The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday launched tens of 1000’s of Jeffrey Epstein-related files it had obtained from the Justice Department, as the controversy surrounding the case intensified with lawmakers’ return to Washington.
While greater than 30,000 pages have been made public, the committee’s launch could not characterize the totality of the Epstein-related paperwork within the Justice Department’s possession and congressional Democrats have stated they largely included beforehand recognized info. Still, the files – which embrace flight logs, courtroom filings, jail surveillance footage, redacted information, depositions and memos – gas intrigue in a case that has at instances pushed a wedge between President Donald Trump and his personal celebration.
“The 33,000 pages of Epstein documents James Comer has decided to ‘release’ were already mostly public information. To the American people – don’t let this fool you,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the highest Democrat on House Oversight Committee, stated in an announcement.
“After careful review, Oversight Democrats have found that 97% of the documents received from the Department of Justice were already public. There is no mention of any client list or anything that improves transparency or justice for victims.”
The Republican-led House panel obtained the paperwork as half of a subpoena to the Justice Department final month, and the committee, within the days since, moved to redact delicate info in them.
As the panel readied the files’ launch Tuesday, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie pushed ahead along with his effort to compel the publication of the case files in full – a vote that House GOP leaders have sought to head off.
Massie’s choice to formally transfer forward along with his bipartisan invoice to power the Justice Department to launch the files breathed new life into a difficulty that has triggered complications for the Trump administration and threatens to put Hill Republicans on the spot over the politically contentious challenge.
“People want these files released. I mean, look, it’s not the biggest issue in the country. It’s taxes, jobs, the economy, those are always the big issues. But you really can’t solve any of that if this place is corrupt,” Massie stated.
Just hours after getting back from their summer time recess, GOP lawmakers have been going through intense strain from their base to decide on whether or not to help the Kentucky Republican’s decision, or danger accusations that they’re in opposition to transparency across the case.
Massie formally launched his decision Tuesday afternoon, kicking off a frenzied week during which he and his Democratic cosponsor, Rep. Ro Khanna, will try to get the 218 signatures wanted to circumvent management and power a vote on the House flooring.
Massie expressed confidence that he and Khanna may get six Republicans to be a part of all 212 House Democrats in supporting their petition, regardless of what he stated have been makes an attempt by the White House to halt the hassle.
“There’s a major pressure campaign from the White House right now, and also from the speaker, but I think there are enough Republicans who are listening to their constituents and care about these victims that we’ll get the 218 signatures we need,” he stated.
“Nobody’s tried to get me to stop doing it. I have texted with Mike Johnson as recently as yesterday,” Massie later informed reporters, refusing to disclose what Johnson had stated to him.
And any vows from Trump and his allies to mount a main in opposition to Massie doesn’t fear him, the congressman stated. “I’ve already poked the hornet’s nest here. And you know, once you’re, once you’re in for a penny, you’re in for a pound, we’re going to get these files released,” he stated.
A White House official stated in response to a NCS request for remark, “Helping Thomas Massie and Liberal Democrats with their attention-seeking, while the DOJ is fully supporting a more comprehensive file release effort from the Oversight Committee, would be viewed as a very hostile act to the administration.”
Underscoring the rising strain on House Republicans to act on the Epstein matter, management on Tuesday added a symbolic vote to the chamber’s calendar that may name on the Oversight Committee to proceed its investigation into the Epstein files.
Massie criticized the transfer, which got here earlier than he had the chance Tuesday to file his discharge petition and start gathering signatures, as not “wide enough.”
“It’s basically telling [House Oversight Chairman] James Comer to keep doing what he’s doing, and I appreciate what James Comer is doing, but this vote is unnecessary, and it’s to provide political cover to those Republicans who may not be sponsoring or signing the effort that Ro Khanna and I put forward,” he stated of Johnson’s decision.
The speaker dismissed Massie’s criticism, telling reporters later within the afternoon that he “would not put much stock in what Thomas Massie says.”
“The House Republicans have been very consistent about maximum disclosure, maximum transparency for the Epstein files, but we have to do it in a way that would protect the innocent victims of these horrific crimes,” he stated, later including, “What people want to do with this for political purposes, to me, is really just shameful.”
In response, Massie pointed to a Wednesday press convention he and Khanna will maintain with a quantity of Epstein victims who he stated are pleading for the files to be launched.
“He can’t say that he’s protecting the victims, and I’m not,” he stated.
Johnson and members of the Oversight Committee met with six victims for greater than two hours behind closed-doors Tuesday in what many lawmakers described as an emotional and informative assembly.
GOP Rep. Nancy Mace left the assembly in tears, whereas Johnson informed reporters the testimonials have been “heartbreaking and infuriating” and that “there were tears in the room. There was outrage.”
The speaker, who has tried to stroll a tightrope on the problem, vowed for “transparency” in releasing info to the general public, and stated Trump shares the identical perspective.
“That’s his mindset. And he wants the American people to have information so they can draw their own conclusions.” Johnson stated he’d spoken with Trump “about this very subject myself,” saying the president “is insistent that we protect the innocent victims, and that’s what this has been about.”
Yet, Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury criticized Johnson for not wanting to increase the investigation into Epstein past the Oversight panel.
“It’s noteworthy that in the room with six victims of sexual violence by Jeffrey Epstein, it was suggested by Democrats that this be investigated using the full force of every committee here in Congress. And the speaker ended by saying he didn’t think that was necessary. He’d like to just keep it in the Oversight Committee,” Stansbury stated.
Members within the room relayed that the victims need extra info launched, whereas making certain that sure personal particulars are protected.
But even some Republicans leaving the room signaled that they’d be open to signing onto Massie’s effort to power a full House vote on releasing the files.
“After reading the entire resolution, it’s very good. It’s well written. It protects the victims and it provides the transparency that the country deserves, and most importantly, the survivors deserve. Yes I will be proudly signing the petition,” GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia stated.
Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, in the meantime, informed reporters she believes all of the files shall be launched and {that a} vote received’t be essential, but when it comes to it, she could be “happy to” signal on.
There was bipartisan settlement within the room to subpoena extra people based mostly on the names that got here up within the dialog with the victims, Democratic Rep. David Min of California informed reporters.
“There’s a lot of stuff we’re learning that the government has access to that has not been made available to us,” he stated.
“We want to know what we don’t know and where we can get it. I came away from this feeling like that first tranche of documents that we received was completely useless and that they’re withholding a lot of information right now.”
This headline and story have been up to date with extra developments.