Calif. Dem rep's bid to force release of Epstein files falls flat in House
Khanna sought to capitalize on the raging MAGA revolt over Epstein by tacking on an amendment to pending legislation on cryptocurrency and national defense that would have required the files to be disclosed to the public.
The rep vowed to keep fighting after his defeat.
3 Dem California Rep. Ro Khanna vows to keep fighting for the release of the Epstein files.
AP
'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 said.
On Monday evening, the House Rules Committee, which is a critical gatekeeper for how most legislation makes its way to the floor for a vote, rejected Khanna's amendment in a 7–5 vote.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) was the sole Republican on the rules panel who voted in favor of Khanna's bid to force the release of the Epstein files. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), whose district was slammed with flooding, was not present.
3 Jeffrey Epstein's death in 2019 has long been subject to controversy and public concerns that there was more to the story.
DOJ
All Democrats joined in with Khanna.
Democrats have seemingly been eager to exploit the growing MAGA rift over Epstein.
Key stars within the MAGA movement such as Steve Bannon, Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson have fumed that the administration hasn't been more transparent on Epstein — who allegedly helped arrange sex trysts for the rich and powerful before being busted for sex trafficking and killing himself in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial.
Last week, the DOJ released a memo concluding that the evidence indicates Epstein killed himself and that he didn't have a client list. President Trump has since bristled at the uproar and urged his followers to 'not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.'
But Khanna declared after the rules panel vote, 'People are fed up. They are fed up.
'Need to put the American people before party!'
The California Democrat meanwhile said he would expect the DOJ to protect the identities of Epstein's victims if it releases the files.
3 Attorney General Pam Bondi has faced a firestorm from MAGA world over the government's report on the Epstein files.
AFP via Getty Images
Other key Democrats, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, have also pressed the Trump administration to release the files.
'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 told MSNBC's 'Deadline: White House.'
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