Republicans are getting an earful back home over the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files during the start of their monthlong district work period.
House members returned to their districts this week after days of political gridlock in the House over the Trump administration’s refusal to release the Department of Justice files on the late sex offender, despite telegraphing revelations that were coming, including a possible client list. The problem doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon and could overshadow GOP efforts to sell President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act during the recess.
As town halls have begun, Republicans have faced scrutiny from their constituents over the handling of the files since the Justice Department and FBI released a two-page memo earlier this month stating there is no evidence Epstein blackmailed people or kept a “client list” and reiterating he died by suicide, a conclusion that has resulted in mounting backlash from Trump’s Make America Great Again base.
The White House has used many methods to divert attention from the issue, but that has not stopped constituents from voicing their concerns.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) announced the Epstein Files Transparency Act with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) to force a vote on the complete release of government files related to the convicted sex offender. Eleven Republicans have co-sponsored the legislation as of Friday, as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has dodged voting on it.
One co-sponsor, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), addressed why he signed onto the legislation in his tele-town hall on Tuesday.
“I believe transparency should be the hallmark of every administration, whether they’re Democrat or Republican,” Crane said.
Other members who did not cosponsor the legislation are also pushing back on leadership for the Epstein drama.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), who is expected to launch a bid for governor this weekend, posted on X that he led a separate resolution, claiming that “leadership is stalling.”
While members of Trump’s team, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, previously fueled an idea that the government was hiding some grand conspiracy to protect powerful clients, the president now wants to shut down the fervor and move on.
Trump has clapped back at the efforts of the Democratic Party to push for the release: “Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.” He said his “PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bull****’ hook, line, and sinker. They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years,” he wrote on TruthSocial.
Johnson separated himself from the president Thursday, telling CBS that “it is not a hoax,” while emphasizing “there are real victims here.” The speaker added he had “never seen the Epstein evidence, it was not in my lane.”
Other successful bipartisan motions were led in the House this week. Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) introduced a motion to subpoena the records in a House Oversight subcommittee, where three Republicans voted with the Pennsylvania Democrat, including Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), who also supports the Massie resolution.
Perry, who sits in a competitive seat, responded to questions during a town hall Tuesday night, saying, “I have requested the files. I have requested that the DOJ, and you can see the letter publicly, that the DOJ release the files. Not only that, that they also provide a special prosecutor,” NPR reported.
Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) was also confronted at a tele-town hall Wednesday over the handling of the Epstein files. He said the most important thing to do is to protect the victims, saying, “People are being sloppy and playing politics with this, I think it’s really important that we make sure that we protect the victims.”
HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO SUBPOENA GHISLAINE MAXWELL AS EPSTEIN FIGHT CONTINUES
When asked if he would go after the “predators” no matter who is on the list, he responded, “I want to see anyone who has committed a crime against a child to be prosecuted, period. Hard stop.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) passed a motion unanimously Tuesday morning by voice vote in the House Oversight Committee to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate. Maxwell met with a senior Department of Justice official on Thursday and Friday in Tallahassee, where she is imprisoned.
