Transcript

The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell - Feb. 26 | Audio Only

From MS NOW · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

February 27, 2026 · 43 min · 6,272 words · 43 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell - Feb. 26 | Audio Only", an episode of MS NOW published February 27, 2026 (43 min, about 6,272 words). It mentions 40 people, works and ideas, including Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Lawrence O'Donnell, Ghislain Maxwell.

What this episode is about

Lawrence O’Donnell discusses political scrutiny around Jeffrey Epstein, contrasting Republican questions directed at Hillary Clinton with alleged connections involving Melania Trump, and highlighting partisan framing of Epstein-related inquiries. The segment references Epstein files, accusations, and contrasting investigations of the First Ladies.

Key takeaways

Epstein terrain exposes partisan theater: questions split along optics, not evidence, shaping public memory.
Melania’s occulted Epstein tie-in reveals media bias: spotlighting Hillary while sidelining others toxifies accountability.
GOP subpoena theater vs. factual substance: public policy suffers when showmanship overrides scrutiny.
Clinton’s rebuttal demonstrates strategic clarity: turning debate into policy-anchored narrative raises bar for opponents.
Epstein discourse is a mirror: global trafficking truth is complex, yet coverage rewards salacious specificity over systemic reform.

Who speaks in this episode?

Melania Trump (Guest) · 1 min speaking
Hillary Clinton (Guest) · 3 min speaking
Sua Subramanyam (Guest) · 1 min speaking
Lawrence O'Donnell (Host) · 12 min speaking
Alicia (Guest) · 1 min speaking
Ed (Guest) · 1 min speaking
Morgan Freeman (Guest) · 6 min speaking
Adam Schiff (Guest) · 4 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

0:00 – 5:00: Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Melania Trump
5:00 – 10:00: Sex trafficking, Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton
10:00 – 15:00: Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Sua Subramanyam, Pizzagate
15:00 – 20:00: Donald Trump, ICE, Adam Schiff, Customs and Border Protection
20:00 – 25:00: Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, MS Now, Andrew Weissman
25:00 – 30:00: Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, Department of Justice, Andrew Weissman
30:00 – 35:00: Morgan Freeman, John Lewis, The Grey House, Amazon Prime
35:00 – 40:00: Morgan Freeman, John Lewis, The Grey House, Kevin Costner
40:00 – 42:50: Morgan Freeman, Kevin Costner

Notable quotes from "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell - Feb. 26 | Audio Only"

The last word with Lawrence O'Donnell starts right now. Hello, Lawrence. Hey, Alicia. Thanks, Ed. you're right. Morgan Freeman is going to join us tonight. A great honor to…
about Lawrence O'Donnell · at 0:00
Lady currently occupying the White House who was friends with Jeffrey Epstein and his convicted sex trafficking co-conspirator, Galileain Maxwell. Donald Trump's third wife was…
about Jeffrey Epstein · at 1:01
Who was also a lawyer and worked on the Congressional Committee investigation of corrupt Republican President Richard Nixon at the beginning of her career, reminded the…
about Department of Justice · at 2:58
Let me tell you, Jeffrey Epstein was a heinous individual, but he's far from alone. This is not a one-off tabloid sensation or a political scandal. It's a global scourge with…
about Hillary Clinton · at 6:02
To the American people and the world could not be clearer. Combating human trafficking is no longer an American priority under the Trump White House. That is a tragedy. It's a…
about Sex trafficking · at 7:49
She described there which not a single Republican on that committee is familiar with and not one of them cared about when Donald Trump dismantled it. Yeah, she talked about…
about Human Trafficking · at 15:49
Protection Department, issued a statement today saying that they are investigating the possible removal from the Epstein files of documents that include the unproven accusation…
about Andrew Weissman · at 22:49
What was that day like for you to suddenly get a request like that and to be thrown into the middle of that? I can't I don't know. like I suppose everybody, I had this real…
about Morgan Freeman · at 35:04

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

Jeffrey Epstein — Person · Core referenced figure / case anchor · 24 mentions · first at 0:51
The episode centers on the Epstein files, who appears in them, and how congressional and DOJ actions are portrayed as misdirected or protective of Donald Trump.
Donald Trump — Person · Primary subject of criticism / referenced public official · 21 mentions · first at 0:51
Central target of the episode’s critique: alleged prominence in the Epstein files, alleged cover-up by his DOJ, and broader claims about corruption and militarization of immigration enforcement under his administration.
We're all looking forward to. I love that. Have a great show. Thanks, Alicia. Thank you. Well, there is exactly one first lady in history who met sex trafficker and raper of…
Hillary Clinton — Person · Referenced witness / focal figure in committee deposition · 7 mentions · first at 1:22
Her House Oversight deposition is used to argue Republicans targeted the wrong person; she denies knowing Epstein/Maxwell and reframes the issue toward global sex trafficking policy and oversight failures.
Lawrence O'Donnell — Person · Host · 1 mention · first at 0:00
Anchors the episode, interviews guests (Sua Subramanyam, Adam Schiff, Andrew Weissman, Morgan Freeman), and frames the narrative around Epstein files and Trump administration actions.
Ghislain Maxwell — Person · Referenced co-conspirator / clemency focus · 18 mentions
Discussed as Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator and as someone allegedly connected socially to Melania Trump; also raised as a potential clemency/pardon issue tied to Donald Trump.
Morgan Freeman — Person · Main guest · 9 mentions · first at 0:06
Appears live to discuss his long-developed project 'The Grey House' and to reflect on John Lewis’s final essay and contemporary political conditions.
Melania Trump — Person · Referenced potential witness / criticism target · 5 mentions · first at 1:17
Presented as a person who allegedly knew Epstein and Maxwell and therefore should have been subpoenaed instead of Hillary Clinton.
And Jeffrey Epste or Gain Maxwell. But Republicans on the committee decided they wanted to subpoena Hillary Clinton. Where is their subpoena for Melania Trump who actually knew…
Andrew Weissman — Person · Guest (legal analyst) · 4 mentions · first at 23:00
Analyzes DOJ statements about potentially missing Epstein-file documents and argues the pattern suggests a cover-up regarding documents naming Donald Trump.
Adam Schiff — Person · Guest (interviewee) / report author · 3 mentions · first at 16:44
Discusses his report alleging large increases in weapons procurement for ICE and CBP and frames it as militarization and potential corruption under Donald Trump.
Armed for violence. That's the title of the report released by Democratic Senator Adam Schiff. It is a new 33-page report revealing that in the last year, Donald Trump has…
John Lewis — Person · Referenced moral authority / historical figure · 4 mentions · first at 31:01
His final essay (published the day of his funeral) is discussed and was previously read by Morgan Freeman on the show, framing themes of resistance and civic duty.
Oscar winner Morgan Freeman made his first and only appearance on this program on the day of John Lewis's funeral July 30th, 2020. On that day, the New York Times published an…
Sua Subramanyam — Person · Guest (interviewee) / Oversight Committee member · 3 mentions · first at 12:30
Provides firsthand account of the Hillary Clinton deposition and argues Republicans ignored key witnesses like Les Wexner while fixating on Clinton.
I wish it was public because it was humiliating for the Republicans there. They kept trying to corner Secretary Clinton. like basically asked the same question a hundred times.…
Leslie Wexner — Person · Referenced deposition subject · 2 mentions · first at 4:01
Cited as a prominent figure in the Epstein files whose deposition allegedly drew no Republican attendance, used to argue selective investigation.
Was a masterful and thorough condemnation of the Republicans on the committee. She said, quote, You have made little effort to call the people who show up most prominently in…
Ulysses S. Grant — Person · Historical figure in 'The Grey House' story · 3 mentions
Referenced as the Union commanding general receiving intelligence from the spy network depicted in 'The Grey House'.
Kevin Costner — Person · Referenced producer/collaborator · 2 mentions · first at 39:36
Mentioned as a producing partner who helped get 'The Grey House' made after years of development.
We've been nursing it. Sometimes, you put things on the shelf and let them ripen, as it were. every project has its own time to surface and that's, I think, what we're…
Roland Joffe — Person · Referenced director · 2 mentions
Identified as the director (multiple Oscar nominee) of 'The Grey House'.
Richard Nixon — Person · Historical reference · 1 mention · first at 2:58
Mentioned to contextualize Hillary Clinton’s early legal work on a congressional investigation of a corrupt Republican president.
Statement to the committee today made the point that not everyone who has been subpoenaed by the committee has been actually required to testify to the committee. The former…
Stan Rosenfield — Person · Referenced intermediary/producer contact · 1 mention · first at 31:37
Identified as the Hollywood contact who quickly coordinated Morgan Freeman’s voice recording of John Lewis’s essay for the show.
Read the piece in its entirety on this program that night. And my immediate better thought, my dream was that Morgan Freeman should read it. I urgently called Hollywood legend…
Andrew Tatler — Person · Referenced editor · 1 mention · first at 31:56
Credited as an editor who helped produce the John Lewis essay segment voiced by Morgan Freeman.
Who I know is close to Morgan Freeman. And within minutes, Stan called me back to say Morgan Freeman would rearrange his schedule that day to do a voice recording for us and…
Stephanie Kovak — Person · Referenced producer · 1 mention · first at 31:56
Credited as a producer who helped create the segment pairing imagery with Morgan Freeman’s reading of John Lewis’s essay.
Who I know is close to Morgan Freeman. And within minutes, Stan called me back to say Morgan Freeman would rearrange his schedule that day to do a voice recording for us and…
Miles Davis — Person · Referenced cast member · 1 mention · first at 39:43
Named as the lead role performer in 'The Grey House' as described by the host.
As it were. every project has its own time to surface and that's, I think, what we're experiencing with the Grey House. You, you teamed up with Kevin Cosner producing this and…
Paul Thomas Anderson — Person · Referenced cast member · 1 mention · first at 39:50
Listed among the cast of 'The Grey House' during the interview with Morgan Freeman.
Experiencing with the Grey House. You, you teamed up with Kevin Cosner producing this and you got an incredible cast. Ben Varin, you have Mary Lewis Parker here, you have Emmy…

Books & papers

The Grey House — Book · Featured work / cultural segment topic · 4 mentions · first at 30:42
Presented as an 8-episode limited series on Amazon Prime about a Civil War-era spy network; Morgan Freeman discusses its 15-year development and themes of resistance.
Thank you very much for joining us tonight. You're welcome. Thank you. And coming up, a great honor for us. Oscar winner Morgan Freeman will join us with a story of resistance…

Companies & orgs

Department of Justice — Organization · Central institution in alleged cover-up narrative · 4 mentions · first at 3:08
Portrayed as functioning as a 'Trump Protection Department' in handling Epstein files and survivor privacy; also referenced regarding prior Epstein investigations and prosecutions.
Trump administration — Organization · Primary criticized administration · 3 mentions · first at 7:27
Accused of gutting anti-trafficking capacity at State and enabling corruption and militarization across DHS/immigration enforcement.
For the first time ever in 2011 because we must hold ourselves not just to the same standard as the rest of the world, but to an even higher one. Sex trafficking and modern…
Congressional Committee — Organization · Institutional setting · 3 mentions · first at 0:51
Committees (House Oversight and historical Nixon investigation) are central to the episode’s claims about subpoenas, deposition rules, and investigative priorities.
We're all looking forward to. I love that. Have a great show. Thanks, Alicia. Thank you. Well, there is exactly one first lady in history who met sex trafficker and raper of…
Customs and Border Protection — Organization · Referenced enforcement agency (militarization topic) · 3 mentions · first at 17:17
Schiff’s report claims CBP doubled weapons-related contracting compared to the prior year, contributing to an 'immigration enforcement industrial complex' narrative.
Armed for violence. That's the title of the report released by Democratic Senator Adam Schiff. It is a new 33-page report revealing that in the last year, Donald Trump has…
ICE — Organization · Referenced enforcement agency (militarization topic) · 3 mentions · first at 17:17
Schiff’s report alleges major increases in weapons procurement for ICE, framed as militarization and reduced training creating risk.
As you said, ICE agents will be equipped with now three to four times the amount of weapons as the previous year. Customs and Border Protection doubling their expenditure on…
MS Now — Company · News organization referenced for reporting/analysis · 3 mentions · first at 23:51
Cited as the outlet employing analysts/reporters (Andrew Weissman, Lisa Rubin, Carol Leonnig) whose reporting is used to support claims about DOJ/FBI actions.
By an Epstein survivor. Iver who told the FBI that Donald Trump assaulted her and raped her when she was 14 years old. Donald Trump has not been charged as everyone knows and…
Amazon Prime — Company · Distribution platform (referenced) · 3 mentions · first at 30:49
Named as the platform where 'The Grey House' is available, tying the cultural segment to a specific media distributor.
A great honor for us. Oscar winner Morgan Freeman will join us with a story of resistance, a story he's been trying to tell for 15 years and will now be told in an 8 episode…
Ford — Company · Anecdotal reference · 1 mention · first at 8:34
Mentioned only as the site of an anecdote about an autoworker calling Donald Trump a 'pedophile protector.'
But that's not happening. Donald Trump, who was called a pedophile protector by an autoworker at a Ford factory, is running an administration that has eliminated the jobs of…
ISIS — Organization · Mis-transcription likely; referenced in weapons-contract comparison · 1 mention · first at 17:38
Appears in the transcript in a context that likely intended 'ICE' spending; treated here as mentioned but context suggests transcription error.
Protection, AR style rifle rifles, tasers, tear gas, other lethal weapons. Senator Shiff's report says in just one year, ISIS spending commitments on weapons, ammunition, and…

Concepts & topics

Sex trafficking — Concept · Core topic · 7 mentions · first at 1:10
Used to broaden the Epstein discussion into a global policy issue; Clinton describes anti-trafficking programs and criticizes alleged dismantling under the Trump administration.
Human Trafficking — Concept · Core topic · 3 mentions · first at 7:49
Discussed as a global scourge and policy area; Clinton claims the Trump administration reduced U.S. priority and capacity to combat it.
Sex Trafficking of Children — Concept · Core topic (specific form) · 2 mentions · first at 0:43
Explicitly referenced in framing Epstein’s crimes and the broader policy discussion about trafficking and survivor protection.
And Secretary Clinton spoke authoritatively on the larger issue of sex trafficking, including the sex trafficking of children. She said, quote, If you are new to this issue…
Trafficking Victims Protection Act — Concept · Policy instrument referenced · 1 mention · first at 6:20
Cited by Hillary Clinton as landmark federal legislation against trafficking signed by her husband, used to establish her anti-trafficking credentials.
One-off tabloid sensation or a political scandal. It's a global scourge with an unimaginable human toll. My work combating sex trafficking goes back to my days as first lady. I…
Pizzagate — Concept · Referenced conspiracy theory · 2 mentions · first at 10:52
Raised as an example of the deposition’s alleged unseriousness, with Clinton saying she was questioned about it.
Went to his island. I never went to his homes. I never went to his offices. so it's on the record numerous times. it then got at the end quite unusual because I started being…
UFOs — Concept · Referenced tangent topic · 1 mention · first at 10:41
Mentioned by Clinton as an odd line of questioning during the deposition, used to criticize the committee’s focus.
Chapaqua, New York. I don't know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein. I never went to his island. I never went to his homes. I never went to his offices.…

Places & events

New York, New York — Place · Geographic context · 2 mentions · first at 10:26
Referenced as the location of Chappaqua and as the New York Times publication context for John Lewis’s essay.
Afraid to question the two people who were friends of Jeffrey Epstein, Donald and Melania Trump. Secretary Clinton spoke to reporters after the deposition which was held near…
Virginia — Place · Guest descriptor location · 2 mentions · first at 12:30
Used to identify Sua Subramanyam as being from Virginia.
Depose the person that is mentioned in the Epstein files almost more than any other person next to Gain Maxwell and that's Donald Trump. Leading off our discussion tonight is…
Chappaqua — Place · Deposition location context · 1 mention · first at 10:19
Mentioned as near Hillary Clinton’s home where the deposition was held.
Secretary Clinton decided to resume her testimony and further humiliate the Republicans who were afraid to question the two people who were friends of Jeffrey Epstein, Donald…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 The last word with Lawrence O'Donnell starts right now. Hello, Lawrence. Hey, Alicia. Thanks, Ed. Uh, you're right. Morgan Freeman is going to join us tonight. A great honor to have him here uh on the program tonight. He appeared well, his voice was on the show once before. He did a voice over for us. That was just an amazing and beautiful thing. We're going to show some of that uh when he joins us, but this will be his first appearance. uh and he has a story of resistance to tell us about uh and it's it's what it's what we all came to work for today. This is what this is what we're all looking forward to. I love that. Have a great show. Thanks, Alicia. Thank you. Well, there is exactly one first lady in history who met sex trafficker and raper of children and good friend of Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein. And today, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee decided to question a former first lady who never met Jeffrey Epstein instead of the first

1:01 lady currently occupying the White House who was friends with Jeffrey Epstein and his convicted sex trafficking co-conspirator, Galileain Maxwell. Donald Trump's third wife was friends with both of them. The Epstein files contain emails from Melania Trump to Gain Maxwell complimenting Glain Maxwell. The Epstein files contain no communication at all between Hillary Clinton and Jeffrey Epste or Gain Maxwell. But Republicans on the committee decided they wanted to subpoena Hillary Clinton. Where is their subpoena for Melania Trump who actually knew Jeffrey Epstein and Gain Maxwell? Why aren't they asking Melania Trump? Did Donald Trump introduce you to Jeffrey Epstein or did Jeffrey Epstein introduce you to Donald Trump? Why aren't they asking Melania Trump what she knew about Jeffrey Epste? The Epstein files show the Palm Beach police chief saying that Donald Trump told him in 2006, quote, "Thank goodness you're stopping him. Everyone has known

2:12 he's been doing this." If true, that would mean that Donald Trump's wife at that time, Melania Trump, knew he was doing this. She would be included in Donald Trump's term. Everyone, Melania Trump might have no useful information to provide to the committee, but she did meet Jeffrey Epstein. She was friends with Jeffrey Epstein. She was friends with Glain Maxwell. And it is possible that she knew something. According to her husband, everyone knew Hillary Clinton in a written opening statement to the committee today made the point that not everyone who has been subpoenaed by the committee has been actually required to testify to the committee. The former Secretary of State, who was also a lawyer and worked on the Congressional Committee investigation of corrupt Republican President Richard Nixon at the beginning of her career, reminded the committee, quote, "You subpoenaed eight law enforcement officials, all of whom ran the Department of

3:12 Justice or directed the FBI when Epstein's crimes were investigated and prosecuted. Of those eight, only one appeared before the committee. Five of these six former attorneys general were allowed to submit brief statements stating they had no information to provide. Hillary Clinton should have been offered exactly the same option. Secretary Clinton did provide the committee with a statement stating she had no information to provide, but the Republicans on the committee refused to accept that statement from her. the same kind of statement they accepted from other former cabinet officials. Secretary Clinton's opening statement was a masterful and thorough condemnation of the Republicans on the committee. She said, quote, "You have made little effort to call the people who show up most prominently in the Epstein files. And when you did, not a single Republican member showed up for Less Wexner's deposition. The

4:07 institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official." Secretary Clinton identified that public official by name repeatedly in her opening statement, saying, "You have compelled me to testify fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation in order to distract attention from President Trump's actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers." Ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files. Ask him directly under oath. That's right. Ask Donald Trump directly under oath about the accusation in the Epstein files that he assaulted and raped a child. Secretary Clinton, as a former senator, knows how congressional committees should do their work. She told the Republicans on the committee, quote, "A committee run by elected officials with a commitment to transparency would ensure the full release of all the files. It would get to the

5:15 bottom of reports the DOJ withheld FBI interviews in which a survivor accuses President Trump of heinous crimes. It would subpoena anyone who aked on which night there would be the wildest party on Epstein Island. The Epstein files revealed that Elon Musk asked Jeffrey Epstein that question. When when are the Republicans going to subpoena Elon Musk and ask him if he ever went to the Wildest Party on Epstein Island and ask him under oath, make him answer that question under oath. And Secretary Clinton spoke authoritatively on the larger issue of sex trafficking, including the sex trafficking of children. She said, quote, "If you are new to this issue, let me tell you, Jeffrey Epstein was a heinous individual, but he's far from alone. This is not a one-off tabloid sensation or a political scandal. It's a global scourge with an unimaginable human toll. My work combating sex trafficking goes back to my days as first lady. I worked to pass the

6:20 first federal legislation against trafficking and was proud that my husband signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which increased support for survivors and gave prosecutors better tools for going after traffickers. Let's hear from Melania Trump about what she has done in her position as first lady about sex trafficking or anything else. Hillary Clinton described what she did as Secretary of State. I oversaw nearly 170 anti-trafficking programs in 70 nations and directly pressed foreign leaders to crack down on trafficking networks in their countries. Every year, we published a global report to shine a light on abuses. The findings of those reports triggered sanctions by countries failing to make progress, so they became a powerful diplomatic tool to drive concrete action. I insisted that the United States be included in the report for the first time ever in 2011 because we must hold ourselves not just to the same standard as

7:23 the rest of the world, but to an even higher one. Sex trafficking and modern slavery should have no place in America. None. Infuriatingly, the Trump administration gutted the trafficking in person's office at the State Department, cutting more than 70% of the career civil and foreign service experts who worked so hard to prevent trafficking crimes. The message from the Trump administration to the American people and the world could not be clearer. Combating human trafficking is no longer an American priority under the Trump White House. That is a tragedy. It's a scandal. It deserves vigorous investigation and oversight. A committee endeavoring to stop human trafficking would seek to understand what specific steps are needed to fix a system that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes in 2008. It would demand that Secretary Rubio and Attorney General Bondi testify about why this administration is abandoning survivors and playing into the hands of traffickers.

8:28 would put forth legislation to provide more resources and force this administration to act. But that's not happening. Donald Trump, who was called a pedophile protector by an autoworker at a Ford factory, is running an administration that has eliminated the jobs of most of the people who were working every day to prevent sex trafficking crimes. The people who were working to stop the next Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump fired them. Even though we all know that in Washington, the rules don't apply to Republicans. Republicans continue to find ways to shock by breaking rules that have never been broken before. Today, it was Republican Lauren Boowbert's turn to do something that has never been done before and is and always has been completely against the rules.

9:21 Lauren Boowbert took a photograph of Secretary Clinton during the deposition and immediately released it publicly to a Trumpup supporting media clown. Secretary Clinton had every right as soon as that happened to leave the deposition to just walk out. The Republicans would have no ability at all to prevent Secretary Clinton from leaving the deposition after one of their members violated the rules of that deposition and the rules of every congressional committee procedure in the history of Congress. Secretary Clinton upon learning of the violation decided not to leave, but instead told the chairman that the news media should now be allowed in the room to cover her testimony now that the Republicans have broken the seal of that room. After half an hour, Secretary Clinton decided to resume her testimony and further humiliate the Republicans who were afraid to question the two people who were friends of Jeffrey Epstein, Donald and Melania

10:19 Trump. Secretary Clinton spoke to reporters after the deposition which was held near her home in Chapaqua, New York. I don't know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein. I never went to his island. I never went to his homes. I never went to his offices. Uh so it's on the record numerous times. Uh, it then got at the end quite unusual because I started being asked about UFOs and a series of questions about Pizzagate, one of the most vile, bogus conspiracy theories that was propagated on the internet. Uh, that was serving as a basis of a member's questions to me.

11:12 And here's what some of the Democrats in the deposition had to say. One of the things that's been confirmed today is that in addition to having no relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, Secretary Clinton had has no relationship with Galain Maxwell. But there are important questions we should be asking the Trump administration about Galain Maxwell. And I hope that our Republican colleagues will join us in asking these questions. Why is it that Donald Trump has refused to rule out the pardon, the clemency that Gla Maxwell is campaigning for? House Republicans need to get serious about this investigation. Uh I understand now fully why uh Secretary Clinton wanted to make this deposition and her hearing public. Uh because the reality is we are talking to the wrong person today who we should be talking to instead of people who are actually mentioned in the files.

12:12 People who have made misleading statements about their relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. We should depose the person that is mentioned in the Epstein files almost more than any other person next to Gain Maxwell and that's Donald Trump. Leading off our discussion tonight is Democratic Congressman Suas Subramanya of Virginia. He is a member of the oversight committee and was at that deposition today. Congressman, thank you very much for joining us today uh tonight. What um why did this go on for seven hours? It was very repetitive. And again, I'll reiterate what I just said it earlier.

12:53 I wish it was public because it was humiliating for the Republicans there. They kept trying to corner Secretary Clinton. like basically asked the same question a hundred times. Did you know Jeffrey Epstein? Did you associate with him? Did you know Gla Maxwell? How did you know her if you knew her? And she said the same thing over and over again that basically could have been said over written testimony and was said, which is that she didn't know the guy. And meanwhile, there's so many other people in the files that that are released. Remember, there's two and a half files that haven't been released. Tough million files. and and the reality is we're talking to the wrong people. Uh she was asked about the one linkage that could be found to Maxwell, which is that Glen Maxwell apparently ended up at her daughter's wedding as someone else's guest.

13:46 Uh let's listen to what Secretary Clinton said about that to reporters after the deposition. When was Ghane Maxwell invited to your daughter Chelsea Clinton's wedding in 2010? She'd already been mentioned in a civil lawsuit by Virginia Duffrey before that. Jeffrey actually already been convicted before. She came as the plus one, the guest of someone who was invited. The plus one from hell. Uh we've all seen that at weddings and other functions where someone shows up with uh the inappropriate uh escort for the for the event. Uh I I assume Republicans kept going over and over on that point. Absolutely. And in the end, as Secretary Clinton mentioned, they started asking about UFOs and Pizzagate, and they were even by the end of the deposition asking for advice on how to move the investigation forward. That's where we were at the last hour.

14:46 So again, we didn't really get much. What was really striking to me was that there were 10 or 11 Republicans there. I felt like I was at a Republican caucus meeting, but at the Ohio uh deposition of Lex Wexner, who who, you know, he bankrolled Jeffrey Epstein's operations, there were zero Republicans. So that just shows you where their head's at in this investigation. uh the real people who were uh like Wexner was a co-conspirator, named as a co-conspirator, uh they weren't anywhere to be seen, but with Hillary Clinton, they're all there in full force asking questions for seven hours. The part of her opening statement that actually intrigued me the most was a focus that has been lost uh in the in including by the way I would see even say in our coverage of this because we've been covering the Epstein case, the Maxwell case and this sprawling worldwide conspiracy. But Secretary Clinton brought our focus to the worldwide problem which

15:42 she addressed both as first lady and even more importantly as Secretary of State and the work she described there which not a single Republican on that committee is familiar with and not one of them cared about when Donald Trump dismantled it. Yeah, she talked about that extensively. And uh one of the interesting things she's brought up is that Republicans have cut funding to actually go after human trafficking here and around the world. And now there's less prosecutors to go after uh the perpetrators of these terrible crimes. So uh what is this investigation really about? Is this about going after Democrats as Republicans kind of see it? or is this about actually protecting women and standing up to to perpetrators so that this never happens again? Congressman Sua Subramanyam, thank you very much for joining us tonight. Really appreciate it. Thank you. And coming up, our next guest has issued a report showing how Donald Trump's federal invasion forces that attacked

16:44 Minneapolis now seem to be preparing for a war. Senator Adam Smith, Adam Schiff joins us next. Armed for violence. That's the title of the report released by Democratic Senator Adam Schiff. It is a new 33-page report revealing that in the last year, Donald Trump has committed at least $144 million to purchase large quantities of weapons and munitions for ICE and Customs and Border Protection, AR style rifle rifles, tasers, tear gas, other lethal weapons. Senator Shiff's report says in just one year, ISIS spending commitments on weapons, ammunition, and accessories surged four-fold, over 360% when compared to ISIS contracts in 2024. In 2025, CBP's contracts for weapons, ammunition, and accessories doubled when compared to CBP's 2024 totals. Joining us now is Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, California. He's a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator, thank you very much for joining us tonight. This is the kind of uh report that is so vital to our

18:06 understanding of what is is happening now. Uh what are the key points of your findings? Well, we wanted to go through DHS's contracting records and document just how much they're spending to militarize this new, you know, effectively new police forces, palace guard of the presidents that is wreaking such havoc in our cities. And we found dramatic increases in spending on weapons. As you said, uh ICE agents will be equipped with now three to four times the amount of weapons as the previous year. Customs and Border Protection doubling their expenditure on the same. And I think what we're seeing is a dangerous combination of a much more heavily armed immigration uh law enforcement uh complex. At the same time, we heard whistleblower testimony this week that they've cut the training for these new ICE agents uh and they're getting inadequate training on when to use these weapons and how to use these weapons. That is a really dangerous mix. And we wanted to sound

19:11 the alarm with this report that we're seeing the emergence of a kind of law enforcement or immigration enforcement industrial complex because it's not just the weapons. We're seeing dramatic increases and expenditures on detention centers they want to build around the country. And this has a way of gathering its own momentum and we need to be aware of what's happening that we're building a a not small army now that's going to be policing American streets. So, uh, this brings to mind Donald Trump's so-called borders are Tom Holman caught on videotape an undercover FBI video of him accepting $50,000 in cash for this purpose. This this is what it was designed for. It was it was supposed to be about helping people. He was then in the business of helping people get these kinds of contracts. and he was talking about being able to help people get these kinds of contracts, help companies get these kinds of contracts if Donald Trump won the presidential election. Well,

20:18 that's exactly right. And we're broadening our look at what DHS is doing because I think undoubtedly we are going to find just massive amounts of waste and fraud. uh we're going to find no bid contracting by DHS that you know the the beneficiaries of which are friends of Christy Gnome and friends of Corey Luwendowski. We have thrown so much money at DHS in that big ugly bill uh just billions and billions and billions of dollars that you know they are going to rush to spend that. It is just a feeding frenzy and so you know there's undoubtedly going to be over time the exposure of massive amounts of insider deals. Uh so this is just the beginning. This is really the tip of the iceberg in terms of what ICE and DHS uh and Border Protection are spending. Uh who's going to get the contracts, when contracts are going to be let in a matter of hours without real competition. Uh undoubtedly the graft like in other parts of this Trump administration will

21:21 be profound. And there are hundreds of uh Trump friendly lobbyists in Washington who are trying to do exactly what Tom Holman's uh Tom Hman was trying to do uh when that $50,000 was passed to him. Uh basically broker, lobby for broker these deals for companies who want to sell these weapons. Well, I think that's exactly right. We're already seeing the pardons that are being given out by the president to people that have donated to him or donated to his inaugural committee or this or that or are represented by close friends of the president. They're managing to get pardons.

22:01 So pardons seem effectively for sale uh in you know the Gulf. I think our national security is for sale uh to the highest bidder that will invest the most in the Trump family crypto currencies. Uh we're seeing I think really throughout the federal government at the justice department for example whether it's you know Bondi's family cutting deals antitrust cases going away uh you know it is just like a corrupt feeding frenzy with everyone trying to grab as much as they can knowing that they're just going to have three more years to do this and they need to get while the getting is good. Senator Adam Schiff, thank you very much for joining us tonight.

22:44 Thank you. And coming up, the Trump Justice Department, which is really the Trump Protection Department, issued a statement today saying that they are investigating the possible removal from the Epstein files of documents that include the unproven accusation that Donald Trump assaulted and raped a child. That's next with Andrew Weissman.

23:24 Donald Trump's Justice Department, which is of course functioning as the Trump Protection Department, issued a written statement appearing to say that they will investigate documents that may be missing from the Epstein files that contained information about an accusation by an Epstein survivor. Iver who told the FBI that Donald Trump assaulted her and raped her when she was 14 years old. Donald Trump has not been charged as everyone knows and has generally denied wrongdoing, but he has not said one word about that particular accusation. MS Now's Lisa Rubin is reporting that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch, who served as Donald Trump's personal criminal defense lawyer, did not even begin to formulate a system for protecting the privacy of Epstein survivors in the Epstein files until January of this year, which was several weeks after the deadline imposed by law for releasing the Epstein files. And MS now's Carol Lenigga is

24:21 reporting that FBI director Cashia Patel has fired at least a dozen FBI agents who were involved in the investigation of Donald Trump's criminal possession of classified documents. The FBI agents association condemned the firings as illegal and unjustified. Hours before yesterday's firings, Cashia Patel told Reuters that the FBI subpoenenaed his phone records when he was a private citizen in 2022 and 2023 during special prosecutor Jack Smith's investigations. Joining our discussion now is Andrew Weissman, former FBI general counsel and an MS Now legal analyst.

24:56 Andrew, uh, what do you make of the the the written statement today that seemed to say, "We are looking at that issue of the missing documents from the Epstein files that include the accusation of Donald Trump committing a crime." Well, let's just understand what the government's position here is. And it may be true, but I leave to the audience how likely that is. um that the one report that was released which doesn't have Donald Trump's name in it so it doesn't explicitly identify him that was something that was released in the latest huge trunch that we got but remember just one trunch there's still millions reportedly that have not been turned over but we're supposed to believe that the other interviews the three other interviews where Donald Trump is apparently ly named. I should point out the Guardian is reporting that they actually have now seen those documents and gotten confirmation that they are real from the administration. Um

26:04 those three reports that have Donald Trump's name, those have not been released. That's a coincidence. I mean, remember this is a department that's that knows exactly where every document and every photo of Donald Trump is in those Epstein files. And the ones where he has his name there and his photograph may exist, um those have not been released. But a report where his name is not there, that's the one that's released, um it seems to me it does not pass the smell test. But where's the momentum here? Are are we likely to see the stuff that has been hidden that the Guardian now apparently has seen? I think we are. Um, I think, you know, this is one where they're caught and, um, I think they're going to have to just go with the story that they deny it. Um, but again, this is one where there's both the question of the underlying report, whether it's credible, but then there's the question, as as you know, Lawrence, very well, of the cover up. Um, because one thing

27:08 that's absolutely clear is we are seeing, in my view, a cover up of monumental proportions. It would be very very simple for the president of the United States to announce publicly that every single document and every single image related to him has been made public and that no privileges, no duplicative claims, nothing. It has all been turned out and turned over to the public. Why wouldn't you do that if there's nothing to hide? And the other thing uh to keep in mind for everyone, of course, is that uh Donald Trump spent a year fighting the release of the Epstein files. It's what his first year of this term as presidency was entirely about was fighting the release of the Epstein files until he got overwhelmed uh by that vote in the House of Representatives, that vote in the Senate, which was beyond a veto proof majority. If Donald Trump had tried to veto that bill, there were enough votes to override his veto. Uh he knew every day

28:06 that he was fighting the release of the Epstein files what the Epstein files said about him. He knew about this. This was his attorney general's job and deputy attorney general's job was to go to talk to him in the Oval Office and tell him exactly what the Epstein files said about him. So he knew this stuff was there when he was trying to prevent the release of any Epstein files. I I couldn't agree with you more that it's really important for people to remember that what is coming out is new to us, but it is not new to the people of the Department of Justice and the White House. Um, they know all this stuff. So, for instance, when we talked about Howard Lutnik and what his sort of bogus press conference or where he's like his press statement, which is, you know, I cut off all ties cuz he's just so gross. They knew that was not true. a sitting cabinet member who just, you know, lied to the American people and a sort of trying to tout himself as a paragon

29:06 of virtue. They knew that was not true. It's only we that did not know and are only finding out now. So, it's an incredibly important point that this is all material that they have gone over and know about and only we are learning it now. And Lisa Rubin's reporting that uh Todd Blanch didn't even get around to thinking about how do you properly release these files in terms of protecting the privacy of the survivors who are mentioned in there. Didn't even begin to do that until January. Well, let's remember if the number one reason that you are in the department is to help victims of crime. That that is why you were there. That is like that is the most noble part and the best part of your job. Whether he started now, whether he started months ago, the one thing we know is they haven't done it. Um they these victims were revictimized when public material was put out with their personal identifying information. That is like their addresses, telephone numbers,

30:10 bank records, even images of them. um that should that richer really should never have been seen publicly. That is your number one job. Um it is either intentional or reckless. Either way, it is horrendous when that was your one job was to protect these people. Andrew Weissman, thank you very much for joining us tonight. You're welcome. Thank you. And coming up, a great honor for us. Oscar winner Morgan Freeman will join us with a story of resistance, a story he's been trying to tell for 15 years and will now be told in an 8 episode limited series on Amazon Prime titled The Grey House. Morgan Freeman will join us next.

31:01 Oscar winner Morgan Freeman made his first and only appearance on this program on the day of John Lewis's funeral July 30th, 2020. On that day, the New York Times published an essay by John Lewis that he wrote knowing that his life was coming to an end. His wish was for the New York Times to publish the piece on the day of his funeral. When I read it, my first thought was that I should read the piece in its entirety on this program that night. And my immediate better thought, my dream was that Morgan Freeman should read it. I urgently called Hollywood legend Stan Rosenfield, who I know is close to Morgan Freeman. And within minutes, Stan called me back to say Morgan Freeman would rearrange his schedule that day to do a voice recording for us and send it in. And then our brilliant producer Stephanie Kovak and editor Andrew Tatler went to work creating the imagery for the piece in which Morgan Freeman delivered John Lewis's last words to the world.

32:12 Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life, I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring. When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression, and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide. Morgan Freeman now brings us a true story of resistance and triumph. A story that has never been told on the screen before. the story of Mary Jane Richards, a black woman working in the home of the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War and leading a spy network of southern women

33:28 who were sending in valuable intelligence north to the commanding general for the United States, Ulissiz Srant, who after the war credited the women for their intelligence gathering. The story is told in eight episodes, now available on Amazon Prime, titled The Grey House, directed by multiple Oscar nominee Roland Joffy. We're formulating a new plan. Act fast. I've ordered troop placements, battle positions, and supply rooms. Mary J. Yes, I was coming. Check the dress lining. Well, does she marry heaven and help us? If they reconcile, Rhett will move back in with us. We cannot allow that Snoop back in our house. No one may have no choice. Oh, joining us now is Academy Awardw winning actor Morgan Freeman, executive producer of The Grey House, now available on Amazon Prime. This is such an honor. Thank you very much for being here tonight. It's my honor, my honor. I I I want to go back to that day uh where I made the

34:45 panic call. Can we possibly get Morgan Freeman to record John Lewis's words? And your answer, Stan had to call you and you had to call me back, but your answer came back to me in 5 minutes saying you would do it. Um, again, this I get to thank you in person for the first time for that. Uh, what was that day like for you to suddenly get a request like that and to be thrown into the middle of that? I I can't I don't know. Um, you know, like I suppose everybody, I had this real high feeling for John and what he stood for. So to be asked to read his last words to the world, it's uh it's an honor. I mean, it's I can't say any more than that. It's it's an honor to be asked to do something like that. We're going to put out the full five-minute version uh on social media for people to to take in again. But those words are as important today as they were when he wrote them. They really are eternal words that he wrote. A bit more. Yeah. A little bit more important,

35:56 I think. Yeah. The world today is not the world he left. Mhm. So, it's uh it's an important message that he left. We should it should be posted somewhere so we can remind ourselves of it. Mhm. Time to time with with all your life experience and to to say that the world he left is a different world from where we are now. How would you describe where we are now? Uh can I use any profanity? You can say whatever you want. Well, uh, we have, uh, somebody sitting in the White House who's leading us down a [ __ ] hole. Uh, I I I can't personally understand how a convicted felon convicted 34 felon felonious, is that word?

37:01 Mhm. counts of wrongdoing. Gets to be president. How do you do that? I mean, you said, "Well, he was camp. I don't care." That ruling went down before he stepped into the Oval Office. So, it just doesn't make sense to me. Were you with your life experience, did it feel like we were going backwards? Did Did it feel like the country was on as as Martin Luther King would say, uh, you know, the arc of history was turning toward progress all the time? Then did did this feel different? Very different. Very different. I'm constantly uh reminded of uh Germany 1935, what was happening there. The brown shirts, those people that are marching through uh particularly Berlin and rounding up people, putting them in box cars and sending them off.

37:58 Now, this administration wants to build large detention centers and for what? Mhm. Question. What do you tell young people who are living through this and this this they think is the is the worst thing. Certainly the if you're 20 years old, 25 years old, this is the worst thing you've seen is the condition this country's in now. Absolutely. Absolutely the worst. I don't know what I would say to young people other than if you uh at all aware of where we're headed, where we are right now, and where we're headed, and if you don't agree with it, there was one sure way to change the direction of our country. Vote. Mhm. That the old message is the new message. Yes. Yes. Uh le let's go to Grey House. Uh it took you 15 years to get this story told. Yes. Uh a lot of things, by the way. Not that unusual a Hollywood story. In fact, it it's exactly. Yeah. Uh Leslie uh Grafe came to us some 15 years ago with this idea. It was a script and

39:20 uh we've been nursing it. Sometimes, you know, you put things on the shelf and let them ripen, as it were. Uh, every project has its own time to surface and that's, I think, what we're experiencing with the Grey House. You, uh, you teamed up with Kevin Cosner producing this and you got an incredible cast. Uh, Ben Varin, you have Mary Lewis Parker here, you have Emmy Davis in the lead role there. uh Paul Anderson. Uh it's just uh an incredible group that you pulled together here. Yeah. Roland Jaffy was our uh director. Uh and it's um Have you seen any part of it yet? Yes.

40:07 Yes. It's uh spellbinding I think. Yes. uh to realize that four southern women of all stripes uh couple of high society, one is low society, one is black. Um they amongst themselves, just them organized this little cell that was sending messages, urgent messages to Ulysus Srant. Mhm. Um, a spy network that was very dangerously set up, but bravery. Bravery. This was a stop along the uh Underground Railroad and they just switched what they were doing there and started messaging the uh I knew nothing of this story until you brought the made this story public.

41:11 I've done some research on it since and and we see all the real historical factual uh material that underlies all of this. But it is a a story of resistance. It is a story of uh the same theme of resistance that we saw in Minneapolis this year. And it's based on fact. Mhm. Actually, um I the problem with a lot of our history is how much of it we don't know. Mhm. And uh these are women uh this story is actually buried somewhere and it's time to surface. It's here. Uh like I said before every project at its own time and this is one 15 years ago we knew about this story and it took us to now thanks to Kevin Cosner to get it done. Well, thank you very much for bringing it to us and thank you. I cannot thank you enough for joining us tonight. It's my great pride and honor. Thank you very much. We'll be right back.

42:23 The great Morgan Freeman gets tonight's last word.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell - Feb. 26 | Audio Only"?

Melania Trump (Guest), Hillary Clinton (Guest), Sua Subramanyam (Guest), Lawrence O'Donnell (Host), Alicia (Guest), Ed (Guest), Morgan Freeman (Guest), Adam Schiff (Guest).

What is "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell - Feb. 26 | Audio Only" about?

Lawrence O’Donnell discusses political scrutiny around Jeffrey Epstein, contrasting Republican questions directed at Hillary Clinton with alleged connections involving Melania Trump, and highlighting partisan framing of Epstein-related inquiries. The segment references Epstein files, accusations, and contrasting investigations of the First Ladies.

What is mentioned in this MS NOW episode?

40 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Lawrence O'Donnell, Ghislain Maxwell, Morgan Freeman. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell - Feb. 26 | Audio Only"?

The episode runs 43 min; the transcript is about 6,272 words in 43 timestamped sections.

More from MS NOW

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated October 29, 2026.