The Wall Street Journal's "bombshell" report claiming Donald Trump wrote Jeffrey Epstein a cryptic letter, complete with a suggestive drawing of a woman, for his 50th birthday may not be as credible as they claimed. Glenn Beck and "Butler" author Salena Zito discuss the new revelation that the person behind the WSJ report has ties to the group behind the discredited Steele Dossier.
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: All right. Salena Zito.
First of all, Salena, congratulations.
Let me just say this.
I don't know if it's the first time that's been said to you, on a national broadcast.
But I want to introduce you to Salena Zito.
A number one York Times best-selling author. Hello, Salena.
SALENA: This is the first time. You're going to make me cry.
GLENN: I was with -- the first time -- the first time I was the number one New York Times best-selling author, when it really meant something. When the New York Times wasn't just like, aah!
I was with Vince Flynn. And he said, congratulations. And I said, congratulations. And I said, thank you.
And he said, I want you to know how hard it is for me to say that.
Because I worked my whole life writing to get there.
And you, you just wrote a story and now you're number one.
I feel for you!
Because you worked your whole life to -- in writing and studying and how to write. And listening to people.
And I'm so proud of you. And happy for you, Salena.
SALENA: Well, I have to take this moment. First, thank you, Glenn, for taking your time to introduce your listeners to the book. And to the importance of the book. Not just about what happened that day, not just about me being a witness to history.
But also, why things are happening the way they are.
That's what the book Butler does. And it really is a profound look at what is happening in the country.
And I think it's -- it conclusion at the end, what the chapter called the reckoning.
And it's about my profession.
And -- and it really tells you everything that you need to understand about what is happening with my profession. And you can see it with the whole Epstein thing.
And also, the --
GLENN: Okay. Hang on. I want to get into the Epstein thing.
I've got so much to talk to you about. To get perspective on.
Big thing to start here.
Could we please play the CBS reporter, who now has had to have therapy?
Listen.
VOICE: For those of us there, it was such a horror, because you saw an emerging American.
And it wasn't the shooting, Chuck.
I've got diagnosed with PTSD, in 48 hours.
Trauma relief.
Not because of the shooting.
But you saw it in the eyes. The reaction of the people.
They were coming for us.
If he didn't jump up with his fist.
They were going to come and kill us.
GLENN: I know!
Wow. Salena, I did not -- I did not get that from anybody.
But he was there. He saw it.
SALENA: Oh. Well --
GLENN: You were there. What did you see?
SALENA: Okay.
Well, I didn't see that. You know, first of all, when you're a journalist the -- your last reaction should be, this was about me. Right?
Because you're there, and just to tell the story of what happened.
You're not there to talk about the feelings.
And so -- and it's just so insulting, for him to frame it that way.
Because he -- he was talking about, you know, people were turning around and yelling at the camera.
He thought they were yelling at him.
No. They were saying, we also are going to fight. This is about standing up for America.
And I know that, because it's in the book, Butler.
GLENN: So -- well, he didn't read it. He was too busy with therapy.
So -- so wait. So you're saying, that when they looked at the cameras, they weren't looking at -- they weren't looking at the American people, sending a message through the camera?
SALENA: Yeah. Yeah. And I know this. After the shooting, it's an hour later.
Everyone is in the parking lot. Remember, there's 50,000 people there. There's at least 15 to 20,000 cars. And people can't move. Now, if they were angry and wanting to hurt him, they would have not been peaceful. Sharing food. Sharing water.
Hugging. Singing. It was a very aspirational moment.
And one guy was talking to me. And he said, yeah. We -- we -- we looked at the camera, and said, we will fight.
And like, yeah.
I gave the camera a finger.
Went and told the whole world, that America is not backing down.
And you can't take us out.
Now, if you -- and he would have taken the moment, to think about it.
Maybe, you know, he couldn't do it in that moment.
But maybe more reflective afterwards, and understood what was happening, in the moment.
He wouldn't be talking about himself and his feelings!
GLENN: But wait. Is this?
Is this what your psychiatrist told you? After the shooting?
(laughter)
SALENA: Yeah. Yeah.
I have the psychiatrist.
GLENN: But wait a minute.
You were just a couple -- yeah. You were just a couple of feet away from the president who was bleeding.
You could see that. You had a Secret Service agent on your back.
You were in the line of fire. And what do you mean, you didn't -- you didn't go to a psychiatrist after?
(laughter)
SALENA: I don't know.
I mean, you know, we have a job to do as journalists. And, you know, even though I cover politics and shooting isn't typically part of it.
If you come up as a journalist, you know, you cover cops. You cover things that happen all over a city or a region.
You learn to completely detach and do your job.
That's what you do as a journalist. That's your job. That's your function. You are supposed to deliver the news as it happens. And your feelings are not supposed to be part of it.
GLENN: Okay.
Let me give you something different. This was just about two hours ago, posted on X by Suzanne Crabtree.
I don't know if you know her. She's the national political correspondent for RealClearPolitics. Okay.
SALENA: Yeah.
GLENN: Okay. She just announced on X, that the Wall Street Journal did that report yesterday, where they showed this letter and this drawing that Donald Trump sent to Epstein. What?
You didn't believe that? It was in the Wall Street Journal. You didn't believe that, Salena?
SALENA: Not for a second. That's not his signature. Everybody knows his signature.
And he wouldn't draw that sloppy.
He is very tailed about everything that he does.
He would not draw that picture.
GLENN: All right.
Okay.
So I think everybody, even Elon Musk is like, okay.
Come on!
All right?
Everybody knew that immediately, except for the Wall Street Journal.
And the reporter, that apparently got that inside card or letter, that he was sending to Jeffrey Epstein.
Now, here's what Suzanne Crabtree just report beside two hours ago.
The Wall Street Journal reporter that did that story yesterday, worked for the main -- worked for Main Justice.
Which is Glenn Simpson's wife's publication. For those who don't know who Glenn Simpson is, he's the founder of Fusion GPS.
If you don't know who Fusion GPS is, they're the ones that were paid by Hillary Clinton, for the Epstein file.
I mean, it's -- I -- how?
What?
SALENA: So how does an editor allow something to go past their desk like that?
You have to press and ask questions of a reporter. You have to make sure that everything they have said, especially something that could possibly be as salacious as this appeared to be, you have to make sure that all the -- that everything is unearthed. That's your responsibility, as an editor.
That this got on to a page, in a storied news organization, is just beyond the pale to me.
My editor would have throat punched me, if I would have tried to pull something off like that.
(laughter)
GLENN: I love that.
SALENA: I'm sorry.
GLENN: I was just talking to -- no, no, no. That's all right. It's so funny. I was just talking to Donald Trump's wallet yesterday. And I was like, have you gained weight? And he said, yeah. A little bit from CBS. But I'm about to put on pounds now with the Wall Street Journal.
I mean, this is -- this is ripe for lawsuits and defamation. Is it not?
SALENA: Yeah. It is.
And here's the thing, Glenn.
And I don't think people are talking about this enough.
Take a look at all the wins that the president has had.
Not just since he was sworn in.
But just in the space of the last six weeks.
It's been unprecedented in history.
GLENN: Yes.
SALENA: So how do you stop those wins, if you don't like what he's doing?
I mean, that's the question.
And I think the Wall Street Journal provides the answer.
GLENN: Well, I mean, I hate to -- I hate to ask Jason to explain, you know, how this has worked.
But, Jason, could you explain to Salena, what's happened here today and be yesterday?
JASON: Are you talking about, your prediction?
Is that what we're going to now?
GLENN: I don't -- I don't know.
Whatever it is you want. Whatever it is you have.
JASON: Salena, what happened was. I'm Glenn Beck's writer and chief researcher.
And we did this amazing show on Wednesday and show.
Where we were going to talk about a whole bunch of Epstein stuff.
He throws it out at the last minute. Which never has happened to me, ever.
He's never done that to me.
He throws it out.
You know, I have this theory, that I think that -- one of the reasons why Donald Trump is so pissed off.
And why he's naming Hillary Clinton and all these things in this post, is because maybe he has inside information. That they're about to start releasing information.
That ties him, in some way to this.
GLENN: Yeah.
That's not true.
That you -- you know, he knows that this is coming.
And we're not seeing it.
He knows it.
And he's like, you guys cannot be this stupid.
Now, I said on Wednesday, I don't know if this is true.
I -- but this is the only thing that makes sense to me.
And look at what's happening.
Which also brings me to, why they're ignoring the left.
You know, the -- the Democrats have just let the left take over, and they're revolutionaries. And there is blood on the streets.
Or at least it's coming in buckets, I believe.
If the Democrats don't start stepping up.
And I said, I don't think they are.
This is a few weeks ago.
I don't think they are. Because they're afraid of their own supporters.
I'm not sure that's true.
After what we just saw with this letter in the Wall Street Journal, and what is coming out of real clear investigations now, about the -- the conspiracy investigation, that's going on.
I think they're more afraid of jail. Than they are blood in the streets.
I think, they -- think they are desperate now, to stop this any way, they can.
Because they know, it's over!
What do you think of that?
SALENA: Well, the key word that you just said, Glenn. Is desperate.
And desperate people do desperate things.
And we see that. When this story came out yesterday. I was driving home from DC.
And thanking Jesus for getting out of there.
And I thought, this is -- this is so obvious. They're -- they're -- and to your point, if you just sort of follow everything -- everything that the president has said, everything that he has had posted.
And then all of the sort of things like Epstein. Epstein. Epstein.
And then this Wall Street Journal.
I mean, it's so -- it's so obvious.
Even a 12-year-old could put the puzzle pieces together. That they were prepping to do this.
Because they know, a bigger problem is coming their way.
They know it. They can feel it.
It's coming down and about.
GLENN: It's amazing.
Salena, thank you so much for your perspective. And congratulations on the number one New York Times best-seller. Salena Zito.
The author of Butler, a must-read. If you want to understand, not just what happened on that day, but understand where we're headed. What's happening in our country. What the press is missing.
I mean, I swear to you, I wish people had an open enough mind.
That people who disagreed with me, would just read this book. Because if you had an open mind. You might be able to understand what people like me and others, who are not revolutionaries. Who don't want to round you up.
Who don't want any of the stuff your side claims you want.
You would begin to understand us.
Really, well. Well written.
Well-researched and well-done by Salena Zito.
Thanks, Salena. Appreciate it.