ReportWire

Tag: Secrecy

  • Michael Tracey: Cutting through the Jeffrey Epstein fog

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    What is the Jeffrey Epstein story, and what does it mean? Just asking questions.

    Today’s conversation is with journalist Michael Tracey, who has been picking apart what he calls the “Epstein mythology” for the past several weeks over at his Substack. In short, he thinks 90 percent of what most people believe about this case is false, and that this is mostly the fault of credulous establishment journalists who chose to uncritically publish alleged victims’ narratives and ignore inconvenient facts, as well as opportunistic alternative media figures who spun the story into a sprawling conspiracy for political and personal gain. 

    Tracey has been attacked and on the attack, and you’ll hear him air his many grievances with other journalists, lawyers, and politicians in this conversation, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R–Ga.), whom he calls out as his “enemy” because she instructed police to remove him from an Epstein-related press conference after he asked a question about an accusers’ credibility in Washington D.C. this week.  

    The goal of this episode was to move beyond the personality clashes and egos and wild speculation and drill down into what it is we actually know and don’t know about Jeffrey Epstein. But as we talked, it became clear that this kind of detached analysis just wasn’t going to be possible, that the egos and the clashes and the agendas remain intricately tied up with how this story has unfolded. The incentives faced by establishment journalists, podcasters, accusers, and politicians have shaped this story and our understanding of it, mostly for the worse. 

    But in the marketplace of ideas, there is also a countervailing incentive to move against the herd and correct the record. And maybe a turbulent and confrontational personality like Michael Tracey–who admits in this interview that he’s “wired differently”–was exactly what was needed to break taboos, ask uncomfortable questions, and push for real disclosure about the nature of the story that has loomed over American politics for at least a decade.

    Regardless of how one feels about Tracey’s tone or the soundness of his analysis, anyone who purports to care about this story should at least engage with the questions he’s asking and start asking their own questions about what the Epstein story really means.

    This conversation has been edited for time and clarity.

    Mentioned in the podcast:

    1. U.S. v. Jeffrey Epstein
    2. Epstein “provided information” to the FBI: FBI Records: The Vault — Jeffrey Epstein Part 06
    3. “Jeffrey Epstein’s Sick Story Played Out for Years in Plain Sight,” by Vicky Ward
    4. 2020 Justice Department Office of Professional Responsibility Report on Epstein
    5. Justice Department interview of Ghislaine Maxwell 
    6. “A Look Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan Lair,” by David Enrich, Matthew Goldstein, Jessica Silver-Greenberg, and Steve Eder
    7. “Jeffrey Epstein Appeared to Threaten Bill Gates Over Microsoft Co-Founder’s Affair With Russian Bridge Player,” by Khadeeja Safdar and Emily Glazer
    8. “THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Maxwell Is Buried In Jerusalem,” by Clyde Haberman
    9. “Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s Spy Industry Connections,” by Matthew Petti
    10. Donald Trump retweets #ClintonBodyCount conspiracy
    11. Trump on Truth Social: “Nobody cares about” Jeffrey Epstein
    12. Justice Department/FBI Memo on “Epstein Files,” July 2025
    13. Virginia Giuffre v. Ghislaine Maxwell
    14. “The Billionaire’s Play Club,” by Virginia Roberts
    15. July 24, 2025, proffer by Ghislaine Maxwell
    16. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta’s July 2019 press conference
    17. “Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview,” by BBC News
    18. Security camera footage from Jeffrey Epstein’s prison block
    19. Michael Tracey booted from Epstein presser, September 3, 2025.

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    Zach Weissmueller

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  • Salem State gets $624K grant for cybersecurity training center

    Salem State gets $624K grant for cybersecurity training center

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    SALEM — Salem State University announced this week that it received a $624,437 grant to establish and operate a cybersecurity training facility on campus.

    The grant is part of the state’s Security Operations Center (SOC) Cyber Range Initiative, a program managed by Mass Tech’s MassCyberCenter that aims to help build a diverse generation of cybersecurity professionals through education, training and workforce development, according to a news release.

    “Massachusetts is committed to leading in cybersecurity and ensuring that all communities have the skills, resources and capacity to protect their businesses and residents,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “Congratulations to Salem State on this award and their efforts to grow the cyber workforce.”

    Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said how proud she is, “as Salem’s former mayor and a Salem State graduate … of the work the university is doing to teach students critical cybersecurity skills.

    “Cybersecurity affects every part of our community whether you are a small business, elementary school or local government office. The more cybersecurity professionals we have, the more we can ensure our communities are protected online,” Driscoll said.

    “Salem State is grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the MassCyberCenter for selecting us for this important partnership,” Salem State President John Keenan said. “This type of investment and professional relationships are a win-win for everyone involved.

    “Like our nursing and occupational therapy simulation labs, the CyberRange will imitate real-world problems for students to solve in real time,” he said.

    The funding is expected “to promote cybersecurity while also ensuring Massachusetts stays competitive in modern economic development,” said Yvonne Hao, state secretary of economic development and board chair of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.

    Salem State will join Bridgewater State University, Springfield Technical Community College and MassBay Community College as a critical part of a statewide network of cybersecurity educators, MassCyberCenter Director John Petrozzelli said.

    The award will support capital expenditures to construct the CyberRange and expenditures for the first year of operations.

    The center is expected to promote the Massachusetts cybersecurity ecosystem by working to build a strong cyber talent pipeline and to strengthen the defense of local communities.

    More information is available online at https://masscybercenter.org.

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    By Buck Anderson | Staff Writer

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  • HUD refuses to release Secretary Marcia Fudge's email address in response to ‘Reason’ FOIA request

    HUD refuses to release Secretary Marcia Fudge's email address in response to ‘Reason’ FOIA request

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    Want to know Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge’s government email address? Too bad, it’s a secret.

    In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from Reason, HUD released a list of email addresses for all political appointees—with two exceptions. The agency redacted HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge and Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman’s addresses, citing an exemption from releasing any records that would “constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”

    “The interest of the general public in reviewing those portions of government documents does not outweigh the individuals’ right to privacy,” Sandra Wright, the chief of HUD’s FOIA office, wrote.

    The withholdings are an unusual and concerning attempt to conceal one of the most basic pieces of information about a public servant: their contact info.

    Glancing at the consistent format of every other address on the HUD list, one could make a reasonable assumption about Fudge’s address, but one would likely be wrong. You see, cabinet members and high-ranking officials often use pseudonymous or alias email accounts.

    For example, while he was vice president, Joe Biden used at least three pseudonyms—”Robin Ware,” “Robert L. Peters,” and “JRB Ware”—on emails that mixed family and government business.

    The practice has been fairly widespread since the Clinton administration. Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency Administrator (EPA) Lisa Jackson used the alias “Richard Windsor” and her private email address in communications with lobbyists. Former Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch also used alias email addresses. Trump-Era EPA administrator Scott Pruitt had four government email addresses.

    Administrations have defended using alternate email addresses as necessary for high-level political appointees because of the flood of emails to their public inboxes. However, the practice worries transparency advocates and watchdog groups because it creates doubts over whether FOIA offices are performing complete searches, and whether communications are being properly archived.

    Reason was curious about what pseudonyms high-ranking Biden officials are using, so we filed FOIA requests in September of last year to cabinet-level agencies requesting the email addresses for all political appointees, including pseudonyms. To its credit, HUD is the only agency so far that has produced any documents.

    Reason is filing a FOIA appeal to challenge the redactions. While officials may argue they need a secret inbox to get work done, convenience is not a factor in the balancing test between the public’s right to know and the privacy interests of government employees. Notably, HUD does not consider the release of dozens of other political appointees’ email addresses a privacy concern.

    HUD’s position is also undermined by the fact that other agencies have turned over similar records in response to FOIA requests. The Health and Human Services Department released former Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ secret email address to the Associated Press in 2013.

    HUD’s public affairs office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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    C.J. Ciaramella

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