'Ogling women': Pete Buttigieg doesn't hold back as he wades into Trump-Epstein saga

Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg laid into President Donald Trump in an interview published Tuesday over his close ties with Jeffrey Epstein — ties which he argued went well beyond a casual relationship.

“We all know for a fact that there were powerful people involved with Epstein, and (Trump) was one of them,” Buttigieg said, speaking on The People’s Cabinet, a new podcast launched by former White House aide Daniel Koh. “This is not a controversial or complicated fact; it's not just footage of them having their picture taken together at some place, it's footage of them ogling women together, dancing.”

Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, and was alleged to have maintained a ‘client list’ of powerful figures for blackmail purposes. Unsealing files related to Epstein, including the alleged client list, was among Trump’s pledges on his 2024 campaign trail, a pledge that backfired when the Trump administration attempted to shut down any and all further releases related to Epstein last month.

The blowback has been particularly significant among Trump’s own supporters, and has only increased after Trump insulted those calling for more transparency around Epstein “stupid,” and House Republican leadership stonewalled legislative efforts to release files on Epstein.

“You add all that together, and (Trump’s) response to the response just revealed how gullible he wants to think his own base is,” Buttigieg said. “I think a lot of people look at that and say 'wait a minute, this is not just you insulting the libs,' it's his supporters saying 'you're insulting me,' and that's a whole different thing.”

In an apparent effort to quell outrage among his base, Trump has moved to unseal grand jury testimony related to Epstein, and to have his Justice Department meet with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex-trafficking.

These efforts, however, have largely failed to squash dissent among Republican voters, particularly after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) adjourned the House early in an apparent effort to avoid a vote on a measure that would compel the DOJ to release more files on Epstein.

“I think it's extraordinary that the Republicans have decided they would rather shut down the entire United States House of Representatives for two months rather than face a vote on this,” Buttigieg said.

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