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LATE|Night RecapWednesday, March 11, 2026 at 10:19 PM10 min read

Trump's Epstein Bombshell: What His Own Accountant Said Behind Closed Doors

Q: What was the TrumpMeter score for Wednesday, March 11, 2026?

The TrumpMeter score was 7/10. Multiple major simultaneous developments tonight — Epstein deposition testimony, DOGE's unprecedented Medicaid data dump, Jack Smith's unsealed brief, Iran SPR talk, and a Gaza military base report — make this a highly active news cycle across legal, military, and domestic policy fronts.

Epstein's accountant testified he saw NO financial ties between Trump & Epstein; DOGE drops 7 years of Medicaid data; Iran conflict drives SPR tap talk; Jack Smith's 165-page brief unsealed.

Chaos Index

7/10

HIGH ALERT

Multiple major simultaneous developments tonight — Epstein deposition testimony, DOGE's unprecedented Medicaid data dump, Jack Smith's unsealed brief, Iran SPR talk, and a Gaza military base report — make this a highly active news cycle across legal, military, and domestic policy fronts.

Key Developments

You've heard the name Epstein connected to Trump for years now.

Today, the story got a lot more complicated — and a lot more specific.

Behind closed doors at a House Oversight Committee deposition, Richard Kahn — **Jeffrey Epstein's longtime personal accountant** — testified that he witnessed zero financial transactions between Epstein and Donald Trump or his family [5].

Not one.

That's a significant data point, no matter what side of the political aisle you sit on.

But here's the twist you didn't see coming.

At the same hearing, congressional questioning reportedly confirmed reporting from author Seth Abramson that Epstein was allegedly involved in **illegal campaign contributions** tied to the 2016 election [1].

So the picture emerging from Capitol Hill is complicated: one witness is apparently clearing Trump on finances, while another line of inquiry is raising fresh questions about Epstein's broader political reach.

This is a story that isn't going away.

Meanwhile, across town — metaphorically speaking — **DOGE just dropped a bombshell data release** that has nothing to do with Epstein but everything to do with your tax dollars.

Stories Driving the News

Brief #1LEGAL◆ MIXED

9/10

Epstein's Accountant Spoke Under Oath — Here's What He Said About Trump

Jeffrey Epstein's personal accountant just testified under oath before Congress — and what he said is going to surprise people on both sides of the debate. Richard Kahn, who managed Epstein's finances for years, told a closed-door House Oversight Committee deposition that he **witnessed no financial transactions** between Epstein and Donald Trump or any member of his family [5]. Zero. None. That's a direct rebuttal to one of the most widely circulated theories about the Trump-Epstein connection — at least the financial one. But the same congressional hearing produced a very different headline on another front. Seth Abramson, author of what he calls the largest exposé of the Trump-Epstein scandal, posted that **congressional questioning confirmed his reporting** that one way Epstein allegedly helped interfere in the 2016 election was through illegal campaign contributions [1]. So you have two separate threads running through the same hearing: one that appears to clear Trump on personal financial entanglement, and one that raises new questions about Epstein's broader role in political influence operations. The hearing was closed-door, so verified transcripts are not yet public. Here's why this matters to you: Congress is still actively investigating Epstein's network. The Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed into law in late 2025. Whatever comes out of these depositions will be part of the public record — and it could reshape how Americans understand one of the most controversial political scandals of the past decade.

[1][2][3]

Brief #2POLICY◆ MIXED

8/10

DOGE Just Dumped 7 Years of Your Medicaid Dollars Online — All of It

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency just did something no federal agency has done before: it handed the American public **seven years of raw Medicaid spending data** and told them to go look for themselves [21]. The data covers 2018 through 2024 — six years spanning two administrations — and is publicly searchable. Newsmax reported the release was designed to let citizens "see for themselves the level of fraud in the program" [21]. Musk has previously claimed there could be up to **$1 trillion in total federal fraud** across government programs [23]. Critics argue those numbers are wildly inflated and that DOGE is using fraud claims as political cover for cutting services that millions of Americans depend on. Supporters say transparency is the first step to accountability — and that if the data is clean, releasing it costs nothing. Either way, this is an unprecedented move. No administration has ever made this volume of Medicaid transaction data publicly searchable in real time. Here's why this matters to you: Medicaid covers roughly 90 million Americans. If fraud is as widespread as DOGE claims, fixing it could save hundreds of billions. If the fraud numbers are overstated, the data release could be used to build a political case for cutting the program — which would directly affect low-income Americans, children, and the elderly who depend on it. You now have the data. You can look for yourself.

[1][2][3]

Brief #3LEGAL◆ MIXED

8/10

Jack Smith's 165-Page Secret Brief Just Got Unsealed — And It Changes the Case

Judge Tanya Chutkan just unsealed a **165-page brief** from Special Counsel Jack Smith — and it's the most detailed public look yet at how the government plans to prosecute Donald Trump for the 2020 election case [45]. The brief is partially redacted, but the core strategy is now visible. Smith filed a superseding indictment — meaning a revised version of the original charges — that strips out Trump's conversations with the Department of Justice [47]. Why? Because the Supreme Court ruled that Trump has presumptive immunity for official acts, and communications with the DOJ qualify [42]. So Smith adapted. He kept the charges but removed the evidence the court said was off-limits. As one user on X put it: "It's also not a new indictment — it's a superseding indictment to follow the Supreme Court ruling. Trump caused the delay, so you can't now complain" [44]. Trump's team and conservative commentators have framed the continued prosecution as political persecution by the Biden-era DOJ [46]. Smith's supporters argue removing the tainted evidence actually strengthens the remaining case. Here's why this matters to you: This is the federal case over whether Trump tried to overturn the results of a presidential election. It is arguably the most consequential criminal proceeding in American political history. Whatever happens next — dismissal, trial, conviction, acquittal — will set legal precedent for every president that comes after him.

[1][2][3]

Brief #4FOREIGN POLICY◆ MIXED

7/10

Trump Eyes the Oil Reserve as Iran Conflict Pushes Gas Prices Higher

President Trump said today he is considering tapping the **Strategic Petroleum Reserve** to push gas prices down as the Iran conflict continues to rattle energy markets. He also stated at a Kentucky rally that the U.S. cannot keep going "back to war with Iran every two years" — and said the administration intends to "finish the job" before leaving the region. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is essentially the nation's emergency oil stash — about 400 million barrels stored in underground salt caverns along the Gulf Coast. Tapping it is a significant signal. It tells markets — and voters — that the administration sees **energy prices as a serious political vulnerability**. The Biden administration also tapped the SPR in 2022 during the Ukraine war-driven oil spike, releasing a record 180 million barrels. Critics at the time argued it was a temporary fix that depleted a critical national security asset. Supporters said it provided real relief at the pump. Trump is now weighing the same trade-off. Here's why this matters to you: Gas prices are one of the most direct ways geopolitical conflict hits your daily life. If the Iran situation escalates further and oil prices spike, every fill-up gets more expensive. A SPR release could blunt that — temporarily. But it doesn't solve the underlying conflict driving the prices.

[1][2][3]

Brief #5FOREIGN POLICY● NEUTRAL

7/10

5,000 International Troops, One Base, Zero Gazans Asked: Trump's Gaza Plan Takes Shape

A report surfaced tonight that the Trump administration is planning a **large military base in Gaza capable of housing 5,000 international troops** — a move that would mark a dramatic escalation of U.S. strategic involvement in the region [63]. The countries reportedly being tapped to contribute troops include Indonesia, Morocco, Albania, Kosovo, and Kazakhstan [62]. That is an unusual coalition — spanning Southeast Asia, North Africa, and the Balkans. And at least one analyst on X asked the obvious question: "Has anyone asked Gazans about troops?" [62]. The administration appears to be constructing a multinational stabilization force — similar in concept to peacekeeping missions of the past, but with a very different geopolitical backdrop. Israel has reportedly objected to some of the proposed troop contributors, particularly Turkey, though Ankara was invited to join Trump's "Gaza Board of Peace" earlier this year. No formal announcement has been made by the White House. Here's why this matters to you: A permanent or semi-permanent U.S.-backed military base in Gaza would represent one of the most significant American strategic commitments in the Middle East in decades. It would cost money, create ongoing obligations, and potentially draw U.S. forces into future conflicts in the region — even if American troops themselves are not initially stationed there.

[1][2][3]

Brief #6POLICY◆ MIXED

6/10

Senate Sets Up War Powers Vote — And Some Republicans Are Expected to Cross Over

A War Powers resolution targeting Trump's military authority is moving fast in Congress — and **some Republicans are expected to vote for it** [Monaheart1229 post]. A procedural vote in the Senate cleared the way for a full floor vote next week. The House is on track to take up a companion measure later this month, after Democrats introduced their version of the bill. The War Powers Resolution, originally passed in 1973, requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing U.S. forces to hostilities — and limits military action to 60 days without congressional authorization. Administrations of both parties have routinely tested its limits. But a successful vote here — especially with bipartisan support — would be described as a **"serious rebuke" of Trump's military posture** [Monaheart1229 post]. The Iran conflict, the Gaza base reports, and Trump's statements about "finishing the job" in Iran are almost certainly driving the urgency among members of both parties. Here's why this matters to you: The War Powers debate is really a debate about who decides when America goes to war — the president alone, or the president and Congress together. If this vote succeeds, it would mark one of the most significant congressional pushbacks against executive military authority in years. If Trump vetoes it, the veto fight itself becomes the story.

[1][2][3]

Brief #7BREAKING◆ MIXED

6/10

FBI Searched a Georgia Election Center — And Gabbard Had to Broker a Phone Call

Here's a story that flew under the radar today — and probably shouldn't have. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reportedly had to **arrange a direct phone call between President Trump and FBI agents** after the bureau conducted a search of a Georgia election center [53]. The details are sparse, but the optics are striking. The DNI brokering a conversation between the president and field agents suggests a breakdown in the normal chain of communication — or a deliberate effort to ensure the president was personally briefed on a politically sensitive operation. Former CIA officer Kevin Shipp noted on X that Gabbard had already been kept out of the loop on a separate CIA operation in Venezuela — and raised pointed questions about which intelligence agencies are conducting domestic operations and why [53]. A Georgia election center search by the FBI, in the current political environment, is guaranteed to generate fierce reactions on both sides. Trump allies will likely frame it as justified scrutiny of election infrastructure. Critics will raise concerns about the use of federal law enforcement in election-related contexts. Here's why this matters to you: The independence of U.S. election infrastructure from federal law enforcement pressure is a foundational principle of American democracy. Any FBI operation touching election systems — regardless of its justification — raises legitimate questions about oversight, authorization, and political motivation that deserve public scrutiny.

[1][2]

Trump's Epstein Bombshell: What His Own Accountant Said Behind Closed Doors

Key Developments

Stories Driving the News

Epstein's Accountant Spoke Under Oath — Here's What He Said About Trump

DOGE Just Dumped 7 Years of Your Medicaid Dollars Online — All of It

Jack Smith's 165-Page Secret Brief Just Got Unsealed — And It Changes the Case

Trump Eyes the Oil Reserve as Iran Conflict Pushes Gas Prices Higher

5,000 International Troops, One Base, Zero Gazans Asked: Trump's Gaza Plan Takes Shape

Senate Sets Up War Powers Vote — And Some Republicans Are Expected to Cross Over

FBI Searched a Georgia Election Center — And Gabbard Had to Broker a Phone Call

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

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