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Rot at the Top: The Elite’s Darkest Secrets Spill Out

February 12, 2026,  by Joshua Scheer, https://scheerpost.com/2026/02/12/rot-at-the-top-the-elites-darkest-secrets-spill-out/

In a political moment defined by secrecy, impunity, and the open decay of democratic institutions, few conversations cut as sharply as this one. Chris Hedges — Pulitzer Prize–winning former New York Times Middle East bureau chief — joins George Galloway to dissect the explosive Epstein files and the global elite they expose. What emerges is not a scandal at the margins, but a portrait of a ruling class so insulated, so depraved, and so unaccountable that its corruption has become a structural feature of Western power.

From the redactions shielding Trump and Netanyahu, to the British political meltdown engulfing Starmer’s inner circle, to the bipartisan rot in Washington, Hedges argues that the Epstein revelations are not an aberration but a window into a collapsing order. As he puts it, the files reveal “a depraved corrupt ruling global elite that has created a club that has locked the rest of us out,” one now reaching for authoritarian tools as its legitimacy crumbles.

This is a conversation about the Epstein affair — but also about the death spiral of American democracy, the rise of police‑state tactics, and the dangerous volatility of a declining empire whose leaders are losing their grip on reality. And with the Persian Gulf once again on the brink, Hedges warns that the same unaccountable forces exposed in the Epstein files are steering the world toward catastrophe.

If you want to understand the moment we’re living through — the corruption, the cover‑ups, the authoritarian drift, and the geopolitical brinkmanship — this exchange is essential.

Key Highlights

1. The Epstein Files as a Window Into Elite Rot

• Hedges calls the documents “a depraved corrupt ruling global elite that has created a club that has locked the rest of us out.”
• He argues the files expose not just individuals but the structure of unaccountable power across the US, UK, Israel, and Europe.

2. Trump’s Deep Exposure in the Files

• Mentioned “38,000 times” in emails, according to Hedges.
• Hedges says the redactions were designed “to protect Trump and Netanyahu.”
• The Republican Party’s resistance to releasing the files “crumbled,” forcing Trump’s hand.

3. UK Political Meltdown

• 
  Galloway details cascading scandals around Starmer’s appointments — from Mandelson to a newly exposed associate tied to a convicted pedophile.
• British media saturation contrasts sharply with US silence, which Hedges says reflects “the breakdown of democratic institutions.”

4. Bipartisan Complicity in the US

• Hedges names Clinton, George Mitchell, and even Noam Chomsky as figures caught in the web.
• He stresses that both parties are implicated, making accountability structurally impossible.

5. The Missing Videos & Intelligence Links

• Epstein’s mansion contained a “closet‑sized safe” filled with recorded material.
• Hedges: “It’s a question to what extent Epstein was working for the Mossad.”
• Clear ties to Ehud Barak and Israeli intelligence raise the specter of kompromat.

6. Trump’s Cognitive Decline

• Hedges cites Trump claiming he imposed tariffs on Switzerland because of its “prime minister” — a position that doesn’t exist.
• He warns that a mentally deteriorating commander‑in‑chief is dangerous amid multiple potential war fronts.

7. The Rise of American Death‑Squad Policing

• Hedges describes ICE and federal agents as “death squads… killing with impunity,” ignoring court orders.
• He frames this as the defining feature of a police state.

8. Will Trump Attack Iran?

• Pentagon opposition remains strong.
• Netanyahu’s repeated visits suggest he’s not getting the commitment he wants.
• Hedges: Trump is impulsive enough that “he could wake up tomorrow” and reverse course.

9. Epstein as a Global Operator, Not a Lone Predator

• Epstein involved in Ukraine, Somaliland, even “a potential coup against Putin.”
• Hedges emphasizes his inexplicable rise: “He can barely write English… that is the enigma.”

10. The Authoritarian Turn as Self‑Protection

• As elites are exposed, Hedges argues they are “rapidly imposing authoritarian states” to maintain control.
• He cites both US and UK crackdowns on dissent as evidence.

February 15, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, UK, USA