Overview of New Bombshell Would-Be Trump Assassin Reporting, Attacks on Vance, and MTG's CNN Apology, with Glenn Greenwald | Ep. 1195
Host Megyn Kelly interviews Pulitzer‑winning journalist Glenn Greenwald about two big November media developments: newly public reporting on Thomas Crooks (the man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump in Butler, PA), and the political fallout roiling conservative media and Republican elites — focused on Tucker Carlson, J.D. Vance, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and the continuing Epstein files controversy. The conversation centers on new online forensic reporting (Tucker Carlson’s short documentary and Miranda Devine/New York Post reporting), questions about what the FBI knows and why it has or hasn’t shared it, intra‑right factional battles (neocons vs. “America First” isolationists), and the politics around calls to release more Epstein documents.
Topics discussed
- New reporting on Thomas Crooks:
- Tucker Carlson’s documentary reconstructing Crooks’s online footprint and violent rhetoric.
- Miranda Devine / New York Post reporting that Crooks used they/them pronouns and had involvement with “furry” communities (DeviantArt accounts allegedly linked to him).
- A mysterious online figure “Willie Tepes” who allegedly encouraged violence and contacted Crooks.
- Rapid cremation of Crooks’ body and questions about loss of forensic opportunities.
- FBI transparency and credibility:
- Kash Patel’s statement on the scope of the FBI investigation and claims Crooks acted alone.
- Glenn and Megyn press the need for public answers and point out apparent inconsistencies or unexplained secrecy.
- Patterns and comparisons:
- Links (real or alleged) between several recent shooters and trans/furry subcultures (Charlie Kirk shooter, Nashville, Minneapolis discussed).
- Historic parallel to JFK assassination secrecy and public distrust.
- Conservative media / GOP intra‑party fights:
- Tucker Carlson under pressure for interviews (e.g., with Nick Fuentes), and how attacks on Tucker are being used to pressure J.D. Vance.
- Glenn’s view: main opposition to Tucker comes from neoconservative elements within the right, not primarily Democrats.
- Speculation about 2028 GOP field: J.D. Vance, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio dynamics.
- Marjorie Taylor Greene:
- MTG’s public split with Trump, CNN interview/apology and political calculation around Epstein files.
- Epstein files and political consequences:
- GOP pushes to declassify/release DOJ files; disputes about whether the files will contain “smoking‑gun” material.
- New email releases reveal continued intimate contact between Epstein and establishment figures (including allegations about a Democratic congresswoman texting Epstein while conducting hearings).
- Cultural/political commentary:
- Michelle Obama’s recent interviews on how presentation and race intersect — Megyn and Glenn react to her comments about “protection” through appearance and her view that the country isn’t ready for a woman president.
Key findings, claims and evidence covered
- Tucker Carlson’s documentary reconstructs Crooks’s trajectory from pro‑Trump violent rhetoric (2019) to apparent left‑leaning/progressive rhetoric by 2020, including explicit violent threats that would normally draw attention.
- After August 2020, an online user “Willie Tepes” reportedly pushed Crooks toward terrorism‑style tactics and may have been instrumental in radicalization or recruitment. Tucker’s piece suggests Crooks’s online activity stopped after interaction with that user.
- Miranda Devine reports Crooks had furry‑related accounts on DeviantArt and used they/them pronouns; this wasn’t in Tucker’s report, raising questions about timing/sources.
- Kash Patel (ex‑government official) claims the FBI pursued an extensive probe: hundreds of personnel, thousands of interviews and tips, analysis of hundreds of thousands of files and dozens of accounts — and concluded Crooks acted alone.
- Critics (Megyn, Glenn, others) argue the FBI should either publicly confirm or deny whether it had knowledge of Crooks’s explicit online threats and connections, and why certain pieces of information were not proactively shared.
Main takeaways and implications
- There is a credibility/ transparency gap: independent reporting (Tucker, Devine) has unearthed details the public and even congressional staffers had not seen. That gap is fueling suspicion and conspiracy theories.
- If the FBI truly had no prior actionable knowledge of Crooks’s violent online threats, that raises serious questions about monitoring and threat detection protocols; if it did have such information but withheld it, that raises political/censorship/cover‑up concerns.
- The right‑wing media ecosystem is fracturing around foreign policy (esp. Israel) and platforming decisions. Efforts to stigmatize Tucker Carlson are being used to pressure figures like J.D. Vance to distance themselves, signalling a major intra‑party ideological battle ahead of 2028.
- Epstein file disclosures continue to destabilize political alliances on both sides of the aisle; demands for DOJ disclosure are both political theatre and genuine public‑interest questions. Expect prolonged fights over what gets released and how redactions are handled.
- Cultural flashpoints (trans/furry links, Michelle Obama remarks) are being used to drive narratives about radicalization, identity politics, and political authenticity.
Notable quotes (paraphrased)
- “Why haven’t they told us about Thomas Crooks?” — Megyn Kelly, demanding FBI transparency.
- “When institutions hide information, conspiracy theories fill the void.” — Glenn Greenwald.
- Kash Patel’s summary (quoted by Kelly): FBI involved hundreds of employees, over 1,000 interviews, thousands of tips, analysis of hundreds of thousands of digital files — conclusion: Crooks acted alone.
- Glenn: “The last time a president was murdered was JFK — secrecy breeds doubt.”
Unanswered questions raised on the show
- Did the FBI have access to the same social‑media evidence Tucker and Miranda Devine cite? If so, why was it not widely disclosed?
- Who exactly was “Willie Tepes”? Was he a recruiter, provocateur, foreign actor, or an internet troll?
- Why was Crooks cremated quickly? Were potentially useful forensic tests (tox screens, additional analysis) lost?
- Are links between recent shooters and trans/furry communities causal, correlative, or incidental? Is there an exploitable pattern of radicalization mediated by niche online subcultures?
- Will the DOJ/House/Senate release more Epstein materials, and will anything verifiable and consequential be revealed?
Action items / what to watch next
- Watch/read the original reporting:
- Tucker Carlson’s short documentary on Thomas Crooks (mid‑November release).
- Miranda Devine/New York Post piece detailing Crooks’s purported DeviantArt accounts and pronoun usage.
- Follow congressional oversight reporting: requests and responses from the FBI, Secret Service, and involved Senate/House offices (Sen. Ron Johnson and Sen. Rand Paul’s staff reportedly were stonewalled).
- Watch for DOJ comments or further disclosure regarding the Crooks investigation and Epstein materials — those will be pivotal in resolving the transparency questions.
- Track GOP presidential positioning and intra‑party conflicts over Tucker/Vance/Cruz/Rubio as they shape 2028 narratives.
Guest
- Glenn Greenwald — Pulitzer Prize‑winning journalist, host of System Update on Rumble; provides critical perspective on FBI secrecy, media dynamics, and conservative factionalism.
Further context: the episode mixes investigative reporting analysis, political strategy commentary, and cultural criticism. The overarching theme is distrust — of institutions (FBI/DOJ), of media narratives, and within political coalitions — and a demand for clearer answers from official sources.