Congress shuts down Epstein files release as every House Republican votes no
A Democratic effort to release the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files was blocked Tuesday along a party line vote Tuesday in the House of Representatives.
Every Democrat voted in favor of Rep. Ro Khanna’s, D-Calif., procedural measure that would have forced the Department of Justice to release the files online within 30 days.
Meanwhile, every House Republican in the chamber voted against the release, killing the measure.
Democrats have seized on the issue since the DOJ and FBI released a joint memo July 6 stating there was “no incriminating ‘client list’” and “no credible evidence” that Epstein blackmailed co-conspirators who sexually abused underaged girls provided by him, Axios first reported.
The memo stirred outrage among Trump’s most ardent supporters who trusted the president’s word during the campaign to release the files.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said the Republicans who voted against the release of the files raises questions.
“Why after promising for all these years to release the Epstein files will President Trump not release them? And we know they were friends and we know they hung out and we know there are all these pictures together,” Raskin said.
He pointed out that Trump biographer Michael Wolff observed photos of Trump and Epstein with minor girls.
“Where does that leave us? That doesn’t look good if they then cover up all the information,” Raskin said. “Come clean and release the information as the Republicans have repeatedly promised to do.”
Khanna was behind another measure to release the files that did not get past the House Rules Committee on Monday night.
“They voted to block my amendment that called for the full release of the Epstein files while protecting the victims’ identities. Let’s just be clear: They voted to protect rich and powerful men who were abusing, assaulting and abandoning young women,” Khanna said on the House floor Tuesday while explaining his measure that failed a short while later.
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