Joe Rogan Experience #2447 - Mike Benz
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
## [00:01] Joe Rogan Experience #2447 - Mike Benz
Joe Rogan welcomes guest. Guest expresses thrill: "Kid in a candy shop. We hacked the government. We hacked the government's files." They have access to 3.5 million files that feel like they should not have been obtained. Would have been ideal 7 years ago in 2019 during litigation. Incredible moment of transparency on how governments interact with private sector and funds.
Many people did not want these files released. Access now to internal Justice Department and FBI documents from criminal investigation, normally not disclosable to public even if unclassified. Likely required congressional bill to force release. Cannot FOIA Justice Department for dirt on political enemies without court document. Possibly could have been done via executive order on Epstein transparency around first binders. Friction between president and Thomas Massie. Bill passed 427 to 1 in House.
Recollection: Randy Fine, but correction to Clay Higgins. Nobody wanted to be on the wrong side—bipartisan vote, rare for Republicans and Democrats.
Implicates everyone: Republicans, Democrats, Americans, dozen foreign countries, heads of major hedge funds, multinational corporations, donors to all parties, major university and science institutions. Almost every major player in world affairs involved or adjacent; network reached out to influential figures. Mutually assured destruction around "Epstein hot potato" for decade: out-of-power Republicans blamed Democrats (Clintons); Trump admin slow despite control; Democrats blamed Trump world despite their 4 years controlling Justice Department and FBI.
Bill compelled only Justice Department-originated files (FBI as investigative arm). Does not compel CIA-originated files.
In 2025, Tulsi Gabbard as ODNI head spearheaded JFK files release: fully unredacted documents, hundreds of thousands of files never seen before or unredacted versions after decades. Only exist due to 1992 JFK Records Collection Act, forcing CIA to establish independent Presidential Assassination Review Board for declassification.
Given Epstein's 40-year intelligence-adjacent career, physically impossible no CIA-originated Epstein files. Epstein himself filed FOIA twice (Freedom of Information Act, ~1966) to agencies for records. FOIA allows US citizens to request unclassified records; agencies issue "Glomar" response for classified: cannot confirm or deny existence.
Joe Rogan notes no big revelations on who killed JFK. Guest found it huge: not expecting direct "James Jesus Angleton authorized assassination," but revealed tangential documents showing detailed structure of intelligence work—once-in-a-generation insights. Michael Parenti (CIA whistleblower, Iran-Contra era) warned such hearings might be last inside look at covert ops minutiae for decades.
Detailed look at Operation Mongoose (CIA destabilize Cuba for regime change, unsuccessful so regionalized countercommunism in Latin America/Caribbean/South America) and Operation Condor (counterinsurgency vs. left-wing Marxist groups).
Wild Declassified Document Example
CIA file instructs deleting physical copies; details internal authorization to assassinate Castro via Meyer Lansky syndicate, hiring two Miami hitmen with Cuban exile contacts. CIA case officer contacted mob/organized crime with payoffs, detailed logistics. Robert Maheu (CIA asset) sponsored movie simulating Indonesian president affair with blonde woman—sexual blackmail tape filmed to look like presidential palace/hotel, for press leak/discreditation.
1960s, pre-oversight: no congressional oversight until Church Committee (1975-1976), no Senate/House Intelligence Committees. Assassinations not yet banned. Still, shows options in covert ops toolkit: working with mob unsurprising (pre-CIA via Department of War in 1930s/1940s; OSS in 1940s).
CIA worked with mob before existing. Italian mob allied vs. Mussolini (cracking down on Vatican and mafia). Book: Operation Gladio: The CIA, the Vatican, and the Mob by Paul Williams (2017)—detailed on religious institution, intelligence agency, organized crime nexus for black ops, especially Vatican Bank funding.
New document: Larry Summers (ex-US Treasury head, Harvard head) explains Vatican politics to Epstein—key is Vatican Bank (Institute for Works of Religion). Sovereign status exempts from Italy/EU transparency. Allows elite clients to evade scrutiny. President fired after Italian probe into bribery. Pre-offshore banking, Vatican Bank was first (WWII alliance with US Dept. of War, organized crime; validated by 1990s Italian court docs when mob prosecuted).
Strange Bedfellows
US, Vatican, organized crime vs. Mussolini. Mob controls logistics/unions/ports/streets/safe houses; Vatican Bank launders for black market trade; US protection creates state-sponsored mafia with untouchable bank.
Now: Cayman Islands, Jersey, Man, Panama. In US: Native American reservations as autonomous zones shielding disclosures. Connected to casino money.
[Advertisement for DraftKings, Super Bowl 60 partner, early exit bets, etc.]
The Octopus Murders (HBO/Netflix) details NSA using Native American casinos for money laundering in PROMIS software scandal and Iran-Contra (1980s).
Paul Helliwell (CIA lawyer) architected CIA money laundering. Started vs. Mao (1930s/1940s): supported Chiang Kai-shek/Kuomintang nationalists vs. communists via Golden Triangle narcotics (continued in Cambodia/Laos; JFK expanded covert ops—Fort Bragg JFK Special Warfare Center).
Opium Wars Background
1830s/1850s: British Empire/East India Company sold India-grown opium to China; wars pried open market (got Hong Kong, still narco-trafficking site tied to Epstein).
CIA Banks
Castle Bank and Trust (Cayman Islands), one in Australia—for drug trafficking. Overworld-underworld alliance: intelligence ops are crimes (sabotage, subversion); outsource to pros, justify as national security.
Paul Helliwell later Disney lawyer, set up Disney World. Model to Latin America/Caribbean (Operation Condor/Mongoose). Spawned Iran-Contra: CIA drugs-for-cash-for-guns (like 1940s China). Insufficient USAID/taxpayer/private funds; use black market (diamonds Africa, illegal mining South America, narcotics). Ideal: small fungible materials convertible to cash (truck of cocaine funds army).
State-sanctioned drug trade, illegal weapons logistics, money laundering from 1940s through Cold War.
Operation Gladio: NATO-wide stay-behind network of right-wing/Nazi-adjacent anti-communist cells in every NATO country to covertly influence domestic politics. Silvio Berlusconi in Italy's P2 lodge. Structure persists (see Integrity Initiative clusters). Mob/Vatican only game for no-oversight offshore banking then.
British lost Suez Canal 1957, decolonization; transitioned from physical to financial empire
British Empire shifted to offshore banking hubs like BVI, Cayman Islands, Jersey, with London as capital of international finance, maintaining imperial control without physical troops. Vatican Bank lost rank in international finance since 1940s due to saturated offshore banking market.
In Larry Summers-Jeffrey Epstein exchange, files contain true elements mixed with untrue, preposterous claims to dismiss everything, similar to Pizzagate where extreme claims like George W. Bush involved in ritual sacrifice, killing babies, eating people discredit valid concerns. This week challenging for total Pizzagate deniers. Speaker's knowledge limited, not central to political influence, possibly an inside joke. Epstein's emails are trolly, tongue-in-cheek statements that could be misinterpreted. Seen 2016 Pizzagate images that don't look good or easily explainable. For most claims, verified via Justice Department file numbers; for Pizzagate screenshots, not yet verified but wouldn't confidently say no there there.
Images from DOJ database keyword searches like 'pizza' or 'cheese' show people talking about pizza in ways seeming like code, impossible to do to actual pizza.
Real-world provable things and allegations need explanation. Common mistake: taking baseless allegations from anonymous tipsters in FBI files as true just because in official file. FBI and president argued against release to prevent out-of-context misinterpretation. Glad files released despite this. Viral claim: confidential human source (CHS, FBI informant) reported Alan Dershowitz as Mossad agent reporting meetings to handlers. Next page claims President Trump controlled by Israel government with blackmail. Overlap between Dershowitz and Israeli officials exists. Plays into confirmation bias, especially amid MAGA civil war over Israel.
Journalist Ken Silva tweeted matching document showing CHS as Chuck Johnson. Johnson texted speaker 2 years ago (unprompted) to turn self in or go to prison, alleged speaker was Mossad agent via ex-wife (wrong person, similar spelling, busted for prostitution), threatened donor to cut funds or US intelligence would crush their business. Zero credibility; claims about Dershowitz/Trump ridiculous. Just because in FBI file doesn't make true, lesson from Russiagate, Steele dossier. Truth wins out eventually; deeply tangled rabbit hole.
Million current Jeffrey Epsteins exist as professional fixers in sticky layer between government and private sector. Examples: Mark Rich, Bruce Rappaport, Robert Maxwell. Illustrate intelligence-business connections.
1988/1991 article 'Intrigue in High Places: Oil Pipeline, Iraq, Bruce Rappaport'. During Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), US played both sides: armed Iran despite embargo post-1979 revolution (CIA-involved 1953), funded Iraq to prevent it dominating region. Henry Kissinger: "My only wish is that both sides lose." Iraq wanted pipeline through Jordan near Israel border for oil export despite embargos.
Bechtel (CIA contractor, influential, sponsors Stanford Internet Observatory courtyard) promised $1 billion (1980s money) contract. CIA/NSC wanted it built for geostrategic reasons but feared Israeli sabotage due to Iraq hostility. Solution: Swiss billionaire Bruce Rappaport (Israeli ties) back-channeled secret agreement with Israel not to sabotage.
Triggered special prosecutor investigation of Attorney General Edwin Meese; friend alleged profiting via Rappaport deal. Rappaport clarified: Israel got 30% pipeline revenue cut for buy-in. NSC directed US agency to subsidize $400 million taxpayer funds despite shady Rappaport. Agency queried CIA, got limited hangout (few docs, no red flags). Prosecutor compelled full dirty dossier, preventing support. Pipeline not built.
Same structure as Epstein: intelligence, private business, back-channels, Justice Dept, CIA, geopolitics, Israel. Rappaport not CIA asset but liaison/contact/facilitator with own hedge fund in commodities/FX/portfolios; works with CIA when beneficial. Exists in every country/industry; not all prominent or involved in child sex trafficking.
Epstein arrested 2006, plea deal 2008. Without underage focus, just adult prostitutes, likely never heard of him. Involved in fraudulent finance entire career: SEC investigation at Bear Stearns 1980 (St. Joe's Minerals, owned by Seagrams/Bronfman family), left but continued off-books 31 years until Bear Stearns collapse (2007/2008, Epstein jailed). Impossible Epstein not on BCCI pipeline deals; Bear Stearns top-3 clearing house for BCCI (Bank of Credit and Commerce International, 'Bank of Crooks and Criminals').
BCCI started Pakistan 1972, CIA's main covert funding for mujahideen vs Russians (backed Osama bin Laden, radicals becoming al-Qaeda/ISIS) via CIA/MI6/Israeli/Saudi funds, Cold War strange bedfellows like backing right-wing crime vs left-wing communism.
1979 Zbigniew Brzezinski (National Security Adviser) in Pakistan/Afghan border urges mujahideen: "We know of their deep belief in God and we are confident that their struggle will succeed... God is on your side." Highest cabinet post, all intel/war/military/statecraft through it. Covert op; Epstein involved in BCCI financing this moment.
Money irreplaceable in covert ops: lose people/logistics, replace with money; lose money, lose everything (informants, bribes, institutions). Lost Vietnam due to defunding. CIA money-laundering sophisticated by 1950s/60s (CBS clip 'In the Pay of the CIA'); all CIA funds laundered to conceal origins. Needs outside contacts/facilitators not agency-employed.
Squarespace ad: Powers JoeRogan.com; claim domain, showcase, grow brand, get paid. squarespace.com/rogan, code ROGAN for 10% off first purchase.
Jeffrey Epstein spent his career working with Pakistanis through the BCCI, as well as contacts in London. From Towers Financial to his tenure with Leslie Wexner, he modeled the Clinton Foundation in the early 2000s. His expertise and connections to donors and billionaires made him useful.
Epstein left Bear Stearns in 1981 at under 30 years old and started a one-man firm, Intercontinental Assets Group, from his New York City apartment. He immediately secured big clients like Adnan Khashoggi, alleged to be the world's richest man, a Saudi arms dealer who earned more in commissions from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and another major military contractor than all other agents worldwide combined. This led to rumors of his immense wealth and specific legislation due to his influence.
In 1983, Khashoggi flew to the National Security Council at the White House to orchestrate the Iran-Contra affair as the Saudi middleman, running guns to Israeli contacts for smuggling into Iran against Iraqis—United States-Israel-Saudi Arabia sequence. Khashoggi was a major client of the CIA's BCCI bank and hosted the CIA's offshore Safari Club operation created in 1976.
In 1975-1976, amid Church Committee hearings, the CIA faced major restrictions: public revelations of heart attack gun, Operation Chaos (funding student groups on US campuses), COINTELPRO, MKUltra. Democrats imposed oversight via Senate and House Intelligence Committees. In 1977, Carter's Halloween Massacre fired 30% of CIA operations personnel and cut funding massively.
Stakeholders created the Safari Club, an informal 78-country joint covert operations intelligence network with partners: Saudi Arabia, Israel, UK, France, pre-1979 revolution Iran. Named after Mount Kenya Safari Club resort in Kenya, the CIA's African logistics hub (like Colombia for Latin America). Wikipedia confirms it as a covert alliance offsetting CIA restrictions.
Reagan in 1981 still faced CIA handcuffs and Democrat House control. 1979 Iranian Revolution blamed on CIA cuts (CIA installed Shah in 1953). International arms embargo on Iran, but Iraq invasion threat required illegal gun-running to prevent geopolitical disaster.
Democrats opposed intervention in Nicaragua against Sandinista government; Republicans backed Contras. Boland Amendment forbade US funds for Contras (inverse of current Ukraine funding split).
CIA Director Bill Casey created the Enterprise: private, self-sustained, off-the-shelf standalone entity outside US government. Funded by outside fixers channeling donor money and black market trade (e.g., cocaine) to Contras—not US taxpayers, aid, or allocations. References: Freeway Ricky Ross, Gary Webb, John Kerry investigations.
Epstein emerged in this milieu. Main airline for drugs/guns: CIA proprietary Southern Air Transport, based in Miami during Iran-Contra (early 1980s to mid-late 1980s). In 1994, spun out to ex-CIA operator, moved to Columbus, Ohio, to service The Limited (Leslie Wexner).
Ohio linked to US organized crime origins in Prohibition era (1920-1933) via Midwestern mafia in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, adjacent to Chicago. Post-Prohibition, shifted to black market drugs, primarily opium in 1930s via War Department alliance with Chiang Kai-shek and Kuomintang nationalists. Logistics: CIA/War Department-backed Asian rebels on Golden Triangle cultivated opium, flown on military aircraft, processed in Europe (e.g., French Connection—Epstein connected), transshipped by Italian mafia at US ports (New York, New Jersey). CIA protected Italian mafia in southern Italy against communists.
Drug trade supports foreign policy; stopping it conflicts with government logistics hubs.
Current example: Fast and Furious (Obama era)—ATF/FBI operation with inter-agency approval (White House, CIA, DoD, State, FBI/ATF) sent guns to Sinaloa cartel to win narco-war against Los Zetas, who pilfered oil pipelines. Mexico's oil fields shared with Texas; PEMEX partnerships. Similar to CIA-backed Syrian rebels stealing oil.
US Institute of Peace (congressionally created, $55M/year) advised Taliban post-2021 takeover against shutting opium (90-95% world supply), claiming economic devastation. Taliban previously cut it to near-zero in 1999; US invasion/occupation (2001-2003) restored it to 95% under US military. Installed dictator Hamid Karzai (CIA-backed), brother main drug kingpin. Some via Cold War CIA-backed Turkish Grey Wolves; Stanley McChrystal team called Karzai's hat the "Greywolf's vagina" (drug logistics orifice).
Bear Stearns opened BCCI trading desk in 1978. Epstein's mentor Ace Greenberg (recruited him 1976, became CEO 1978-1979) set him up with his daughter—explains rapid rise to partner. New York Times (recent, ~1.5 months ago) confirmed via dozen Bear Stearns insiders (3 bosses on record).
Bear Stearns cleared ~$13 billion BCCI transactions via Capcom (BCCI's "bank within a bank," per Senate report), linked to Adnan Khashoggi, Doug Leese (British arms dealer Epstein met in London). Capcom owned by Kamal Adham, Saudi chief spy.
NYT 20,000-word report omitted deal names. Bear Stearns handled lucrative BCCI trades (mujahedeen funding, 50% via mirrored commodities trades for laundering drug money). BCCI: CIA bank for covert laundering.
In 1982, Epstein obtained fake Austrian passport (Cold War spy loophole) listing Saudi Arabia residence (raided 2019). Coincided with mujahedeen support (drugs-cash-guns).
Enterprise: Illegal financial network protected by US government, intelligence, Justice Department.
JFK files (Tulsi Gabbard release) include CIA document on "massive damage" if Justice Department prosecutes Rolando Masferrer. Documents CIA-State Department dispute: State sets policy, CIA serves covertly (junior role; no State head to CIA promotions).
Nobody ever goes from head of the State Department to head of the CIA; that's a demotion. The CIA is like Silvio from The Sopranos, shaking down the hairdresser for the family. The hairdresser thinks Silvio runs the mafia because he's the one breaking windows and knuckles, but Silvio acts on Tony's policy. State Department sets policy; CIA organizes plausibly deniable dirty work to achieve foreign policy if necessary.
In 1948, George Kennan memo debated creating a State Department office called Bureau of Organized Political Warfare; two months later, CIA took that role. CIA is basically a State Department function but supposed to defer to State.
Factional dispute between State and CIA over Cuba. State thought CIA-backed rebel groups in Miami too aggressive, provocative, hot-headed, committing terrorism that looked bad internationally. JFK tried reining them in; CIA careers wanted aggressive posture.
CIA key asset and ringleader Orlando Maser (or Rando Maser) had logistics hub with massive CIA-backed Cuban exile network in early 1960s Miami. Maser thought JFK too impatient, cautious; wanted to invade section of Haiti from Miami as base for kinetic attacks on Cuba.
State learned of plan, stopped it via customs and border agent manning docks, catching 300 departing. State directed Justice Department to pursue criminal charges against Orlando Maser. CIA intervened.
1960s CIA memo: "Estimate of damage which could accrue to CIA Miami through prosecution of the Orlando Maser Haitian Invasion Group." Declassified last year.
Justice Department's grand jury indictment against Rando Maser and associates potentially explosive, causing extensive damage to CIA activities in Miami. Recent adverse publicity added to embarrassment potential.
Main sectors of danger to CIA equities:
- National publicity on student and foundation topics attracted local press to CIA; references to covert activities lead press to check files for local activities.
- Panama Foundation, University of Miami (hosted JM Wave, CIA's largest station house in world, off-campus facility).
CIA under pressure; public losing support due to disclosures. Prosecution disastrous because Maser would squeal, exposing CIA touch points: past 6 years, CIA worked with president and treasurer of University of Miami, extending cooperation. Previously redacted CIA cutouts in area would be exposed.
Even without above, concerned: no station agents or contract persons arrested/prosecuted, but defense could drag CIA Miami in via testimony (true or perjured) from defendants or disaffected former agents, surfacing details/rumors on CIA operations against Cuba.
Sizable reduction in infiltration, frustration, lack of support for Cuban freedom due to passive US policy. Undermining entire anti-Cuba operation and American support if prosecuted, as defendants' friends/associates talked with CIA beforehand—massive scandal.
Negotiation: State wins nominally, prosecution brought but highly limited per CIA demands—limit inquiry lines, file motions against discovery revealing CIA networks. CIA general counsel on prosecution team to ensure Justice stays in line; drop lines if judge grants discovery risking CIA role exposure.
Pattern protects networks in drug cases, foreign policy scandals, money laundering. In Mark Rich case, lawyer cited work for US intelligence in pardon application for leniency.
Given Jeffrey Epstein's involvement in BCCI network, 1990s Middle East foreign policy, early 2000s Clinton era, Israeli/Saudi/British/French high-level officials:
- Investigated by SEC in 1980s.
- Ran biggest Ponzi scheme at time: Towers Financial collapse; partner jailed 20-30 years, Epstein skates free.
- Huge fraud in US Virgin Islands, billion-dollar case; never prosecuted (sponsored politicians' campaigns).
In 40 years of American foreign policy/intelligence/money sourcing, Epstein always present like Where's Waldo Forrest Gump. Concern same as Maser: don't prosecute, or highly limited—exactly 2006 indictment: sweetheart plea deal protecting all co-conspirators known/unknown, swooped quickly pre-trial to avoid evidence lines.
"It's just crazy that statutory rape is what took it all down, right? Because it's underage hand jobs."
Even that has geopolitical history. Early 2000s DynCorp scandal (private military contractor, major US military/CIA logistics/institutional support worldwide). Trafficked underage kids to Middle Eastern sheikhs to juice deals for local government support in Kuwait/etc.—financial payoffs, parties, young women (legal in some places where very young females not illegal).
DynCorp argument: you wanted us for covert support nodes; had to do it. Epstein trafficking likely started similarly—not necessarily blackmail, but makes VIPs happy, owe favors, want deals to stay close as supplier of vice.
70-year-old billionaire can't walk into bar for 18-year-old; needs discreet private parties (wives, reputations). Plays out in institutions like NY law firms: paths to partner—technical whiz, nepotism, rainmaker client, or opening doors via events/tickets/exclusive access, including cool exotic parties/attractive women.
Not convinced central role of Epstein's young girls (sidebar to money laundering) was blackmail. If Epstein threatens blackmail, word spreads (wife to friends), access gone overnight—even rumor kills business.
Possible indirect blackmail: passes to intelligence/corporate espionage client. But no one in 7 years says "I was personally blackmailed by Epstein"—risk-averse elites avoid.
Could compile defensively: if threatened, counter with their dirt (some correspondence suggests).
Not how Epstein got position; Adnan Khashoggi ran with dozens young/underage girls. Epstein learned power from that network—gives local influence/favor.
Specific illicit desire for underage? Majority very young/barely legal, not 13-year-olds; international clients with different norms. Girls juice deals.
Coolest parties on private island with hottest girls drew intellectuals, scientists, stimulating conversations—universal male desire for attractive women (not underage) makes host essential network node.
No evidence recalled for gay men.
Epstein throws attractive cool parties to gather people, juice deals.
Deal-Juicing Example
Epstein runs fund; donor/colleague/intelligence service needs private funding for Middle East pipeline (US loan guarantee, national security benefit, something in it for Epstein).
Contacts 5 in network:
- 2 in space, terms good, 100% in.
- 2 hesitant on risk, but Epstein asked—past 3 years best weekends, feel alive, opened deals; fear no invite/laid/attractive women if say no.
Do deal to stay in Epstein's good graces, juiced by girls/parties/lifestyle—not standalone merits.
Public narrative: underage girls on island ("fuck kids")—disgusting, fuels outrage. May be true (needle in haystack), but tiny pie chart fraction vs. BCCI, Iran-Contra, Latin/African/Asian politics, world foundations.
Logistically, proactive blackmail kills rolodex—rumor of Epstein doing someone in ends unfettered good times.
Value beyond blackmail: brings/networks people, keeps clients happy, provides access.
No receipts after years on blackmail thread; open-minded but fixation concern—small fraction of Epstein story relevant to government/power/corporate finance today.
1999: Epstein FOIAd CIA for all records on himself (not public figure then).
2011: Did again via lawyer under Privacy Act (anonymous, CIA communicates to lawyer).
Response to lawyer in files (underlying letter missing). Posted reference/file on X account thread.
FOIA responses are not classified. Anyone can FOIA the Central Intelligence Agency for all records and communications related to the CIA's written communications with Jeffrey Epstein via his lawyer in 1999 and 2011. The 2011 response states: received request for Jeffrey Epstein's records search under the Freedom of Information Act; granted request to search for all open and acknowledged agency affiliations between Jeffrey Epstein and the CIA; ran that search and no documents are responsive. Next paragraph: with respect to request that touches on classified documents, we can neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of any such documents. This is a partial denial of the FOIA request.
The response is a stock CIA FOIA response whenever you FOIA the CIA for someone's personnel files. The fact that the CIA considered this a denial for things touching on classified matters means Epstein's request touched on something classified. There would have been no Glomar if it had only been limited to open and acknowledged links.
This is a bombshell and should prompt Ro Khanna, Thomas Massie, and the 427 members of the House of Representatives and 100% of the US Senate to pass the same bill that the United States Congress did in 1992 for the JFK Records Collection Act. The CIA was forced by law to stand up an independent auditing body to review all classified records relating to the JFK assassination for the first time and then declassify them over months and years through the work of that independent board. The existence of this correspondence, learned about this week, should prompt a 427-to-1 House and 100% Senate to do the same for CIA-originated files as they just did with DOJ files. That's actionable immediately. No one in Congress would want to be on the other side of declassifying CIA records about Jeffrey Epstein, prolific child sex trafficker.
If that bill gets introduced, it would pass and legally compel the CIA to turn over what are quite possibly 40 years of CIA documents referencing Epstein. The CIA would not be doing its job if it didn't have records about Epstein. Epstein was a counterintelligence threat with all the foreign countries he was dealing with. If he had been a double agent, the CIA would not be doing its job if not keeping tabs. Epstein's network was a key financial and logistics hub in highly geopolitically sensitive areas of CIA operation. The economics division of the CIA, let alone the operations division, would keep analysts informed about money flows in those countries. Epstein represented Anatoliy Khunpiladz's money, who was the CIA's main point person for 10 years, the literal central linchpin, and his money was being handled.
Now there would be a legal mechanism to enforce CIA declassification if Congress forces it. Why hasn't the CIA turned this over before? It would embarrass the agency, decimate their funding in Congress because they're toxic, or foreign governments don't want it. The CIA is not allowed to do this unless Congress forces them; these are classified documents. They could charitably volunteer by conducting an internal task force and ask Tulsi Gabbard to declassify, but don't hold your breath. This is immediately actionable and would solve the mystery. All it needs is one brave member of Congress to introduce the bill, copy-paste the 1992 JFK Records Collection Act and substitute JFK for Jeffrey Epstein.
Joe Rogan: What's your take on the circumstances around his death?
Mike Benz: I don't know. It's weird that they took a guy who is one of the most high-profile defendants ever and put him in jail with a mass murderer, a juiced-up gigantic cop who was obviously a psychopath. 18 days before he died, Epstein complained that guy tried to kill him. It's crazy that this guy wasn't in protective custody. Cameras go down. Footage released is weird because it's missing time. It happened under the watch of an attorney general deeply embedded in the Epstein network his whole life.
Bill Barr's father, Donald Barr, and Jeffrey Epstein's Dalton school connection. Bill Barr started his career in the CIA during the Iran-Contra operation that Jeffrey Epstein appears to have been doing the covert money laundering for. Barr went to Knight Law School, trained to be a lawyer while at the CIA. His main job was being the CIA's blocker and tackler to obstruct; he was the CIA's point of contact to Congress during the Iran-Contra scandal that Epstein was deeply involved in and was blamed in the press at the time for blocking Congress from seeing CIA scan documents central to the scandal.
Then Barr becomes attorney general and writes the pardons of the BCCI officials who were co-leading that investigation, Robert Mueller at the time. This is in the early 1990s, the first time Bill Barr. BCCI, Bear Stearns multi-billion dollar operation that Epstein was working on and took the clients from that deal as his own when he went private. Bill Barr lets the people from the crooked CIA bank off the hook, then becomes attorney general again in 2019, in charge of the FBI which answers to the Justice Department.
Hard to trust anyone on this. Don't know what kind of file set the Trump FBI inherited. Hard to make heads or tails of it. Focus on immediately actionable things like getting the CIA's direct correspondence with Epstein via a congressional bill. If it comes out that there are an entire avalanche of classified Epstein files dating back 40 years, it puts everything in a different light, depending on whether the allegation of protection by US government intelligence holds up on physical paper.
Like we know the CIA interfered in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, contracted out to mafia hitman an attempt to kill a foreign president, MKUltra was real. These are foundational pieces like a Jenga tower. If a foundational piece is not solid, you can't scale a whole architecture of BS on top of it. If that assumption falls away, the tapestry collapses.
99% is a [__], 100% is a breeze.
When you're only 99% sure of something, you always have to agonize: what if it's not true? Build all this stuff on top of it, but the 1% chance means it would be a real [__] to spend years or millions on something based on 99% assumption. 100% is automatic. Document drops are vital not necessarily for a single smoking gun, but because they allow putting down real Jenga pieces about what actually happened, enabling questions that might get to the answers.
Joe Rogan: How do you have that kind of attention span? Your recall is insane.
Mike Benz: Anyone can do this with a trick: when reading a history book, have a theory in mind about what it is and how it worked. Even if wrong, names, dates, locations stick forever because your brain indexes them in relation to that theory. If you see November 11th, 1983 on a driver's license with no theory, you forget it like an 11-digit number. But with a theory of mind, your brain keeps them in that index.
Iran-Contra affair was the creation of the apparatus we live under today: CIA got handcuffs put on it, so everything had to become CIA-adjacent to get around those handcuffs—universities, foundations, private philanthropic donors. This is what happened in the censorship industrial complex. Dates mean something because placed in relation to something else. Index things by Iran-Contra: e.g., BCCI in 1984 happened after the meeting between Robert McFarland and Anatoliy Khunpiladz, but before the oil pipeline scandal of Edme.
Anyone can do this organically when passionate. This gets to the heart of networks that are the determining power structures of life: intelligence, military, statecraft, high finance, private philanthropies, universities, labor unions, scientific research. This layer of interconnected human networks. Important history for Americans to access to make informed decisions about changing that world, what to vote for, industries to reform. Easy to be passionate because a win here changes the world.
Joe Rogan: You do a great service, your abilities are exceptional, you're being self-deprecating, sheer time invested is mind-boggling. What would you like to see? Open threads?
Real concern is it's unfixable, standard way government has operated since the 1950s, can't be fixed. New person in office promises reform, never happens, we accept it over and over. Slow capture of democracy to a mere illusion. Many think we've passed the point of no return.
Things in other countries like England: rampant crackdown on free speech, arrests for posting on social media, new concept of limited times you can drive outside a zone then pay for it—smart city concept, carbon budget.
California moving forward with tax on the amount of miles you drive, on top of gas tax. If you drive more miles, you already spend more on gas tax, now taxing on top.
Interesting underdeveloped history around origins of 2005-2006-2007 global warming climate policy push from US government that became a runaway train as investor money rushed in. US government together with foreign allies pursued demonization of carbon/hydrocarbon-based fuels as a geopolitical battering ram against newly resurgent Russia in mid-2000s as Putin got power back over post-Soviet Eastern satellite countries through pipeline leverage.
John McCain quote: Russia is a gas station with a military. Gazprom state-sponsored gas company, Rosneft and Russia had largest oil exports, motor engine of their economy. Oil/gas and relationship between Russian oligarchs/businessmen and Eastern European ones allowed Putin to reassert control over central/eastern Europe that NATO was trying to turn into western vassal states. Not an issue in 1990s under Boris Yeltsin, adjunct of US government through Larry Summers and Jeffrey Epstein Harvard network.
Push after Russia's interventions in Georgia, big attack on high-level Republicans. Push to shift energy types to kneecap Russia's main revenue source, ensure Eurasia plan for political vassal state control continues against Putin's nationalist resurgence. Includes crap from 2003-2004, then US government championing hydrocarbon policies, international forums/journals/regulators talking openly mid-period as Russia reclaimed influence that climate policies would stop Russian power/influence by fucking them economically—no business between oligarchs.
Would allow continuation of unipolarity 1990s golden age. Government subsidies, tax benefits like free money. Market flooded in as highly protected incentivized space. Now trillions in climate finance globally, part of IMF loan requirements. Even if science completely wrong, what started as national security way to force energy diversification has unstoppable infrastructure: hedge funds, Bill Gates climate fund, Al Gore billionaire from this, Tom Steyer biggest DNC investor climate impact fund, Michael Bills funded CIA governor of Virginia Abigail Spanberger.
Momentum is unstoppable social narrative. Conjoined diplomatic muscle of American government/allies abroad with private finance. E.g., US overthrew Bangladesh government in 2024 via Biden administration, National Endowment for Democracy CIA cutout, color revolution street protests: sponsored rap music videos on YouTube, worked with unions, set up transgender dance festivals to get LGBT community against government, giant riots, installed new government that agreed to climate finance reforms.
CIA and oil industry completely inseparable: George Bush Zapata Energy Offshore/Texas oil to CIA director; Trump's first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil chairman/CEO overseeing CIA portfolio. CIA/US military create market for oil companies—overthrow governments or support insurgencies for favorable access. CIA/DoD rotate into oil company board seats.
Over past 10 years, same with big climate and CIA because energy is master resource. CIA intervention in overthrowing Bolsonaro government in Brazil despite pro-US party; Lula tied to China, divested US contracts, reduced US-aligned policies in second biggest country in hemisphere.
Brazil announced a $1.3 trillion climate finance initiative. New York hedge funds and London banks are involved. One of the biggest beneficiaries of the post-coup Lula government in Brazil was clean ethanol. George Soros's longest-standing equity investment was in a company called Adicoagra, which produced clean ethanol fuel alternatives. It's not competitive on price with diesel-based fuels, so it only competes through government-imposed mandates and quotas forcing people to buy the product. George Soros co-sponsored CIA-adjacent National Endowment for Democracy operations in Brazil. On day one of the new government, a mandate was imposed to use those climate products.
Same pattern in Africa: CIA regime change forces clean energy companies, where donors sponsor politicians who pick CIA staff to enact policies profiting hedge funds invested in climate finance.
So [__] up.
In California, investors profit from this without regime change: government imposes mandates, quotas, and bans on alternatives, similar to the vaccine market.
UK set up 15-minute cities, charging people for leaving: 100 free days (free passes) inside the city; exceed that, pay $93 per day (US dollar equivalent). If living outside and entering, 25 free passes; exceed, $93 per day. Tracked via digital AI surveillance cameras, automatically fining people—no gates or police. Oppose flock cameras in the US (not just speed traps), Palantir whole-of-government database. Raise awareness instead of arguing left vs. right or dividing online. They keep us divided for divide-and-conquer; conquer phase next with $100/day to leave 15-minute city.
The conspiracy, right?
Only rich people can afford it, like meat restrictions. Irony of Australia as former prison colony; now UK like homeland with no jury trials for many cases, 12,000 speech arrests per year, arrests for holding own country's flag or silently praying. Need to liberate British people. British statecraft pernicious (perfidious Albion) to Americans: Russiagate from British spy Christopher Steele and Iran-Contra veteran Stefan Halper at Cambridge. British government conspired with Biden administration on US-UK censorship industrial complex.
America First Legal (Steven Miller and Gene Hamilton's nonprofit) obtained documents showing planning meeting between British government and Biden administration, attended by CIA, National Security Council, USAID, hosted at White House with UK digital commission. They presented slide deck on how UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) would throttle misinformation in US: mutual back-scratching between US Democrats and UK Labor Party.
Biden government paid British censors: Global Disinformation Index targeted Daily Wire, Federalist, million conservative news sites and social media accounts, killing ad revenue; went after US platforms. CCDH funded by US government to censor American voices, laundered through UK "black ops." Need to restructure the special relationship; can't farm out censorship. Fix by cutting external poison injection.
Joe Rogan praises Mike Benz's X account as amazing and tireless, thanks him for coming on.
Mike Benz: Thanks for having me. World opening up, veil of secrecy lifting after 60 years on some things, 10 on others. Don't get too blackpilled; unprecedented revelations happening now—enjoy the ride.
Keep PowerfulJRE in your library
Save the videos and channels worth coming back to, and find them again in one place.
