The Daily Wrap Up

18 Feb. 2026

[Transcript Edited for clarity, Length and Flow]

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Hello everybody and welcome to this evening’s episode of Mary Trump Live. It is great to be here with you. Let’s get right to it.

Reuters is reporting that millions of files connected to the late rapist and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein point to what a panel of independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council described as a global criminal enterprise with conduct that may meet the legal threshold for crimes against humanity. The experts said the offenses detailed in documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice took place within a broader climate of supremacist ideology, racism, corruption, and extreme misogyny. They also expressed concern over what they characterized as serious compliance failures and flawed redactions that expose sensitive information about victims while redacting information about perpetrators.

So far, more than 1,200 victims have been identified in the released materials. The panel said that a lack of full transparency and a failure to expand investigations have left many survivors feeling re-traumatized and subjected to what they describe as institutional gaslighting. According to Reuters, the Justice Department’s document release has also highlighted Epstein’s connections to numerous prominent figures in politics, finance, academia, and business, both before and after his 2008 guilty plea in Florida to charges including soliciting an underage girl.

This is the United States Department of Justice engaged in a cover-up of potentially earth-shattering proportions. This is the Trump regime ordering its Department of Justice to engage in that cover-up. As mentioned, the experts reviewing the files released so far—only half of the at least six million documents the DOJ reportedly has in its possession—described what they see as a broader climate of supremacist ideology, racism, corruption, and extreme misogyny. That description entirely sums up the so-called ideology of the Trump regime.

In related news, the Associated Press reports that Epstein’s former associate, billionaire Leslie Wexner, will be the subject of a closed-door congressional deposition in Ohio, where he is expected to answer questions about new details in the latest Justice Department document release tied to Epstein. Wexner, 88, is the founder of L Brands, the parent company behind retailers including The Limited, Lane Bryant, Victoria’s Secret, and Abercrombie & Fitch. His name appears more than a thousand times in the Epstein files.

Epstein was introduced to Wexner around 1986. Within a few years, Wexner entrusted Epstein with managing his extensive fortune. In 1991, Wexner granted Epstein power of attorney, giving him authority to handle investments, negotiate business deals, purchase property, and assist in developing what would become Wexner’s estate in New Albany, Ohio.

In court filings, Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre alleged that Wexner was among the men to whom Epstein trafficked her. Wexner has repeatedly denied any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein’s crimes and has said he never met her. In 2019, Wexner told L Brands investors he was embarrassed to have become close to someone he described as “so sick, so cunning, so depraved.”

According to the Associated Press, Epstein wrote notes to himself about Wexner, including, “Never ever did anything without informing Les and I would never give him up.” Another apparent draft letter referenced that they had “gang stuff for over 15 years” and were “mutually indebted to each other,” as Wexner helped make Epstein rich and Epstein helped make Wexner richer.

It is unfathomable that someone so closely associated with Epstein would have known nothing. There is no reason anybody with Wexner’s money and power would entrust those resources to someone with no relevant experience unless there was far more going on than we have been told. Epstein’s wealth, much of it derived from Wexner’s fortune, enabled the crimes committed by Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and others.

Meanwhile, in New Mexico, lawmakers have passed legislation to launch what they describe as the first full-scale investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch, Epstein’s property located about 30 miles south of Santa Fe. The bipartisan panel will seek testimony from survivors of alleged sexual abuse connected to the ranch. Recently released files show ties between Epstein and two former Democratic governors, as well as a former New Mexico attorney general.

As one lawmaker put it:

New Mexico is acting where the federal government is failing to do so.

A resolution has been fast-tracked to create a truth commission to investigate allegations of sexual assault, trafficking, and criminal activity at Zorro Ranch.

One report from KRQE in Albuquerque included the following:

This truth commission will finally fill in the gaps of what we need to know as a public by investigating the failures that led to the horrific allegations of abuse and crime at Zorro Ranch so we can learn from them and prevent these atrocities from taking place ever again in our state.

More disturbing allegations have surfaced, including claims of potential burials on or near the property. A report from KOAT Action 7 News detailed that a tip received in 2019 alleged that two foreign girls were buried near the ranch. The tipster claimed they had died by strangulation during “rough fetish sex.” The email was forwarded to the FBI. Years later, the email was included in the DOJ’s document release.

A New Mexico public official stated:

We need to get to the bottom of really what happened in New Mexico.

For context, this action in New Mexico is occurring in the void left by the Department of Justice. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has indicated that perpetrators identified in the Epstein files will not be pursued. There appears to be no interest at the federal level in protecting victims or ensuring accountability. That leaves states such as New Mexico to step in.

If the premier law enforcement agency in this country has washed its hands of this matter, then it is no longer acting as such. States including New York and Florida, where Epstein operated extensively, should be taking similar action.

Finally, Reuters reports that Donald’s proposed “Board of Peace” regarding Gaza will not include Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope, who has at times been critical of Donald’s policies. Although the Vatican was invited, it has declined involvement.

The so-called Board of Peace was created under Donald’s Gaza plan and is intended to oversee temporary governance in the territory amid a fragile ceasefire that has been in place since October. Donald has appointed himself chair. The board is scheduled to meet in Washington to discuss Gaza’s reconstruction.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, explained the decision:

The Holy See will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature… At the international level, it should above all be the United Nations that manages these crisis situations.

That concern is well founded. Critics have noted that the structure resembles a colonial framework. Members reportedly include governments such as Belarus and Hungary, countries often described as illiberal or autocratic.

There is little evidence this board is about peace. It appears far more likely to be about power, optics, and influence. And once again, institutions that should be leading with accountability and integrity are stepping back, leaving others to pick up the pieces.

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