By Ellis Kim, CNN
The national political furor around the Jeffrey Epstein case files has escalated in recent days, even as President Donald Trump has sought to dismiss the calls for more transparency as a “Democrat hoax.”
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On Capitol Hill, the effort to pry loose more records from the Justice Department’s Epstein case files is proceeding on two tracks.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has vowed a probe underway by the House Oversight Committee will “uncover things that have never been uncovered before,” but critics say it will yield little information that isn’t already known to the public.
The other, more attention-grabbing effort is being led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who is seeking to bypass leadership and force a floor vote on his bill – with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California – to compel the full release of the documents.
Here’s everything to know about those efforts and what’s next in the saga:
Hill push to release all Epstein files
Massie is using a maneuver known as a discharge petition to attempt to force a floor vote on his legislation. For the effort to succeed, he will need 218 signatures. If all Democrats sign the petition, only six Republicans would need to add their names.
So far, four Republicans have signed on. In addition to Massie, they are: Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Nancy Mace of South Carolina. Greene is, notably, a fervent supporter and key ally of Trump’s on Capitol Hill.
But the petition appears to have lost a bit of momentum. Multiple House Republicans who were initially supportive of Massie’s legislation said this week they wouldn’t sign his petition, citing the release of over 30,000 Epstein-related documents by the Oversight Committee.
Johnson and the White House have also urged Republicans to not sign the petition. One White House official previously told CNN that helping Massie and Democrats with their petition would “be viewed as a very hostile act to the administration.”
If Massie gets his 218 signatures, he needs to wait at least seven legislative days before bringing the bill to the floor. House leaders can also take up to two legislative days before they put it to a vote.
Skepticism in the Senate
Even if Massie’s bill clears the House, there’s no guarantee it would get a vote in the Senate. Majority Leader John Thune told CNN on Thursday he did not think the chamber needs to pass the legislation, citing the Justice Department’s release of thousands of pages related to the case.
Asked whether the Senate should vote on a bill that may get a vote in the House over the objections of GOP leaders through a discharge petition or a bill introduced by Democrats in the Senate, the Republican leader said he was “not sure what that achieves.”
House Oversight subpoenas
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department in August for the full set of Epstein files and is receiving them on a rolling basis. The panel, which released over 30,000 pages this week, plans to publish more documents going forward.
The panel has also issued several other subpoenas in its investigation, including one to Epstein’s estate last month for the financier’s “birthday book” – a reported collection of letters gifted to Epstein for his 50th birthday that included a note bearing Trump’s name. Trump has repeatedly denied writing a letter for Epstein’s so-called birthday book and sued The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on it, for defamation.
The estate is expected to begin producing materials on September 8, but that production is expected to have redactions, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
The panel also plans to hold a transcribed interview with Alexander Acosta, a former Labor Secretary during Trump’s first term, on September 19. Acosta was the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida in 2008, when the DOJ struck a controversial plea deal with Epstein.
It’s also seeking testimony from other major law enforcement and political figures, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The prospect of a Trump meeting
In a press conference on the US Capitol steps, several Epstein abuse victims said they wanted a meeting with the president. It’s unclear whether he will entertain the request.
Greene told CNN she has encouraged that meeting, saying: “I am continuing to encourage him that these are the people that deserve to be in the Oval Office, not any of Jeffrey Epstein’s rich, powerful friends that allowed this to happen to them, or anyone that may have been a part of it.”
Johnson has also said he suspects Trump “probably” would meet with the victims.
Victims may compile list of alleged abusers
Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips said fellow victims would work together to compile their own list of alleged abusers from Epstein’s orbit if all of the information related to the case is not publicly released.
Massie and Greene have said they are prepared to use constitutional protections to read the names aloud on the House floor to help publicize the names.
The Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause broadly protects lawmakers from criminal and civil litigation for remarks made during the course of legislative work, while the victims, the lawmakers said, could be “sued into homelessness” if they did the same.
The timing of producing such a list, Massie has said, would be up to the victims but he predicted it would not happen “any time soon.”
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