Top Democratic leader turns up heat on Trump admin to release Epstein files
WASHINGTON - House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged the Trump administration to release all the files related to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, noting that he will back congressional efforts to do so if action isn’t taken.
President Donald Trump and top officials spent years claiming that there was a scandalous Epstein "client list" and evidence that the disgraced financier did not commit suicide in 2019 − only to let the base down with a Justice Department report last week confirming there was no list and that Epstein had taken his own life.
“The American people deserve to know the truth. What, if anything, is the Trump administration and the Department of Justice hiding?” Jeffries said in a July 14 press conference.
“What are you hiding? If you're not hiding anything, prove that to the American people, and if you are trying to hide something, as many of Donald Trump's MAGA supporters apparently believe, then the Congress should actually work hard to try to uncover the truth for the American people,” he added.
Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, introduced a resolution on July 14 calling for the administration to release “all unclassified files, flight logs, correspondence, and evidence” related to Epstein and his inner circle.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, also brought forward an amendment to a cryptocurrency bill, unrelated to the Epstein case, urging the administration to release the information.
“I haven't had a conversation with those members for an opportunity to evaluate the resolution and the legislation,” Jeffries said. “However, I think transparency and sunlight for the American people is always the better course of action.”
Contributing: Savannah Kuchar, Paste BN