Did the government lie about the 2017 Las Vegas massacre? FBI whistleblower Steve Friend tells Glenn his theory which, if true, is infuriating: “I think that Stephen Paddock was probably working with some government agency, was selling weapons to a t*rrorist organization, laundering it through the casino...and then, he happened to sell to the wrong people who perpetuated the attack at that moment.” Steve Friend also weighs in on the Epstein files and the other major cases that he wants the Trump administration to reveal in full: Hillary Clinton’s email scandal, James Comey’s honeypot scheme against Trump’s 2016 campaign, and the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: Steve Friend. FBI whistle-blower. And a guy who honestly should be reinstated at the FBI, and be running a few things I think. Along with all the other whistle-blowers, that were ushered out by the last administration.
Steve, welcome to the program!
STEVE: Great to be here, thanks, man.
GLENN: Thanks. Do you have any comments on what's happening with -- or what we should expect from the client list from Epstein today?
STEVE: Well, I mean, I've just -- there's no expectation of privacy. Because Jeffrey Epstein is no longer alive. So I've always kind of scratched my head at the fact that it was kept back. And if there's any sort of continuation, wealth, that could compromise and jeopardize ongoing investigations. I think we're at a level, in this country, that we need to have the transparency, and it should have been good out there. You know, I -- I was looking -- listening to your numbers, Glenn. One, four, five, six. I will put it at a 6.66. I think that's probably --
(laughter)
GLENN: So to a expect that there's information in there that we don't know? That's meaningful?
STEVE: I do. I think it will be meaningful. It's -- it went through the lengths that they did. And if memory serves. I mean, I've always been. This is an unpopular opinion.
Jeffrey Epstein was charged in violation of double jeopardy.
And so, I mean, I'm not crying for the guy. Because he was fundamentally an evil person. Who is probably burning eternally in hell right now.
GLENN: Right.
STEVE: But the fact that this has been used to charge jizz lane Maxwell for trafficking. But we don't know to who.
The way it was handled. It never passed the smell test. This is one of those big filler type of moments. Where they can throw over a new leaf. And push forward that transparency is a new rule a day.
Keeping in line with what we see with DOGE.
GLENN: Right. And it doesn't mean anything if it's released and there's no action. I think that's why Kash passed it to Bondi. Because if there are, you know, pretty significant names in there, I would imagine the prosecution has to follow pretty quickly. Or it will just look like a nothing burger. Because nobody expects anything.
Any bad guy to ever go to jail in the government.
STEVE: It does. And he's keeping in with what James Comey did. That is when James Comey stood up and said, no reasonable prosecution was ever changed against Hillary Clinton. But that was never his call to make. That goes to the Department of Justice.
So I think Kash over to the attorney general, Bondi over here. Let her make that assessment. It's probably the right way to go.
GLENN: So they were apparently, another whistle blower was saying, that the FBI, you know, as Kash was getting ready to come in. And coming in. I mean, they were -- they were shredding documents like they were, you know, going to do a ticker tape parade for the astronauts over in New York City.
And I'm wondering how much may have been lost. And can we get the FBI back on track? Are there -- are there enough good guys in there? And are there enough good guys that know where to look, and know who the bad guys are?
STEVE: The level of subterfuge that went on during the time transition, even during the Trump administration. Before Kash Patel was elevated to become the director, was enormous.
I mean, it wasn't just limited to document shredding, as Garrett O'Boyle brought forth.
I mean, when it comes to the ICE deportation raids, the FBI at first was letting people opt out. They still are.
They are saying the moral objection to going after -- you don't to have participate in it.
They're openly --
GLENN: Who the hell has a moral -- who has a moral case against arresting those guys?
STEVE: I think you just have to look no further than the hiring practices over the last ten to 12 years, when they really elevated and prioritize diversity. I mean, that's the core values of the FBI. Obedience to the Constitution used to be it. They put that last behind diversity. And they just fundamentally changed the personnel who was in there. So the subterfuge is enormous. But I think it is going to be contingent on how guys like Garrett O'Boyle and Kyle Seraphin, myself and others who are handled now.
Because if we set the precedent that if you come forward for the right reasons, the right time, and the right way.
GLENN: They're rewarded.
STEVE: Not even just rewarded. Just you aren't having your life completely crushed. I mean, Garrett and I are both one week apart on our suspensions indefinitely. We hit 29 months this week. So, I mean, there needs to be some movement on that.
And if it does happen, then people will know that the bureau now is going to have the back of people who come forward for the right reasons.
And I think there will be more people coming forward because they know where the bodies are buried. They will not have to launder it to us. Just a few of us out here, in the Twitter space, or the content creation space, so hopefully, we can bring it out.
GLENN: Have you been contacted by carb or anybody at the FBI?
I mean, because I think -- one thing I like about Kash is, he knows, first hand what the FBI is capable of.
Because they did it to him.
And the same thing with you guys. Has anybody reached out about the possibility of guys not only coming back, but leading some of this House cleaning?
STEVE: We haven't had any of those conversations, no, not at this point. And I don't think any of us are aspiring to do that. Fundamentally, we're in sort of an Isaiah 6:8 moment. Where, whom shall I send? Send me.
It's recognition of I'm on the hill. And if called to serve, I will. We certainly have a lot of information. We have a lot of thoughts. And if they want that, that would be great. Fantastic.
But I live in Florida. And I wear shorts every day. I don't know how I feel about going out --
GLENN: Right. Right. By the way, I so agree that I heard the other day, that it's an insult to swamps. To call it -- it's more of a sewer. A swamp is -- is not bad enough.
The -- the -- what do you think we need to see, from Kash Patel, that would say to us, this is -- we're serious.
We're correcting that?
We're -- we're cleaning this thing out.
What -- go ahead.
JEFF: I think a very public firings of some of the worst actors, who we do know names of.
We brought forward. Would be great.
I think a very public announcement that the FBI is going away and completely ending its intelligence collection apparatus on the American people. Doing away with the quota system that they have for the last 11 years.
Called Integrated Program Management that's driving it forward. Reinstating how they're going to bring in people of merit, and no longer going to prioritize diversity. And use the FBI Academy as some sort of washout program. Just make it a competent law enforcement shading program that makes meritorious people capable. Those are the sorts of changes that you can have. And I think as long as we're on the top of it. Like an Epstein list.
If I can have my choice of any of those stories that you have. And there's a lot of them. I want to see the Butler, Pennsylvania case, completely opened up. Again, that individual has no expectation of privacy. He's no longer alive.
The fact that the FBI purposefully said it was potentially domestic terrorism. And they to justify that said, it was because of the Congressional baseball shooting, because they have erred in that decision to call that not an assassination attempt.
They said that the Bernie Sanders support will arrive on the baseball field and ask for the Republicans. And then try to murder them all.
It wasn't an assassin. It was suicide by cop. They labeled Butler domestic terrorism. And that was a classic. And they can't comment on that. I'm sorry, Senator and Congressman.
It's an ongoing investigation. Well, the victim is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He's entitled to that, as are the people who are on there.
GLENN: Let's just come up with a quick list here, if you don't mind, Steve.
Okay. Butler. What else -- what else should be opened up?
Butler, I think the --
STEVE: The J6 pipe bomber. The weapons of mass destruction. The sole act of possible terrorism on January 6th, 2021. Who never struck again for the last four years mysteriously. And the FBI claimed the increasingly data was corrupted.
Then the cell phone data said, no. It wasn't. They're still lying about that. I think we can go to Vegas. The Vegas shooting, one of the worst mass shootings in the country, which they memory holed pretty quickly after that after they got the bump stock.
GLENN: What do you think that was? What are your thoughts on that, Steve?
STEVE: If I had to put off theorizing past speculation. I think there was a de-confliction agencies there where multiple agencies were involved. I think Steven Paddock, who interestingly his father was on the FBI top ten most wanted list. That paddock was probably working with some government agency. Was selling weapons to a terrorist organization. Laundering it through the casino, to justify having it.
And then he happened to sell to the wrong people. That said, there would be an attack at that moment. And they said, oh. We may have just supported terrorism ourselves.
GLENN: Good heavens!
I hadn't even thought -- oh, I don't want to live in your brain. That is -- that is a frightening thought!
STEVE: This is what happens when you're at home for 29 months, Glenn.
(laughter)
GLENN: The Clinton -- the Clinton case, with her email servers. I -- I would like to see that. What else?
STEVE: Also, I think it's worth getting into the fact. We have the exposé. It just didn't get the public awareness, was the honey pot scheme that James Comey ran on Donald Trump's campaign in 2015.
GLENN: Yeah. Explain that. That just came out a couple of days ago.
STEVE: Well, it actually came back October of last year. That James Comey ran off the books. So nothing was officially opened up. He had two female agents infiltrate Donald Trump's campaign to put themselves out as sexually available, to try to elicit information that they could then open up criminal investigations on members of the Trump campaign.
And when it came to light, because media actually took a photograph of one of the agents. They pulled the plug, promoted one to a high level senior executive position. And moved the other one over to CIA. So that they wouldn't have to be called to testify.
And this is James Comey, acting -- calling the shots on this, as the director of the FBI, trying to impact the Presidential Election.
GLENN: You know, one of the things I thought of, if we go back to the Epstein case.
If you look at the Epstein file, we all know that one way or another. Prince Andrew's name will be on there.
And I believe, today, the Prime Minister of England, is visiting the White House.
How unbelievably awkward would it be, if our Department of Justice has released information, showing that Prince Andrew was involved in something this horrendous.
I mean, we all know he was.
But, I mean, for the government to make it very clear. That yep!
Here's how many times. Here's where he was. Here was in the room. Here was on the plane with him.
On the day the Prime Minister of England comes, wow. That will be an awkward meeting.
STEVE: It will be fun. But I think if anybody can handle that in front of media, it will be Donald Trump.
GLENN: Donald Trump.
STEVE: And conduct of Prince Andrew, I'm sorry. That's on you.
GLENN: No. I know that.
STEVE: I'm just revealing that.
GLENN: I'm just saying, I -- I don't like conflict so much. I would be the guy who is like. I will leave you guys here for a minute.
I'm going to go -- which guys like a Diet Coke, while you guys just chitchat here for a moment.
It will be awkward.
Really awkward.
STEVE: It's extinguishing the Tiki torch.
GLENN: I know. I know. Steve, thank you so much. Thanks for all your service in the past, and thanks for keeping us up to speed.
FBI whistle-blower Steve Friend.