Congress must hear from Jeffrey Epstein's victims about Ghislaine Maxwell's role
Lawyers for a convicted child sex trafficker got right to the point recently while seeking to prevent the public release of testimony from the grand jury that indicted her.
"Jeffrey Epstein is dead. Ghislaine Maxwell is not," they wrote in an Aug. 5 legal brief, opposing the release of those records.
That blunt and binary assessment – Epstein died from an apparent suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, Maxwell is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence – didn't have much to say about the other people involved in this metastasizing scandal in Donald Trump's second term as president: the victimized underage girls who are still seeking justice years later.
Maxwell has been the center of attention – and, so far, a beneficiary of it – in this scandal. But in three weeks, we'll focus instead on some of those victims. Sounds like they have plenty to share about her.
House Speaker Johnson wants Epstein files to just go away
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, have jointly announced that they will hold a Sept. 3 news conference at the U.S. Capitol to hear from those victims and their attorneys while pressing for passage of their bipartisan legislation to release what has become known as the "Epstein files."
That bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, has 11 Republican and 33 Democratic cosponsors.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, found a vote on that bill so concerning in July that he sent the House members home early for the summer break to avoid it.
Opinion: Epstein accomplice Maxwell angles for a Trump pardon. Would she lie to help him?
"We're not going to play political games with this," Johnson said at a July 22 news conference while openly, publicly playing political games to snuff out a bipartisan move for transparency.
Johnson's punt bought a little time for Trump, who used to hang out with Epstein and Maxwell and has been haunted of late by a 2002 New York magazine interview, in which he said Epstein was "a lot of fun to be with" and "likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."
All eyes now on Ghislaine Maxwell and possible pardon
But this isn't going away, despite Trump's flailing efforts to quiet the controversy. And Massie and Khanna are platforming exactly who we need to hear from in this scandal – the victims – while Maxwell's turn in the congressional spotlight is still very much up in the air.
She was subpoenaed in July to testify from behind bars this week for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. But that was postponed indefinitely, in part because Maxwell has an appeal for her conviction being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court and because she demanded congressional immunity, and the committee refused.
That's a rare setback for Maxwell, who has used her infamy to rack up something of a winning streak as Trump struggles with the Epstein scandal.
Maxwell, who was convicted of recruiting underage victims and coaching them to have sex with Epstein while sometimes joining in, got her way when a federal judge in New York on Aug. 11 declined to release that grand jury testimony.
Two days of secretive interviews in July with a top Department of Justice official – who once served as Trump's private lawyer – won Maxwell a transfer from a women's prison in Florida to a much cushier federal camp in Texas.
Her lawyers are now angling to win her a pardon from Trump, something he feels regularly obliged to note publicly that he is allowed to do.
Opinion: Republicans in Congress head home to angry voters. So much for summer break.
So Trump is openly mulling a pardon for a known liar who could benefit from spinning a favorable tale about him in this scandal. And Massie and Khanna are using their congressional posts to give voice to those Maxwell victimized for Epstein.
Really, who are you rooting for here?
If you find yourself on Team Maxwell, a growing chorus among many of Trump's most MAGA media supporters, you're going to bat for a woman who recruited and sexually abused children. That's ugly stuff, a perversion of political partisanship so profoundly grotesque that it has broken through and overcome that constant stream of chaos Trump has been deploying to distract America.
This scandal won't dissipate in the summer heat, just because that's what Trump wants. American voters – Republicans, Democrats and independents – are calling for transparency. Congress must provide it.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Translating Politics, here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
25 minutes ago
- Politico
10 things you need to know about California Democrats' redistricting plan
The Palm Springs portion of Calvert's district, meanwhile, would be tacked onto the seat now held by Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, who would suddenly find himself in a district with a four-point Democratic advantage that spans Riverside and San Diego counties. Issa, who lost in the 2018 wave and moved to nab a safer GOP seat in 2020, would find himself once again a target. (More on those races below.) 2. Vulnerable Democrats get some relief Knocking off Republicans is just one side of the coin. Democrats also want to ease the pressure on their frontline members. Democrats in some of last year's toughest campaigns — including Adam Gray in the Central Valley, Derek Tran and Dave Min in Orange County and George Whitesides in Los Angeles County — all would see their districts turn a deeper shade of blue. Gov. Gavin Newsom, eager to maximize the intimidation factor for Texas, told Crooked Media that shoring up those vulnerable Democrats is in itself a net gain for his party. If Texas proceeds with its plan, he said, 'We'll neutralize them and we'll also punch above our weight in those four additional seats.' By that logic, the bluer tinge of the districts represented by Rep. Josh Harder and Mike Levin — two Democrats who are perpetually on the bubble of a serious challenge, but so far have not been marquee races — also add to the Democrats' spoils. Are the seats really 'additional' if Democrats already have them? No, but taking them off the board for Republicans would undeniably be a net positive for the party, allowing them to focus their resources in other tight races in California and throughout the country. 3. Don't count your chickens A lot has to go right for this to work, if 'work' is defined as 'Democrats flip enough seats in California to offset five Texas pickups.' Even if voters approve the new maps, coloring a district bluer on paper guarantees nothing. Just ask the string of Democrats who have tried, unsuccessfully, to oust Valadao from a seat where registered Democrats have for years outnumbered Republicans. The new map adds left-leaning voters to Valadao's district, but he's defied the voter-registration odds before. Meanwhile, some efforts to bolster Democratic incumbents are not guaranteed to work. Gray's Central Valley seat and the Orange County district held by Tran do get marginally more Democratic, but will still likely require Democrats to spend heavily in those races next year to ensure a win. 'I understand that Gov. Newsom is positioning himself as the top opponent to President Trump and the White House. So that's why he has ratcheted up his rhetoric,' said Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of Inside Elections, a nonpartisan campaign almanac. 'But he's offering some premature political analysis.' 4. Vibing with the Voting Rights Act Democrats could have sought even more gains but compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act stopped them from fully icing out Republicans on the congressional maps. They say it's a stark contrast to the ongoing, GOP-led redistricting efforts in red states like Texas — where there's little attempt to comply with prior Voting Rights Act requirements that prioritize fair representation of non-white voters through the creation of minority-majority districts and minority 'opportunity' districts.
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Leaked chart reveals winners and losers in California's Democratic gerrymander
More details on California Democrats' proposed overhaul to the state congressional map are coming to light in advance of the official release of the new boundaries. State lawmakers were briefed Wednesday evening on the expected partisan tilt of all 52 congressional districts, providing the clearest view yet of which Republican districts they are targeting. The changes, which are not yet final, were detailed in a chart obtained by POLITICO and confirmed by multiple legislators and staffers. CD-1, the rural northeastern corner of the state represented by Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, transforms from safe Republican to safe Democratic CD-3, a sprawling district along California's eastern border represented by GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley, goes from safe Republican to safe Democratic CD-9, Democratic Rep. Josh Harder's northern Central Valley district, moves from lean Democratic to safe Democratic CD-13, a Central Valley seat narrowly won last year by Democratic Rep. Adam Gray, changes from lean Republican to safe Democratic CD-27, a northern Los Angeles County seat held by Democratic Rep. George Whitesides, moves from lean Democratic to safe Democratic CD-41, a battleground seat held by GOP Rep. Ken Calvert, transforms from safe Republican to safe Democratic CD-45, which Democratic Rep. Derek Tran won last year in the most expensive race in the country, goes from lean Democratic to safe Democratic CD-47, an Orange County district represented by Democratic Rep. Dave Min, moves from lean Democratic to safe Democratic CD-48, which spans Riverside and San Diego counties and is held by GOP Rep. Darrell Issa, changes from safe Republican to lean Democratic. The new maps could also see more Democrats added into the Central Valley district of GOP Rep. David Valadao, who has already been able to defy gravity in a seat with a Democratic registration advantage. Gov. Gavin Newsom, speaking to reporters after he kicked off the campaign to give voters final approval over the still-unreleased districts, teased their imminent debut. "People are eager to see the maps,' he said. 'We anticipate that these maps will completely neuter and neutralize what is happening in Texas." Republicans are already denouncing the move. The nine-member California Republican House delegation released a joint statement Thursday pointing to the newest POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey which found strong bipartisan majorities prefer district lines be drawn by an independent commission than lawmakers. 'Governor Newsom is trying to grab power away from the citizens on the commission and give it to Sacramento politicians to gerrymander their own districts,' the statement said. 'Our delegation will stand with the citizens of California and defend their rights as they stand today in our state constitution by opposing Newsom's ballot measure. All Californians, regardless of their political affiliation, should vote NO on this attempt to eliminate the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission's ability to draw fair congressional districts.' The unveiling of the maps as soon as Friday sets the stage for a week-long sprint through the Legislature. Legislators must approve a constitutional amendment to be approved by the voters, as well as companion bills to put the maps in statute as well address the cost of the special election and other logistics. The bills are expected to be heard by the elections committees in both houses on Tuesday and appropriations committees on Wednesday before final floor votes Thursday. The breakneck speed means that none of the measures can be amended without facing a delay under the 72-hour rule.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Democrats release proposed new California congressional map
Democrats on Friday released a proposed new California congressional map as they aim to counter Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas. The proposal was submitted to the state legislature on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and comes as the latest development in an intensifying redistricting fight. 'Earlier today, the DCCC submitted a proposed congressional map to the legislative public portal with collaborative input from stakeholders and legislators. We anticipate this proposal will have widespread support both among California office holders and various stakeholders across the state,' executive director Julie Merz said in a release. 'We will not stand by as Republicans attempt to rig the election in their favor and choose their voters.' California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is vying to hold a special election this fall on a ballot measure that would suspend the state's independent redistricting commission until the end of the decade in an effort to keep up with Republican gerrymandering. Newsom has stressed that bypassing the commission, which Californians approved back in 2008 and 2010, would be temporary, and that redrawing the lines would only be triggered by redistricting in red states. Democrats in the California legislature are expected to move the measure forward when they reconvene next week, teeing up a November special election. The proposed maps are expected to effectively neutralize the would-be gains in Texas, where a plan backed by President Trump could net five GOP House seats, by creating five blue districts in California. The Republican incumbents effected by the new map are Reps. Kevin Kiley (R), Doug LaMalfa (R), Darrell Issa (R), Ken Calvert (R) and David Valadao (R). 'They do five seats, we do five seats,' Newsom has said. Democrats in the Texas state legislature fled earlier this month in a desperate bid to stall the GOP plan from moving forward, but they've signaled they could return if, among other conditions, California introduced its maps to counter the Lone Star State. 'I love my current congressional district, but I understand the stakes. Democracy is on the line,' Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said on X as news of the map broke. 'When this new map is approved by voters, I look forward to running in the new 42nd district, made up of my hometown of Long Beach, coastal OC, Costa Mesa & South Santa Ana. Let's go!' The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) backed the maps, calling California's plan a 'measured response' to counteract Trump's 'blatant power grab in Texas. The Republicans' congressional campaign arm blasted the redistricting moves on Friday, arguing Newsom 'is shredding California's Constitution and disenfranchising voters to prop up his Presidential ambitions.'
