'Quick to defend your pal': Piers Morgan faces pushback over Trump-Epstein defense

Zeteo founder Mehdi Hassan battled British conservative Piers Morgan into agreeing that the U.S. Justice Department must investigate the connection of President Donald Trump to his close friend, convicted sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Hassan pushed Morgan to grudging agreement after pointing out the numerous times Trump lied about the facts of his relationship with Epstein.

“Donald Trump travelled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than has previously been reported or that we were aware: That’s an email from one of his own DOJ lawyers in 2020,” Mehdi told Morgan. “Trump lied, Piers, when he said he ‘never’ went on the plane. He went on the plane eight times. We know for example that Epstein wrote in 2011 that ‘Donald Trump spent hours at my house with a victim.’ He referred to Trump being at his house as ‘the dog that hasn’t barked.’ He said in 2019 that Trump knew about the girls.”

“Now, Epstein could be lying,” added Hassan. “He was a horrible convicted sex offender but the point is we’ve not had full investigations. The media has barely touched this, Piers. There’s been a lot of coverage of Prince Andrew … Peter Thiel and Elon Musk and all sorts of people … but if this was any other president or politician this would be a huge scandal.”

Morgan pointed out that there is no outright evidence of Trump’s criminality, however much the president’s name saturates the Epstein files.

“Oh, I agree that we haven’t got evidence of criminality,” agreed Hassan, before pulling out a 21-page FBI PowerPoint presentation entitled: “Prominent Names.”

“Donald Trump’s at the top here with two allegations on there. I’m not saying there’s a proven allegation, but the idea that the American public’s not even familiar with those allegations [we in the media] need to be talking amore about what a huge scandal this is and how many lies have been told by the people in power. Not just Donald Trump,” Hassan said, adding that “I can no longer just laugh at people who come up with conspiracy theories anymore.”

Morgan conceded that he also “would be prepare to believe any conspiracy theory related to the Epstein scandal because so much of it is actually coming true.”

“Although you’re quick to defend your pal Donald Trump, who was close to him,” Hassan quipped.

“I’m only quick to defend him about one part of it,” insisted Morgan, adding that “a lot of stuff in those files that are clearly fantastic and malicious.”

“And there’s A lot of it is also redacted, Piers, so how do we know?” Hassan said “… There hasn’t been a full investigation with [FBI Director] Kash Patel and [US AG] Pam Bondi shutting it down. Why are they shutting it down?”

“I agree! Buddy, you’re preaching to the choir,” Morgan said, adding “I always feel a bit disconcerted when we agree.”