The fight over the Epstein files has turned into the kind of D.C. circus that would be funny if it weren’t such a reminder of how slowly Washington moves whenever the truth gets a little too close to the powerful. Now we’re watching a bipartisan group try to pry open long buried Justice Department records while Speaker Mike Johnson tries to keep the House from tipping over like a wobbly kitchen table with one leg shorter than the others. And of course all of this is happening because Democrats are trying to breathe new life into a set of emails from a dead sex trafficker who spent his life manipulating rich people, politicians, and anyone gullible enough to trust a guy who owned his own island.
The newest spark was Democrats dropping a batch of emails where Epstein claimed President Trump “knew about the girls.” Epstein also claimed plenty of other things over the years, usually to save his own hide, but that nuance rarely survives in the political feeding frenzy. President Trump has said this whole renewed interest is nothing more than a partisan hit job, and frankly, that explanation fits right in with the timing. Epstein’s claims are being treated like holy scripture by the same people who insisted for four years that the guy could never be believed on anything. But now he said something they think can damage Trump, so suddenly he’s a straight shooter. Washington logic at its finest.
The Democrats found their missing vote when Rep elect Adelita Grijalva was sworn in, and now they have the 218 signatures they need on the discharge petition. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, an interesting odd couple if there ever was one, are leading the push. The plan is to force the release of all the Epstein related DOJ files, and they are doing it over the objections, whispers, and eye rolling from leadership circles that would prefer this whole topic disappear into the same memory hole where the Epstein jail security footage mysteriously evaporated back in 2019.
For Johnson, it is a headache without a clear escape hatch. With a razor thin majority, he can’t simply punt the issue, and he already promised some members he wouldn’t choke it in committee. Even the Republicans who didn’t sign the petition are quietly admitting they will vote for the release. That tells you how toxic the optics would be if anyone tried to block transparency now. Once the petition ripens, which is Congress speak for the clock running out, Johnson has to bring it to the floor.
Then there is the trio of GOP firebrands, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Nancy Mace, who are sticking with the effort even with the White House and some Republican strategists grumbling that the whole thing could distract from the agenda. Good luck telling those three to sit down and hush. If anything, this is their kind of fight.
Democrats are licking their chops, acting like they have Republicans cornered because of a couple emails and a claim about a birthday note in Epstein’s so called birthday book. President Trump says he never wrote it and is suing over that reporting. Epstein spent decades lying to people while smiling for photos, so treating his every word as gospel now is a strange hill to die on.
The truth is pretty simple. The government dragged its feet for years on releasing these files. People on both sides want them out, if only to stop the speculation machine that has been running nonstop since Epstein died. If releasing everything finally brings daylight to a case that stinks to high heaven, then good. Let it all come out so everyone can stop pretending the Justice Department has handled this perfectly and get back to dealing with the mess that was left behind.
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