Raskin points to Musk remarks in demanding release of Epstein files
'Elon Musk said that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files, and that's the real reason they haven't been released,' the lawmaker said Wednesday in an interview on MSNBC's 'All in with Chris Hayes,' paraphrasing comments Musk made during a public feud with the president over the massive tax and spending bill, which was signed into law July 4.
Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said the administration should release all the material it has on Epstein but, 'at the very least,' should release material related to Musk's remarks — noting the Tesla CEO spent months in the White House as a senior adviser to the president and had access to sensitive material.
'We've been hearing from Trump and [Attorney General] Pam Bondi and [FBI Director] Kash Patel and the Republicans, for years now, about all of the extraordinarily lurid things that are in there about politicians and people with extraordinary wealth and power who are on Epstein's list,' Raskin said. 'And that's what we want to see. They should release all of it.'
'At the very least, they should release those parts that were indicated by Elon Musk,' the Maryland Democrat continued, 'who, for a while, was Donald Trump's best friend and who was entrusted with the most important job in the administration — which was basically to dismantle the government of the United States — whose repercussions we're living with right now.'
Earlier this week, Raskin led his fellow Democrats on the Judiciary panel in a letter asking the Justice Department to release former special counsel Jack Smith's report on the Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation as well as any of the Epstein files that reference Trump.
He accused Bondi of shielding potentially damaging information.
'This Administration has repeatedly claimed that President Trump is 'the most transparent and accessible president in American history.' So far, your DOJ has not only failed to live up to this promise, but you have also consistently hidden from the American public materials and information that may be damaging to President Trump,' Raskin wrote in a letter to Bondi, which was signed by 15 other Democrats on the committee.
'Your conduct is particularly worrisome as it appears to be part of a pattern of using the DOJ to cover up evidence of criminal wrongdoing by President Trump, including information allegedly contained in the Epstein files,' it continues. 'We write today to demand that you release the Smith report immediately, as well as any evidence mentioning or referencing Donald Trump in the Epstein files.'
The letter came after the DOJ on Monday released a memo concluding Epstein died by suicide and did not keep a client list.
That contradicted Musk's accusation that Trump 'is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.'
The president has denied being close with Epstein and fumed over questions about the matter during a Tuesday Cabinet meeting.
'Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable,' Trump said Tuesday during a Cabinet meeting.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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