California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna’s bid to pressure the discharge of the Justice Division’s recordsdata on infamous intercourse predator Jeffrey Epstein fell flat within the Home on Monday.
Khanna sought to capitalize on the raging MAGA revolt over Epstein by tacking on an modification to pending laws on cryptocurrency and nationwide protection that will have required the recordsdata to be disclosed to the general public.
The rep vowed to maintain preventing after his defeat.
“We won’t stop until the files are released. This may have been our first attempt, but the public will not be gas-lit. We will keep fighting for transparency,” Khanna mentioned.
On Monday night, the Home Guidelines Committee, which is a crucial gatekeeper for the way most laws makes its technique to the ground for a vote, rejected Khanna’s modification in a 7–5 vote.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) was the only Republican on the principles panel who voted in favor of Khanna’s bid to pressure the discharge of the Epstein recordsdata. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), whose district was slammed with flooding, was not current.
All Democrats joined in with Khanna.
Democrats have seemingly been keen to use the rising MAGA rift over Epstein.
Key stars inside the MAGA motion comparable to Steve Bannon, Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson have fumed that the administration hasn’t been extra clear on Epstein — who allegedly helped prepare intercourse trysts for the wealthy and highly effective earlier than being busted for intercourse trafficking and killing himself in his Manhattan jail cell whereas awaiting trial.
Final week, the DOJ launched a memo concluding that the proof signifies Epstein killed himself and that he didn’t have a shopper checklist. President Trump has since bristled on the uproar and urged his followers to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”
However Khanna declared after the principles panel vote, “Individuals are fed up. They’re fed up.
“Need to put the American people before party!”
The California Democrat in the meantime mentioned he would anticipate the DOJ to guard the identities of Epstein’s victims if it releases the recordsdata.
Different key Democrats, comparable to Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, have additionally pressed the Trump administration to launch the recordsdata.
“If there are literally other people on this list who are somehow implicated in these actions, it is dangerous to public health and safety not to release the names publicly,” Raskin instructed MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House.”
