Related Articles
-Editorial
Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of Jeffrey Epstein who was convicted in 2022 on child sex trafficking charges, has expressed willingness to testify before Congress about her role in facilitating the trafficking of underage girls. Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, is the only individual convicted in connection with Epstein’s sex trafficking operation, which is believed to have involved up to 1,000 victims.
Her offer to testify comes amid renewed political pressure surrounding the case. Last week, the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a memo stating that there is no evidence Epstein maintained a client list or used blackmail to control high-profile individuals allegedly involved in illegal sex acts with minors.
Despite the DOJ’s conclusion, several Democratic lawmakers are pushing for the release of all records related to the Epstein investigation. Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) announced plans to file an amendment to the GENIUS Act, a cryptocurrency bill, to compel Attorney General Pam Bondi to compile and publish all Epstein-related records.
“The criticism I am receiving is that Biden should have done this. Fine. But what is good now for the public? When we have a future Dem President, if Rs say let’s support Medicare for All or tax the wealthy, I wouldn’t call them out about the past. I’d say great. Let’s get it done!” Khanna said.
Representative Marc Veasey (D-Texas) also said he would introduce a resolution demanding that the Trump administration make the files public.
“Either @realDonaldTrump and his acolytes fueled the rumors of the significance of these Epstein files to help his campaign, or something is there! That’s why on Monday, I’ll introduce a resolution demanding the Trump Administration release all files related to the Epstein case. Put up or shut up!” Veasey stated on X.
While the efforts are unlikely to succeed legislatively, supporters hope the move will draw public attention and pressure GOP lawmakers. The House Rules Committee, which will consider Khanna’s amendment, is controlled by Republicans, making passage improbable.
The DOJ has stated it will not release any additional Epstein files, citing victim privacy and ongoing concerns about misinformation. This decision follows the release of surveillance footage confirming Epstein’s 2019 jailhouse suicide, a conclusion still questioned by many due to inconsistencies in the case, including security failures and Epstein’s ties to powerful individuals.
Attorney General Bondi previously pledged transparency in the investigation, and the DOJ released 200 pages of Epstein-related documents earlier this year. However, Bondi later acknowledged that thousands more pages had not been disclosed. An internal review was launched to determine the cause of the delay.
Epstein, a financier with global connections, was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and died in custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. His death, officially ruled a suicide, sparked widespread controversy and speculation about potential cover-ups.
Adding to the confusion, Elon Musk recently posted, and later deleted, a claim on social media that Donald Trump was a client of Epstein. The post briefly reignited conspiracy theories about the extent of Epstein’s ties to political and business elites.