Epstein Defendants Advocate for File Release at Capitol

A group of defendants connected to Jeffrey Epstein assembled at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, aiming to persuade Congress to enact legislation mandating the Trump administration to disclose all government files pertaining to him.

These women joined Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)—the main proponents of the bill—in asserting that the Justice Department possesses numerous documents that could implicate individuals involved in Epstein’s crimes. Their desire? Closure and justice, even if it comes years down the line.

The emotional rallying cry from a whistleblower came just hours before the House of Representatives was anticipated to vote on a bill requiring the Justice Department to release classified Epstein documents. This bill faced opposition from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who had aligned with President Trump and the Justice Department in a protracted effort to block it. However, President Trump unexpectedly shifted his stance over the weekend.

In a news conference, Greene, who had criticized Trump for his lack of support last week, remarked, “I was called a traitor and gave my loyalty freely to a man I fought for six years… A traitor is someone who serves a foreign country, while a patriot serves the United States. And the real Americans are the women standing behind me,” she emphasized, referring to the victims of Epstein.

In a bid to bypass this obstruction, supporters of the bill utilized a rarely invoked procedural tactic called a discharge petition, which forces a vote even if the majority party leader is resistant. Last week, the petition secured its definitive 218th signature following Rep. Adelita Grijalva’s (D) success in Arizona’s special election held on September 23. Greene, along with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), were the only Republicans alongside Mr. Massie in supporting the petition.

In a remarkable twist, President Trump, who had been leading attempts to block the release of new Epstein files, dramatically changed his position Sunday night when it became clear his efforts to thwart the House bill would not succeed. He called on House Republicans to back the proposal and indicated he would sign the bill into law if it made it to his desk.

Trump’s sudden endorsement of the bill complicated Speaker Johnson’s attempts to derail it, paving the way for its anticipated approval during a debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon. Johnson had previously warned that the bill did not adequately safeguard Epstein’s victims, but he has now placed it on an emergency suspension calendar requiring a two-thirds majority. This signals broad Republican support for the legislation, exceeding the four who initially backed the removal petition.

Some of Epstein’s victims have voiced skepticism regarding President Trump, dismissing his remarks labeling the push for file release as a “Democratic prank.”

Haley Robson, one of the victims, articulated her concerns during a press conference: “To the President of the United States, although you’re not here today, I recognize your position on the Epstein files has shifted. I appreciate your commitment to sign this bill, but I remain wary of the underlying agenda. I’m traumatized, yet I’m not naïve.”

An additional victim, Jenna Lisa Jones, expressed: “Mr. President, please don’t make this a political issue. It’s not about you. You’re our president; start behaving like it. Show some integrity, show real leadership, and demonstrate that you care about others—not just yourself.”

Johnson told the press on Monday that Trump “never had anything to hide,” but he expressed worries that the bill might lead to the release of sensitive details regarding victims who wish to stay anonymous. However, Khanna and Massie contested this claim, asserting that their legislation explicitly prevents the publication of compromising information.

Trump has personal ties to the Epstein scandal, having socialized with him in the late ’90s and early 2000s, until their relationship soured for reasons that remain unclear. Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump that his name appeared in a private Justice Department file. Following a subpoena from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Epstein Foundation released a poem that Trump allegedly wrote for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, which Trump denies authoring.

More recently, emails released by Democrats on the Oversight Committee indicated that Epstein believed he “reasonably” understood Trump’s connections with underage girls and that one of the victims “spent hours” with Trump.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the committee’s leading Democrat, commented, “These recent emails and messages raise serious questions about what else the White House is concealing and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the president.”

However, White House press secretary Caroline Levitt countered that the emails were simply a “malicious attempt to distract from President Trump’s significant achievements.”

In parallel, Republicans on the Oversight Committee released 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate. Some correspondence included in this collection shows Epstein describing Trump as “bordering on insane” and “dirty.”

Mark Epstein, the late sex offender’s brother, claimed this week that Justice Department officials were “sanitizing” documents ahead of Congress’ vote to erase references to Republican figures. He also insinuated that his brother possessed incriminating evidence against Trump, though he did not elaborate further.

“Jeffrey definitely had dirt on Trump,” Mark Epstein stated.