Bipartisan pair say they will force House vote on releasing Epstein files after recess

A Republican and Democrat are working together to force Attorney-General Pam Bondi to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Pressure is mounting on Attorney General Pam Bondi to publicly release all Epstein files as the Trump administration continues to attempt to divert the conversation.

A bipartisan pair of congressmen pushing for the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein say they will continue to press the issue when Congress returns from an extended summer break, keeping attention on a political land mine for top House Republicans.

Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump. Picture: Getty Images.

Reps. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) are readying a petition to force a floor vote on legislation that would give Attorney General Pam Bondi 30 days to release files related to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

“It would force a full release of the files,” Massie said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “It’s not a pretty please, would you release the files. It’s the force of law.” Under House rules, if the petition is signed by the majority of lawmakers, it forces a vote. Massie and 11 Republicans say they are ready to join Democrats on the petition. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) recently adjourned the House until September and said he wanted to give the Trump administration space to handle the issue.

Trump continues to face questions about his previous relationship with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking. The Wall Street Journal published an article earlier this month about a letter bearing Trump’s name that was included in a 2003 birthday album for Epstein. Trump has called the letter “nonexistent” and sued the Journal’s reporters, Journal publisher Dow Jones, parent company News Corp and executives, alleging that the article defamed him.

A Dow Jones spokeswoman said, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.” A News Corp spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Trump has said his relationship with Epstein ended before the disgraced financier pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution in 2008. When Epstein was arrested again in 2019, Trump said he hadn’t talked to him in 15 years.

Trump and top administration officials promised to release the so-called “Epstein files,” and have faced mounting criticism from their own supporters for not releasing more information. In response to the backlash, the Justice Department has since asked courts to release grand-jury transcripts from the Epstein and Maxwell investigations.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that President Trump is mentioned in the files along with others. Being mentioned in the files isn’t evidence of wrongdoing.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche traveled last week to meet Maxwell, the imprisoned longtime confidante of Epstein, in Tallahassee, Fla., where she is serving a 20-year sentence after her 2021 conviction on sex-trafficking and other offenses for facilitating Epstein’s sexual abuse of underage teens.

The House Oversight Committee has also issued a subpoena to require Maxwell to testify. Prosecutors said Maxwell selected young, vulnerable victims for Epstein and at times participated in the abuse herself. She has appealed her conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court. At her sentencing in 2022, she called Epstein, her onetime boyfriend, a manipulative, cunning and controlling man who fooled all those in his orbit.

Questions about the late convicted sex predator have exploded inside the GOP since the Justice Department announced earlier this month it had concluded there was no foul play involved in his 2019 death and there is no “client list” of powerful accomplices to be released.

A vote could put Republicans in an uncomfortable position of having to decide whether to support having the files released and defying President Trump, or risk alienating voters who want more transparency. Massie said Sunday the issue could cost Republicans their House majority.

Johnson last week accused Massie, who has clashed with Trump and Johnson on other legislation, of trying to inflict political pain.

“Is the pain he’s talking about that somebody in our party will be embarrassed by those files -- then that’s not a good excuse,” Massie said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “Is the pain he’s talking about is that the legislators, when they vote have to pick between protecting the embarrassment of the rich and powerful versus getting justice for victims?” Johnson on NBC’s “Meet The Press” on Sunday called the Massie and Khanna effort “reckless in the way that it is drafted and presented,” saying it doesn’t protect victims. The two lawmakers countered, saying their bill would redact victims’ names and hide any child pornography, which is one reason the Justice Department has cited for not releasing the files.

WSJ