MICHAEL COHEN AND THE EPSTEIN FILES
Investigative journalist Ellie Leonard broke major news on today’s show about Michael Cohen’s previously unknown connections to Jeffrey Epstein’s network. Leonard, who has been meticulously combing through the Epstein files, discovered that Cohen was working on Epstein-related matters as early as 2003 - years before his official role as Trump’s personal attorney. According to Leonard’s analysis of the documents, Cohen was involved in the same kind of catch and kill operations he later executed for Trump with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. Blundell observed that Cohen’s pattern was consistent across cases, handling these matters with the same playbook. The discovery raises significant questions about the depth of Trump’s knowledge of Epstein’s activities and when that relationship really began. Leonard explained that Cohen was Trump’s fixer during a critical period when Trump and Epstein were allegedly involved together in the Katie Johnson case.
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KATIE JOHNSON AND THE TOM BARRACK CONNECTION
The most explosive revelation involved Katie Johnson, who accused both Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump of raping her when she was 13 years old. According to Zev’s research, when Epstein learned about the Katie Johnson allegations, the first person he contacted was Tom Barrack, who at the time was heading Trump’s presidential campaign finance committee. Epstein sent Barrack an email calling the case nuts, but then kept detailed track of every development through his attorney, with Barrack monitoring it closely as well. This pattern shows how close the Epstein-Barrack relationship really was, even if Epstein’s relationship with Trump had publicly cooled. The immediate alert to Trump’s campaign finance chair about sexual assault allegations involving Trump demonstrates the intertwined nature of these networks at the highest levels. Leonard also noted there are 31 credible sexual assault accusations against Trump, and the Katie Johnson case represents the intersection of Trump and Epstein’s alleged criminal activity.
LEV PARNAS’S IMPASSIONED PLEA FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
Lev Parnas joined the show with an urgent message about the Epstein investigation. Blundell described Parnas’s advocacy as mission-driven and authentic, emphasizing that there’s nothing performative about his work. Parnas, whose decision to expose Trump’s Ukraine scheme cost him everything but gave him clarity about how these criminal networks operate, made clear during the show that every connection in the Epstein files matters. This isn’t about scoring political points - it’s about holding powerful people accountable for crimes that have been covered up for decades. Blundell stressed that Parnas isn’t chasing headlines or building a brand, but is genuinely committed to bringing democracy back and ensuring these networks can’t continue operating with impunity. Parnas’s unique experience understanding how cover-ups work, how fixers like Michael Cohen operate, and why following every thread matters informed his participation in today’s discussion. His presence on the show underscored a central point made throughout the episode: the Epstein investigation isn’t a distraction from current threats to democracy - it’s the key to understanding how corruption, sexual abuse, and authoritarian power have been intertwined at the highest levels for decades. The people who enabled Epstein are still in power, still making decisions, still protecting each other.
GREENLAND DIPLOMATIC STALEMATE
In breaking news from earlier today, Denmark and Greenland’s foreign ministers met with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House to discuss Trump’s continued push to acquire Greenland. The meeting produced what Shalev described as a diplomatic snooze - both sides agreed to have more high-level meetings in a few weeks but reached no concrete agreement on either selling Greenland or allowing any military takeover. According to Shalev’s analysis, this outcome is good news for those who prefer not to see NATO dissolve or allies feuding with each other. The administration’s aggressive posture toward a NATO ally’s territory remains unresolved, with working groups now tasked with finding some face-saving compromise that allows both sides to claim progress without fundamentally changing Greenland’s status. Denmark and Greenland made clear they’re willing to strengthen security cooperation but have no intention of becoming American property.
The show featured Dean Blundell, Zev Shalev, and special guest Ellie Leonard of The Panicked Writer, As well as Lev Parnas.
The FiveStack is available as an audio podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The FiveStack is a co-production of deanblundell.substack.com and narativ.org.
Thank you Nick Paro, Cash Flow Collective, Cat, Stephanie G Wilson, PhD, Story Carrier, and many others for tuning into my live video with Dean Blundell, Lev Parnas, and Ellie Leonard! Join me for my next live video in the app.
