Operation Epstein Fury

The Iran war is a disaster. It is also a distraction. Don't let it be one.

Guest article by Dina Doll

On March 11, while bombs were still falling on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz sat effectively closed to global oil traffic, something happened in a quiet deposition room in Washington, D.C. that the Trump administration would very much prefer you missed.

That is the point. That has always been the point.

Trump launched strikes on Iran on February 28th alongside Israel. More than 1,300 Iranians were killed. Over 700 in Lebanon. Twelve Israelis. Seven American soldiers. An American Tomahawk missile reportedly hit an elementary school, killing more than 170 people, many of them children. Trump brushed off questions about it. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes, is effectively closed. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is telling Americans to leave Iraq. There is no exit strategy. There is no defined endgame. Trump has offered several contradictory ones depending on the day. Prevent a nuclear weapon. Regime change. Secure natural resources. Pick one. He can’t.

This is a catastrophe by any honest measure. It is also, whether by design or by opportunism, the loudest possible noise to make while devastating Epstein files work their way through Congress.

Don’t let the noise win.

On March 11, Richard Kahn, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accountant and co-executor of his estate, sat before the House Oversight Committee. Kahn is one of the most consequential figures in the Epstein universe. He managed Epstein’s finances for over a decade, is mentioned more than 50,000 times in the DOJ’s Epstein files, and is a named beneficiary of Epstein’s estate. During the deposition, he admitted to facilitating a fake marriage between two women connected to Epstein, admitted to impersonating Epstein in communications with banks, and confirmed that Epstein talked about Donald Trump “a lot.”

But here is what is demanding a straight answer right now.

During the deposition, Rep. Ro Khanna asked Kahn directly about a woman referred to as “Jane Doe 4” — a woman who made allegations against both Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump. Kahn confirmed she had received a settlement from the Epstein estate. Then, later in the same deposition, after consulting with his attorney, Kahn reversed course. He said his earlier testimony was mistaken. He said he didn’t recognize the name. The following day, his attorney told Democratic staffers that Jane Doe 4 had in fact filed a claim against the estate, but that it had been denied and no settlement was reached.

Three different answers. In three days.

Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Rep. Ro Khanna responded by sending a formal letter to Kahn’s attorney demanding written clarification on the record. In their joint statement, they noted that Jane Doe 4 was interviewed by FBI agents four times. They wrote, “Congress and the public deserve a clear answer about whether the Epstein Estate paid a settlement to an accuser who made serious allegations against Donald Trump. Richard Kahn needs to come clean about what the Epstein Estate knows.”

The White House has called all allegations against Trump in connection with Epstein “baseless.” Republican Chairman James Comer noted that Kahn testified he “had never seen any type of transaction to Trump or anyone in his family.” Trump has denied any wrongdoing consistently and completely.

But the testimony keeps shifting. That is the problem. Rep. Khanna put it plainly to PBS NewsHour on Wednesday: “If it was fake, then why was she paid a settlement? There must be some validity to it.”

Now layer that against what Pam Bondi’s Justice Department is doing right now. The same DOJ that was subpoenaed by its own party to answer for withholding roughly half of the Epstein documents it is legally required to release. The same DOJ that Bondi has been running interference for since January, offering private briefings to a handful of members at a time, trying to keep the full picture away from a public forum.

Here is what this week actually looks like when you hold it together.

The country is in a war nobody can explain, with mounting civilian casualties and the world’s oil supply under active threat. And while the bombs are falling, the accountant who managed the estate that may or may not have paid a settlement to one of Trump’s accusers just contradicted himself on the record three times in three days, and the DOJ is still sitting on half the documents it is legally required to release.

Operation Epstein Fury is working exactly as intended. The news cycle is drowning in Iran. Richard Kahn’s shifting testimony is a footnote when it should be a headline.

Don’t look away from the deposition room. I know I won’t. That is where the answers are.

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Dina Doll is an experienced attorney and legal analyst. She hosts the MissTrial podcast on MeidasTouch and co-hosts Unprecedented on Legal AF. Dina also serves as the legal expert for Access Hollywood’s Trial Files and provides regular legal commentary for CNN, NewsNation, and other national media outlets. In addition to her media work, she is a delegate to the California Democratic Party, a community activist, and a City Library Commissioner.