Republicans Caved: Trump Keeps Tax Shield and Epstein Files| Glenn Kirschner & Ellie Leonard

Todd Blanche gave up $1.8 billion to get confirmed as Attorney General. He kept the part that shields Donald Trump's tax returns — and the part that lets him decide what you see of the Epstein files.Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner and Epstein files investigator Ellie Leonard joined me live the morning the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Blanche's nomination. What they laid out is worse than the headlines.Glenn's verdict on what Blanche actually surrendered to flip Senators Cornyn and Tillis: "That would be exactly nothing." Ellie went inside the in-camera hearing where Blanche had to justify ten redactions to a federal judge, and explains why his answers are what she calls "tapioca pudding."And we get into the question nobody in corporate media is asking: after hundreds of judicial rebukes, four lawyers referred for discipline over the IRS settlement alone, and a Justice Department now suing bar associations to protect its own — will a single one of these attorneys ever face a real consequence?CHAPTERS0:00 The Senate just cleared Todd Blanche's path to Attorney General2:45 Glenn Kirschner: what did Blanche give away? "Exactly nothing"3:50 The $1.8 billion fund vs. the tax shield he quietly kept5:00 A federal judge already voided the entire settlement5:55 "Not worth the paper they're written on"6:40 Can Trump now report whatever he wants on his taxes?7:30 Glenn: no audit means no criminal case9:50 Ellie Leonard: who punishes Todd Blanche? Todd Blanche.11:00 Inside the in-camera hearing: ten documents, ten bad answers12:20 The Transparency Act is four pages long. It's not complicated.13:15 "Tapioca pudding" — how DOJ explains its redactions14:00 They redacted a man arguing to lower the age of consent15:20 Trump's name appeared over a million times15:50 The 2008 email cliff — where 80% of the files went16:45 Tillis's fig leaf: Blanche's meeting with Epstein survivors17:35 If Blanche is disbarred, can he still be Attorney General?18:20 The Donald Trump Disbarred Lawyers Club20:00 Why the Florida Bar won't touch Pam Bondi21:20 Political advice vs. legal advice — when does the legal side win?24:00 Glenn: "January 2029 at 12:01 PM"24:40 The presumption of regularity, destroyed in under a year25:50 Can the midterms change any of this?26:30 What actually moved DOJ after January 6th27:50 Nixon's goons: 48 convicted, 30 went to prison28:45 Trump's lowest approval rating ever — the polling underneath31:10 Ellie: the 30,000-foot view on where the Epstein story stands32:20 32 states where the age of consent is under 1833:45 How Substack became a crowdsourced investigation35:00 It isn't ten co-conspirators. It's probably hundreds.35:45 The Yom Kippur dinner list at Epstein's house36:30 The empty binders, and what this administration misjudged37:40 4,000 payments from Trump to Epstein38:50 The personal toll — and the antisemitism problem in this story40:30 "I knew nothing about him." 300 headlines say otherwise.41:40 Glenn: the story people missed in the flood44:30 The reflecting pool caper traces back to two no-bid contracts46:30 Corporate media dropped the ball47:30 How self-enrichment and attacking the rule of law feed each other49:40 Ellie: being named in the files doesn't make you guilty50:50 What the files actually show about Bill Clinton51:45 Michael Wolff, Tina Brown, and killing the Epstein story54:00 Real FBI 302s vs. the bunk tips54:50 What are you watching for over the next month?56:45 Ellie: Katie Phang's lawsuit, the FOIAs, and the ankle monitor58:45 Glenn: election cases, and a 19-and-0 losing streak59:45 The Supreme Court problem1:01:15 Why likely-voter polling is about to move toward Democratshttps://worthknowing.substack.com#ToddBlanche #EpsteinFiles #GlennKirschner #EllieLeonard #TrumpTaxes #DOJ #AttorneyGeneral #RuleOfLaw #Midterms2026 #WorthKnowing