demands Tax and Psych RecordsTrump’s 2022 lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board has backfired spectacularly in discovery. The lawsuit, which claimed defamation over Russia investigation reporting awards, has triggered discovery demands that Trump must comply with within 30 days: all tax returns from 2015 to present, all sources of income, all financial holdings and liabilities, complete health records, psychological records, and his entire prescription medication history. Legal experts note that when a plaintiff claims emotional harm, their emotional condition becomes discoverable, and when claiming reputational harm, they must prove their baseline reputation. Trump has never won a jury verdict in a libel case and recently settled with CBS for $16 million and ABC for $15 million specifically to avoid discovery. A Pulitzer Board spokesperson stated: “Just like any other plaintiff, the President must articulate and prove his claims with evidence.” Unlike the settlements, Trump cannot escape this discovery process.1️⃣ Epstein Files Drop FridayThe DOJ deadline to release comprehensive Epstein documentation is three days away. In her Vanity Fair interviews, Wiles told Chris Whipple that Trump is “not in the file doing anything awful” and criticized Attorney General Bondi for “completely whiffing” the Epstein investigation, saying Bondi gave people “binders full of nothingness.” Wiles admitted she “hadn’t really paid attention to whether all these rich, important men went to that nasty island and did unforgivable things to young girls.” Trump initially objected to the release before ultimately signing the legislation. The chief of staff has now tied her credibility directly to what appears in the files when they’re released Friday. Even if the files contain no direct wrongdoing by Trump, they will document his decades-long friendship with Epstein and what he knew about the systematic abuse of minors.The chief of staff confessed to retribution on tape, the defense secretary is hiding war crime evidence, the president celebrated murder, his lawsuit exposed everything, and the Epstein files drop in 72 hours.The FiveStack is available as an audio podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The FiveStack is a co-production of deanblundell.substack.com and narativ.org.Thank you Lev Parnas, Ellie Leonard, Nick Paro, Cash Flow Collective, Stephanie G Wilson, PhD, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.narativ.org/subscribe