Democrats are demanding Republicans launch the remaining Jeffrey Epstein recordsdata in an endeavor placing GOP lawmakers in a tricky spot.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) mentioned over the weekend that he’d introduce an modification that might power a Home vote on forcing Lawyer Normal Pam Bondi to launch all of the remaining case recordsdata on the intercourse offender, whose 2019 loss of life whereas awaiting trial for sweeping intercourse trafficking expenses set off years of hypothesis about different public figures being concerned.
“Why are the Epstein files still hidden? Who are the rich & powerful being protected?” Khanna wrote on social media Sunday whereas saying his plans. A vote would “put every Congress member on record” about making the recordsdata public, he continued.
Khanna’s calls for come per week after Bondi’s Division of Justice introduced it had discovered no proof of a “client list” that Epstein may need used to blackmail well-known folks or indications that Epstein’s loss of life was not likely a suicide and that it was successfully closing the case and never releasing any extra recordsdata. The choice set off a flurry of concern from each the left and the fitting.
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Khanna’s workplace shared the modification Monday with HuffPost. It might be connected to a cryptocurrency invoice coming underneath evaluate by the Home Guidelines Committee. If handed, it might power Bondi to “retain, preserve, and compile any records” associated to the Epstein case and launch them to the general public inside 30 days of the invoice’s passage.
However the panel blocked Khanna’s modification, with just one Republican, Rep. Ralph Norman (S.C.), voting in favor of the recordsdata’ launch.
“This may have been the first attempt that was blocked, but I’ll tell you, it’s not going to be the last attempt,” Khanna instructed MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell on Monday evening.
Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) additionally introduced on social media that he can be introducing a decision Monday demanding the discharge of the recordsdata.
“Either [President Donald Trump] and his acolytes fueled the rumors of the significance of these Epstein files to help his campaign, or something is there!” he wrote, suggesting the potential for a cover-up.
Whereas this effort can be unlikely to succeed, it might power the 9 Republicans on the Guidelines Committee once more to aspect with both the Trump administration or the president’s base, which has grown more and more pissed off with Bondi’s dealing with of the case previously few days.
Trump fueled the outrage over his Justice Division’s resolution with a prolonged social media submit on Saturday. After his administration overvalued the potential for the recordsdata containing some bombshell revelations, he pulled a 180 on his supporters and dismissed the significance of the Epstein recordsdata altogether.
“For years, it’s Epstein, over and over again,” Trump wrote. “Why are we giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden administration.”
Trump’s remarks got here a day after FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s alleged combat with Bondi over the recordsdata made headlines. Bongino ― a former podcaster who’d speculated on his present about an Epstein cover-up ― reportedly didn’t present as much as work Friday and instructed folks he’d stop if Bondi shouldn’t be fired.
