Epstein Files Drop and Congress Clash, Green Bank Collapse Leads to NBA Questions: AM Update 9/4

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Good morning, everyone.

I'm I'm Megan Kelly.

It's Thursday, September 4th, 2025, and this is your AM update.

They're allowing the DOJ to curate all of the information that the DOJ is giving them.

It does not adequately protect the innocent victim.

The Jeffrey Epstein saga rolls onward with factions in Congress fighting over how to get to the bottom of the case.

Did you ever see proof of Kawhi Leonard marketing or endorsing aspiration in any way?

Never, not once.

Has the collapse of a green energy company beloved by celebrities exposed a major scandal in the NBA?

And President Trump's legal team signaling the fight against Eugene Carroll is not over.

All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.

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The newly released Epstein files not quelling any of the drama on Capitol Hill around the disgraced financier as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle hold a press conference featuring alleged survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse.

The latest dump of 33,000-plus documents from the House Oversight Committee, largely containing already public information, billed by the committee as just the start of its larger push for transparency.

Some new material adding detail around Epstein's lifestyle.

The files including an audio recording of one former Epstein employee telling law enforcement, quote, there were a lot of girls that were very, very young at the home.

That employee saying he could not tell for sure whether they were underage, but more than a dozen girls might visit the home during Epstein's visits, where he received massages twice daily.

One video file drawing scrutiny not because of what it contains, but for the question it raises about earlier comments made by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The document dumped containing the missing minute before midnight.

from footage inside the prison where Epstein died.

The footage itself is unremarkable, not appearing to show anything obviously damning, but its existence undercuts claims made by the Attorney General about why the gap in the Epstein jail tape existed at all.

Back in July, the DOJ releasing 11 hours of surveillance footage, officials claiming it would end all doubts about what happened that fateful night.

Instead, it raised new ones.

Many quickly noting a full minute of the video from 11.58.59 on August 9th, 2019 to midnight was missing.

Digital forensics experts analyzing the clip found the supposedly unedited file containing two videos edited into one fueling even more accusations of a cover-up.

Attorney General Pam Bondi at the time waiving away those concerns.

The minute missing from the video, we released the video showing definitively the video was not conclusive, but the

evidence prior to it was showing he committed suicide.

And what was on that, there was a minute that was off the counter.

And what we learned from Bureau of Prisons was every year, every night, they redo that video.

It's old from like 1999.

So every night, the video is reset.

And every night should have the same minute missing.

So we're looking for that video to release that as well, showing that a minute is missing every night.

As the minute of tape was not missing in the DOJ's release because it did not exist due to the video being reset, it actually did exist.

We can see it now, and we have no idea why it was not included to begin with.

President Trump expressing multiple times the desire to move on entirely from the Epstein saga, calling it a Democrat hoax, regardless two factions of Congress forging ahead on the hunt for more disclosures.

In a symbolic move on Wednesday, the House voting to formally approve the Oversight Committee's investigation.

That vote, likely an effort to stop the momentum generated by Republican Congressman from Kentucky Thomas Massey and Democrat from California, Roe Conna, to force a vote compelling the DOJ to release virtually all Epstein-related files.

Their petition requires 218 signatures to bring the bill for a vote.

All 212 Democrats are expected to endorse and three GOP lawmakers, in addition to Massey, have already signed on, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, and Nancy Mace of South Carolina, leaving just two more signatures needed.

Massey and Khanna holding a press conference on the steps of Congress yesterday morning, featuring some alleged survivors of Epstein's abuse, sharing their stories and calling on lawmakers to sign the Massey-Khana petition.

He was too powerful.

I was just one of the many young women trapped in his orbit.

I was even taken on a trip to Africa with former President Bill Clinton and other notable figures.

In those moments, I realized how powerless I was.

In the year 2000, I was taken to Jeffrey Epstein's Island.

Who I saw and what I experienced there was a glimpse into a very dark and disturbing world.

I want to help create a world where survivors of sexual abuse and abuse of power can come forward safely.

And I ask Congress to join me in that effort.

Many of these women's claims have not been adjudicated in a court of law.

though one alleged victim saying the survivors are considering releasing their own list of powerful people they say were involved in their abuse.

For the many Democrats and members of the media hoping to learn unflattering information about President Trump, a panel of alleged victims told NBC on Tuesday: don't bet on it.

I do have to ask, and I know, and it's just something that I think we're compelled to at this moment, with the attention on President Trump, with these questions around a pardon.

Did anybody see or hear of the president himself doing anything inappropriate as it related to Jeffrey Epstein?

No.

No.

Congressman Massey contending the petition is necessary because the House Oversight Investigation will not produce true transparency.

They're allowing the DOJ to curate all of the information that the DOJ is giving them.

If you've looked at the pages they've released so far, they're heavily redacted.

Some pages are entirely redacted.

And 97% of this is already in the public domain.

So I'm calling on my colleagues.

Be one of the next two who sponsors this discharge petition.

Speaker Johnson, in turn calling Massey's petition reckless.

It was inartfully drafted.

It does not adequately protect the innocent victims and that is a critical component of this.

The vast majority of ladies and women and young women who are subjected to these unspeakable crimes, I mean unspeakable crimes, have chosen not to come forward for obvious reasons.

So we've got to, we have to very carefully guard their identities.

We cannot be haphazard about this.

Coming up, another green energy bank goes belly up after its founder admits to fraud.

How the company's collapse is now a major headache for an NBA superstar.

And President Trump's legal team signals its fight against writer Eugene Carroll is not over.

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If a green energy carbon credit tree brokerage files for bankruptcy, can it take down the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers?

We may be about to find out.

On Wednesday, sports writer and podcaster Pablo Torre dropping a bombshell report alleging the Clippers circumvented the NBA's salary cap rules with star player Kawhi Leonard, paying him millions more than the league permits through a so-called sustainability company, Aspiration.

Rather than a legitimate endorsement deal, the Clippers are alleged to have used Aspiration to pay Kawhi a higher salary without impacting limits on player salaries in the league's collective bargaining agreement.

Kawhi allegedly did nothing for the money.

Founded in 2013 as a green bank, Aspiration allows elite liberals a way to launder their guilt, buying carbon credits and allegedly planting trees to offset the sinful emissions generated by their fancy private jets, lavish yachts, and multiple homes.

Rapper Drake, fawning to Rolling Stone in 2021, quote, Aspirations approach to climate change is really inspiring.

And I hope together we can help motivate and create awareness.

Leonardo DiCaprio joining the board of advisors after investing in 2019, releasing this statement, quote, each year, 100 billion worth of pipelines, drilling, and other fossil fuel extraction projects are funded with money deposited at traditional banks.

To bring about long-term solutions for our planet, we need alternatives that empower everyday consumers to take action against climate change.

Robert Downey Jr., directing and starring in this 2021 commercial.

What should we aspire to?

Give business to companies that have a plan for the planet our children will inherit.

The last thing we need is another credit card.

Realistically, we need a million magic wands, offsetting our daily carbon footprint with everyday purchases, automatically impacting our environmental future.

They found a a way to do it.

Therefore, it's a company I support.

Critics have long maintained the whole carbon credit cure is a scam.

Many of these companies have gone under.

At its peak in 2021, Aspiration, reaching a $2.3 billion valuation, collapsing just a few years later.

So how does the NBA come into it?

The LA Clippers, owned by Steve Bommer, whose net worth is above $110 billion, according to Forbes, invested $50 $50 million into Aspiration.

Weeks later, the Clippers announced Aspiration as their team sponsor in a 23-year $300 million deal.

Very chummy.

The company filed for bankruptcy protection in March after its co-founder, Joe Sandberg, was arrested on wire fraud charges.

Never good.

Last month, Sandberg pleading guilty to defrauding investors of $248 million.

Whenever a company files for bankruptcy, all of its ugly finance decisions come out.

Now, back to Pablo Torre.

What David's looking at with his glasses on is a bankruptcy filing, and there's a list of creditors, the entities to which Aspiration and all of their alleged fraudulence still owes the most money.

And what I noticed is what David is noticing right now, which is that on that list of creditors up near the top, above the Boston Red Sox, is an LLC, a tiny little company that Aspiration owes $7 million.

And that LLC's name, David, is what?

A KL2 Aspire LLC.

And what does it list there under manager or member name?

Kawhi Leonard.

Whose NBA jersey number, just to connect all of the dots here, happens to be what?

Number two.

Unlike the other stars tied to Aspiration who went out of their way to make their connection known, Tori was unable to find any tweet, post, or public comment by Kawhi Leonard about Aspiration.

Torrey did obtain a financial agreement between Kawhi and Aspiration, revealing Kawhi's LLC was to be paid a total of 28 million bucks over four years by Aspiration, from 2022 through 2025.

What was Kawhi supposed to do for that money, ostensibly?

Organic marketing, allegedly, whatever that means.

According to Torrey, Aspiration had the right to terminate the agreement if Kawhi no longer played for the Clippers.

In early 2024, Kawhi signing a three-year contract extension with the basketball team worth around $150 million.

Torre spoke to a former employee from Aspiration's finance department, appearing in silhouette with a digitally altered voice, making this explosive claim.

I was told, like, oh, these are the major contracts and the major players you really need to be aware of.

And we went through a litany of, you know, really, really top-tier name contracts.

And then, oh, by the way, we also have a marketing deal with Kawhi Leonard, like a $28 million organic marketing sponsorship deal with Kawhi.

And that if I had any questions about it, essentially don't because it was to circumvent the salary cap LOL.

There was lots of LOL when things were shared.

Did you ever see proof of Kawhi Leonard marketing or endorsing aspiration in any way?

Never, not once.

The single largest payment to an individual for marketing that aspiration ever made has completely evaded all press.

The Clippers releasing a statement in response to the Torre report: quote, neither Mr.

Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to aspiration.

Any contrary assertion is provably false.

The team and Mr.

Ballmer stand ready to assist law enforcement in any way they can.

The NBA on Wednesday telling ESPN: We are aware of this morning's media report regarding the LA Clippers and are commencing an investigation.

The penalty for illegally circumventing the salary cap can include fines, loss of draft picks, suspensions, and voided contracts.

President Trump's lawyers asking the Supreme Court to extend the deadline for him to challenge the $5 million verdict won by writer Eugene Carroll in a civil suit, finding Mr.

Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

The current deadline is September 11th, Mr.

Trump's team requesting an extension to November 10th, signaling they do intend to continue challenging the verdict.

This filing relates to lawsuits filed by Eugene Carroll against Donald Trump.

In 2019, Carroll alleging in a New York magazine excerpt from her memoir that Mr.

Trump raped her in a Bergdorf-Goodman dressing room sometime around 1995 or 1996, she can't exactly remember.

Carol did not go to the police, nor did she speak out publicly about the alleged incident until President Trump was preparing to run for office again, when Carol had a new book to promote.

President Trump publicly denied the allegations, prompting Carol to sue him for defamation in 2019.

That case was put on hold because he was the sitting president.

In November 2022, Carroll filed a second lawsuit, this time alleging both defamation and sexual assault.

This case, though brought second, made it to trial first.

The sexual assault claim would have been way past its statute of limitations, but was newly viable thanks to New York's Adult Survivors Act, a law that created a one-year lookback period for victims of alleged sexual offenses to file civil suits against offenders.

The law was passed in 2022 after Carroll's sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump went public.

In May 2023, a jury finding Mr.

Trump liable for defamation and sexual abuse, rejecting, though, the rape allegation.

Mr.

Trump was ordered to pay $5 million to Eugene Carroll.

Eventually, Carroll's first case, the one for just defamation, did make it to trial.

The jury, presuming Trump's liability for defamation there, given the earlier verdict finding his denials, did defame Eugene Carroll, only deciding instead the amount of money she would get.

They ultimately awarded Carroll $83 million.

That money currently held in a court-controlled account until both cases are done playing out in court.

In December, a three-judge panel on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejecting Trump's appeal of Carroll's defamation verdict, which called into question not only the $5 million she was awarded, but also the validity of the $83 million verdict as well.

In June, the court rejecting a full panel review.

Now it appears Mr.

Trump will seek a review in the U.S.

Supreme Court, though it is unclear how long it will take the high court to decide whether it will hear his case.

And that'll do it for your AM update.

I'm Megan Kelly.

Join me back here for the Megan Kelly Show live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at Noon East, on youtube.com/slash Megan Kelly and on all podcast platforms.

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