Summary
- Bipartisan
lawmakers push for a vote to release Epstein files. - Rep.
Thomas Massie filed a discharge petition for House vote. - Proposal
demands DOJ release all unclassified Epstein documents. - The
petition gained strong bipartisan support, including Rep. Ro Khanna.
On the same day that numerous survivors of Epstein met
secretly with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican and Democratic members
of a congressional investigation commission on Capitol Hill, Republican
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky submitted a petition for discharge. To
start the vote, he would need the signatures of the majority of House members.
Since many of his admirers adopted a number of conspiracy
theories about Epstein, who committed suicide in prison in 2019, the case has
produced political problems for Republican President Donald Trump.
Majorities of Americans and Trump’s Republican supporters
think the government is concealing information about the case, according to a
July Reuters/Ipsos survey.
Massie and California Democrat Representative Ro Khanna’s
plan would mandate that the U.S. attorney general make any unclassified Epstein
records held by the Department of Justice, including the FBI and U.S.
attorneys’ offices, publicly available.
On Wednesday morning, Massie and Khanna will meet with the
victims of Epstein for a press conference.
According to Johnson, Massie’s petition was “inartfully
drafted” because it did not include wording that would have protected the identity
of victims of Epstein’s sexual assault. The petition is “moot” because
of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s efforts, Johnson
added.
“It’s superfluous at this point, and I think we’re
achieving the desired end here,”
Johnson said.
The committee has convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine
Maxwell for a deposition and subpoenaed the DOJ and Epstein’s estate for
materials. It is currently going over 34,000 pages of material that the DOJ
sent it.
Illinois Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi
called the discussion with Epstein survivors “frank, emotional, and
intense.”
“It was the type of conversation that probably can’t
happen in a hearing setting,”
he told reporters.
“The victims
marshaled a lot of bravery and courage to come before us to tell their
stories.”
What evidence do supporters cite to justify a discharge
petition for Epstein files?
Only portions of the Epstein files have been released, many
with significant redactions, leaving large questions unanswered and fostering
suspicions about potential cover-ups.
The Department of Justice revealed an index of evidence that
includes about 40 computers, 26 storage drives, over 70 CDs, and thousands of
videos and images, some containing explicit and disturbing material related to
victims. Major files, including travel logs, photographs, island blueprints,
and logs of visitors to Epstein’s private island, remain sealed.
An internal DOJ review found no evidence of Epstein
blackmailing prominent figures or maintaining a client list, but this
conclusion remains deeply contested by victims, advocates, and some lawmakers.
