Congress is back in session, and the first order of business was the Epstein files. On Tuesday night the House of Representatives approved the Epstein Files Transparency Act brought forward by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) in a 427-1 vote. The Senate unanimously approved it shortly after.
President Donald Trump signed the bill on Wednesday night, which requires the release of classified and unclassified records, communications, and investigative materials related to Epstein within 30 days of becoming law.
Some viewed the bill’s passage as overdue, while others were skeptical that the released files would be unredacted enough to answer any of the public’s questions. Several commentators across the spectrum praised Massie, and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Nancy Mace (R-SC), and Lauren Bobert (R-CO) for breaking from their party and pushing for the passage of the bill when Trump was still opposed to releasing the files.
A piece in the New York Times Opinion (Left bias) said, “This victory speaks to the value of having women’s voices, and strength, inside the Republican echo chamber, a place that can still be tough for women to navigate…A tiny group of women taking a stand on a sex scandal may seem an awkward fit for a Republican Party awash in machismo. Girl power or women’s solidarity or ‘believing women’ has never played all that well within the party…And yet. Women make up only 14 percent of the House Republican conference (almost 15 percent if you count nonvoting delegates), but they accounted for 75 percent of the Republicans who forced Tuesday’s Epstein vote. That math intrigues me.”
USA Today (Lean Left) columnist Nicole Russell (Lean Right) argued this should have been done months ago. “I have questions for both parties. Democrats, on behalf of the more than 77 million people, mostly Republicans, who voted to reelect President Donald Trump, I'd like to know what are your charges against the president, exactly? Where is the evidence that the president was engaged in illegal activity?…To my fellow Republicans: Why weren't the Epstein files released months ago when Attorney General Pam Bondi originally said they were going to be? News reports say Trump was told his name was in the emails. The truth must come out. I have found myself siding with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, someone who was far too MAGA for me but who has proved to be one of the last voices of reason and clarity calling for the release of the Epstein files, purely for the victims' sake.”
Another New York Times Opinion (Left) piece noted, “But though we’ve heard endless details about the predators and the men in their social circle, we have heard far too little about — and from — the victims. Perhaps the Epstein files will give liberals a tool with which to pry MAGA faithful away from the president. Perhaps they’ll give the president an excuse to prosecute political opponents. Either way, treating Mr. Epstein’s crimes as a political opportunity insults the countless women and girls he abused. They are the ones that should have been front and center through all of this.”
The New York Post Editorial Board (Right) wrote, “We’re glad to see the House and Senate vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files — clearing away a ridiculous distraction. Normal Americans will wonder why this was a top order of business after 42 days of government shutdown. What the heck is going on in DC? The answer: Democrats pushed this red herring to keep the GOP majority from getting real work done. All for a bill that does next to nothing…their measure lets Attorney General Pam Bondi ‘withhold or redact’ material for a range of reasons, including shielding ‘personally identifiable information of victims’ that ‘would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy’…The nation won’t see a full release of Epstein docs while those victims still live.”
