House Republicans blocked a Democratic-backed effort late Monday evening to require the Department of Justice to release all records related to the convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
The House Rules Committee voted 5 to 7 to reject an amendment that would force Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish any “records or evidence” regarding the federal government’s prosecution and incarceration of Epstein. Just one House Republican, Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, voted in favor of the amendment.
Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna, a populist with some admirers on the right, introduced the measure as a potential amendment to a procedural rule containing major crypto legislation and defense appropriations.
Some Republicans on the powerful committee argued the House Rules panel was not the right forum to debate releasing the Epstein files. However, most GOP lawmakers on the panel did not comment on the amendment before voting against it.
“I fail to see how that amendment is germane to this rule,” Republican Georgia Rep. Austin Scott, one of the GOP lawmakers who voted “no,” said during debate on Khanna’s measure.
Republican Reps. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota, Nicholas Langworthy of New York, Erin Houchin of Indiana, Morgan Griffith of Virginia and Brian Jack of Georgia also voted against requiring the Trump administration to release Epstein records.
Trump has urged his supporters to stop pressing for answers to unanswered questions related to Epstein following administration officials releasing an unsigned memo stating the convicted sex criminal did not maintain a client list and died by suicide.
Many members of the president’s base, however, remain skeptical and have chided administration officials, particularly Bondi, for appearing to exaggerate information related to Epstein within the government’s possession.
Democrats are seeking to capitalize on some Republican voters’ disappointment with the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files, arguing the episode has impugned the credibility of the president’s commitment to government transparency.
“This is about trust. Republicans said, ‘Trust us. Vote for us and we will release these files,’” Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern, his party’s lead member on the House Rules Committee, said Monday. “Here we are. They are backtracking.”
Khanna’s amendment has faced backlash from some users on social media who note the populist Democrat did not lead similar Epstein transparency efforts during the Biden administration.
Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy did not attend the Rules meeting. Roy’s Hill Country district has been devastated by historic flash floods, which have killed at least 131 people. Roughly a third of the fatalities are children, most of whom died at Camp Mystic when the Guadalupe River engulfed the Christian all-girls summer retreat during the early morning hours of July 4.
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