Ask the Editor-in-Chief: 11/20/25
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Ask the Editor-in-Chief: 11/20/25
MeidasTouch co-founder Ben Meiselas and Editor-in-Chief Ron Filipkowski discuss the key stories the network is focused on and answer your questions in this exclusive series for paid subscribers only
In the latest Ask the Editor-in-Chief, exclusively for paid subscribers, MeidasTouch host Brett Meiselas sat down with editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski to tackle the biggest questions from members. To submit your questions for consideration in next week’s episode, be sure to ask in the comments below.
In this episode, MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas and Editor-in-Chief Ron Filipkowski delivered one of their most consequential conversations to date.
It was a sober, unflinching examination of the corruption, cover-ups and international entanglements defining the Trump presidency. The segment pulled back the curtain on what Filipkowski described as a political movement “operating like a cult,” and a presidency entering what he said could be a terminal phase.
The episode began with the looming release of the Epstein investigation files, passed by both chambers of Congress despite intense efforts by Trump allies to stall or bury them.
Filipkowski, a former state and federal prosecutor, reminded us how the Trump administration ordered an extraordinary rush review of the documents, more than 100,000 pages, deploying as many as 1,000 FBI agents, looking to find, and likely redact, references to Donald Trump. That scramble, he argued, could ultimately backfire. “That’s now a thousand people who know what’s in a lot of these files,” he said, noting that even former lead investigators, including James Comey’s daughter, recently fired by Trump, could contradict any attempt to hide material.
This episode was recorded yesterday, prior to Trump signing the bill to release the Epstein files. At that point, the White House has not even acknowledged receiving the bipartisan resolution requiring the release. Filipkowski said he does not expect “any public signings,” and he was right. Trump ended up signing the law in private in the dark of night. Filipkowski predicted “some of the most flagrant cover-up stuff before our eyes,” adding, “This is going to hang over him every single day from here on out.”
The conversation turned to a striking split among the four House Republicans who joined the discharge petition after meeting with Epstein survivors. Filipkowski noted that Rep. Nancy Mace and Rep. Lauren Boebert kept their names on the resolution but refused to appear alongside Democrats at the survivors’ press conference, a calculation driven by political self-preservation in a party still beholden to Trump. By contrast, Reps. Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who have increasingly fallen out of favor with Trump, acted from a different set of motivations. Filipkowski observed that both “know… that Trump is implicated in a lot of this stuff,” even if they will not say so publicly.
The episode’s second half focused on a scandal with profound national-security implications: Trump’s decision to provide Saudi Arabia with advanced F-35 fighter-jet technology despite warnings from Pentagon officials. Filipkowski laid out those concerns plainly, the Saudis’ deep ties to China, the possibility that U.S. technology could be transferred to adversaries, and the risk of an F-35 going down over a Russian-aligned nation. Yet the decision moved forward amid Trump’s sprawling business dealings with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, deals that have placed “tens of millions of dollars” into his family’s pockets.
Meiselas argued that Americans do not need recordings of Trump’s calls with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to understand the corruption. “What is more incriminating that could be on a phone call,” he asked, “than what we see in front of our eyes?”
The hosts also addressed a new ProPublica investigation revealing that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security spent more than $200 million on promotional videos starring Noem. Filipkowski called it “literally like taking out $220 million of political advertising for 2028 and having the taxpayers pay for it.”
The episode concluded with a strategic look ahead to the 2026 midterms and beyond. Filipkowski rejected the argument that focusing on Trump is misplaced when he is not on the ballot. In a GOP that “operates like a cult,” he said, “it’s literally like… a thousand Trumps running,” because every Republican lawmaker is bound to Trump’s positions, vulnerabilities and unpopularity.
Meiselas closed with a call for Democrats to reclaim moral and political clarity: “Defend your values. Defend your principles. Stand up for what’s right versus wrong… Let’s bring people up and not push people down.”
For members of this Substack, this week’s conversation was a stark reminder of the stakes, and of the power of independent journalism to shine light where institutional media too often looks away.
COMMENTS:
The Washington Post got it wrong in its article about the Coast Guard softening it stance regarding the meaning of the Swastika… Nazism and it’s prime symbol represent ONLY a hateful social system. The Nazi regime was so much more than a killing machine against Jews. It was a white supremecist hateful, cruel and deadly societal mindset. Now, in this era, we must keep the entirety of this Nazi hateful regime made clear. Many (young) people don’t know just how hateful the Swastika is:
Jewish people were the single biggest group who were persecuted by the Nazis. Other groups of all types of people were targeted for different reasons:
Non-Jewish Slavic peoples, Romaand Sinti, Black people and mixed race people were targeted because they did not fit within the Nazis’ racist idea of a master ‘Aryan race’, and were seen as so-called ‘racial enemies’.
Communists, trade unionists, Soviet prisoners of war and Jehovah’s Witnesses suffered persecution because they were political opponents of the Nazi regime.
People with disabilities were persecuted because the Nazis believed that they were genetically ‘inferior’, and posed a threat to Germany’s ‘racial health’.
Gay men were targeted for persecution because the Nazis believed that they were ‘failing to contribute’ to the creation of a so-called ‘Aryan race’ by supposedly not having children.
While these groups were all targeted for different reasons, their persecution was rooted in the Nazis’ racist, unscientific and prejudiced beliefs.
what Trump did today is a FEDERAL CRIME. PUnishable by up to 10 years in JAIL.
Someone should notify the FBI and have that person who made the death threats LOCKED UP and examined to see if sane. IMMEDIATELY. READ the law below and Trump is GUILTY as sin.
FEDERAL CRIME. No question under the law. Made by EMAIL. His words have set in motion 1500 potential KILLERS. (all who are guaranteed of a PARDON). Trump can pardon a Federal Crime. connect the DOTS. He has just violated a serious law and committed a FEDERAL FELONY.
Yes, making a death threat against a congressman is a serious federal felony. Such threats are investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Secret Service and can result in substantial fines and imprisonment.
Legal Basis
Threats against federal officials, including members of Congress, are criminalized under several federal statutes within Title 18 of the U.S. Code. Key statutes include:
18 U.S.C. § 115: This law specifically prohibits threats to assault, kidnap, or murder federal officials or their family members with the intent to "impede, intimidate, or interfere with" them while performing their official duties, or in retaliation for the performance of those duties.
18 U.S.C. § 875/876: These statutes address threatening communications sent via interstate commerce (such as by mail, email, or social media).
18 U.S.C. § 351: This statute makes it a federal offense to kill, kidnap, or assault a Member of Congress, or attempt or conspire to do so.
Penalties
A conviction for making a death threat against a federal official can lead to severe penalties. For a threat in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 115, a defendant could face up to 10 years in prison. Other statutes may carry different maximum penalties, depending on the specific circumstances and how the threat was communicated. The actual sentence can be influenced by factors such as the defendant's intent, the credibility of the threat, and whether the threat disrupted a government function.
"True Threat" Standard
The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, but this protection does not extend to "true threats". Courts have determined that a statement constitutes a true threat if a reasonable recipient would consider it a serious expression of intent to commit an act of unlawful violence, even if the person making the threat had no actual intention of carrying it out.
If you are aware of or a victim of such a threat, you should report it immediately to the appropriate authorities, such as the FBI or the United States Capitol Police.
Epstein in 2015-2016 invested $40 million in 2 of Thiel's ventures (not Planitir) but the estate still holds it, and.it's the most.valuable asset worth about $100 million now..it.was.the NYT in July I.think..I don't know the business of the estate and.why it.would not have been liquidated like the rest to pay off the lawsuits.
Musk and Melania… Theil is gay
Yes, he is a trapped rat. Where is he going to escape.to? His Vladdy Daddy? Terrified..I heard Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has an unoccupied mansion in the UAE or Dubai. I would be afraid to go to Saudi Arabia if I was him. You think MBS will be so cordial when you're on his home turf and advantage? Remember when MBS got his whole family together (must be hundreds of them..really huge amounts of intermarriage I read today) and lured them all to a 6 star hotel and kept them for days, tortured them, then shook them all down for their money. Billions. Imagine him torturing and tying up Donnie for more planes and Nvidia chips and AI? He's vulnerable. Plus MBS is handy with chainsaws and blenders. I hope 🍊 is freaking out now, ripping.the cotton balls off his head and eyebrows, ranting and raving and screaming. Having a total meltdown and taking it all out on...Stephen Miller 🙏😂 and hopefully Stephen Cheung, that slob too. Wears a 12" tie because he thinks it's slenderizing. We just never know what tomorrow will bring..
Andrew has a villa in the Gulf State of Abu Dhabi. The Gulf States would be an ideal place for anyone seeking to avoid extradition to live.
I'm pretty psyched about the meeting between Mamdani and Trump at the WH. I believe there could be fireworks because Trump is hated in NYC, and if Trump tries to pull a Zelensky hit on him, he will run circles all around the demented old man. It was a good idea for the mayor elect to schedule it, imho.
Ron how do you keep your sanity- SMH - never seen anything like your current politics in the US. I love your people and spoke to an Iranian tech yesterday here in NZ who loved your country and people and wanted to go there for a holiday but was refused at the border by the “second person” — which is odd as I’m white and only needed one official and he’s a NZ citizen too. Craziness. Not okay.
Why isn't Jared in the news more? Why aren't there any investigations on his "doings"? At the very least , mentioning them would let him know "we see you". He SOLD unclassified secrets to saudi arabia. WTF. He is not above the law. Or, is he???
Why isn't anyone acknowledging that Khashoggi was FUCKING TORCHURED before being murdered. He wasn't just strangled and dismembered. He was FUCKING TOURCHED. Nobody mentions that, like this death wasn't horrific. Speak to truth. That's why we PAY for your reporting.
On another note, while I'm on my soapbox, those god damn fucking projects trump has in Riyadh and Jeddah that showcase his riff raff moniker will eventually lose money. saudi aribia doesn't care. They can afford it. Mark my words. When all is said and done, trump will have to move to russia or saudi aribia to escape prosecution from the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA'S CONSITUTIONAL LAWS.
its not just trump we should worry about. its Stephen Miller!! Im sure Miller wrote that about attacking the congress men and women that spoke
the truth about oath to the constitution
Miller and Vought are actually pulling Trump’s strings and getting Trump to do what they want. Also, Miller’s bloviating about the law is bogus. He doesn’t have a legal degree and bar admission. The law is not whatever Stephen Miller says it is.
WHAT TRUMP DID TODAY would qualify for IMPEACHMENT under the impeachment clause.
Therefore when Democrats get control of the HOUSE this is the first thing that should be done.
It is an absolute crime under the rules: See below:
Yes, threatening to kill a congressman by a government office would be considered a "high crime or misdemeanor" for impeachment. This is because the grounds for impeachment include "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors," which has been interpreted to include abuse of power, conduct incompatible with the office, and other offenses that undermine the integrity of government. Threatening to kill a member of Congress, whether by an official or private citizen, is also a serious federal crime under statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 351 and is subject to criminal penalties.
Grounds for impeachment
"High crimes and misdemeanors": The Constitution does not define this phrase, but it has been interpreted to include serious misconduct that affects the office holder's ability to perform their duties and harms the public interest.
Abuse of power: Threatening a congressman while in an official capacity would constitute a severe abuse of power and could be considered a political offense against the government itself, making it a valid ground for impeachment.
Undermining government integrity: Threats to a member of Congress can be seen as an attack on the integrity of the government and its democratic processes.
Criminal charges
Federal crime: Threatening a member of Congress is a federal offense that can lead to a criminal indictment and prosecution.
Severe penalties: Depending on the specific circumstances, the individual could face criminal penalties such as imprisonment.
Distinction between criminal and impeachment proceedings
Impeachment is a political process: Impeachment is a political tool to remove a government official from office for serious misconduct, while criminal prosecution is a legal process to punish the individual for a crime.
Overlapping but separate: An individual can be impeached, removed from office, and still face criminal charges in a court of law for the same act.
Ron and Ben, please alert your subscribers SOON to the latest dirty trick to prohibit states from regulating AI, the same thing they were forced to remove from the Big Billionaire Bill due to overwhelming bipartisan opposition.
This link goes to a Gary Marcus Substack article (very short, no paywall), which includes a link to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's explanation: https://open.substack.com/pub/garymarcus/p/mayday-the-white-house-is-attempting?r=2nt1ay&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
"... The actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt spoke eloquently about the same yesterday ..., referring a proposed last minute effort to stick a moratorium on statewide regulation into the National Defense Authorization Act ... "
Cheeto Is Losing The Polls…The Point Of 30% No Return
The most recent Marquestte poll shows Cheeto's approach to inflation is at 28% On managing the economy and tariffs he lands at 36% and 37% respectively
This 28% number is a major tell from the electorate Pollsters claim that when a leader loses support below 30% it becomes a point of nonrecovery That is to say when less than 30% opines that the leader is performing poorly all support for the leadership is lost and that opinion cannot be reversed When a leader's approval rating or public trust falls below 30% in polls, it indicates a significant crisis of confidence among the public
This may be very well be the reason Cheeto is so angry He sees that the false reality he is trying to spin to the American electorate is not believable and that the lies are not working as they once had Nobody believes that inflation is coming down(purchasing power of the dollar is currently 6 pennies), concentration camps are good, that disappearing people off the streets and disrupting communities is great policy, that taxing struggling American companies and consumers is good for the country, and that it’s morally right to protect pedophiles
So why should Cheeto be angry? He is the Herbert Hoover of the 21st century but worse He has created this mess, owns it, and it will never recover for this evil, corrupt, depraved, arrogant, deranged transactional sick sick mind
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