Despite a push from members of both parties, Congressional leaders are cautious about releasing documents of Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to powerful Americans. Epstein was indicted for sex trafficking of underage girls.
The U.S. Justice Department has not released files it has on the case, despite Trump running on a campaign promise in 2024 to declassify the Epstein files. It has asked for the release of grand jury documents in the case.
The department said Epstein killed himself in jail and that he did not keep a client list.
Trump is now saying the talk of Epstein having a client list of high-profile people and someone killing Epstein is a Democratic hoax. The DOJ’s withholding of the files has caused some friction among Trump and many of his MAGA supporters, who want the files released.
U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt told Missourinet it’s natural to be curious.
“Curious. I’m curious, right? It’s been talked about for a long time,” said Schmitt. “And and so, and I think people feel like the government’s lied to him a lot. And so, I understand the sentiment. As a former prosecutor, though, I would say it’s just really hard to judge what would be released because I just don’t know what’s in the files. I, I don’t know.”
Schmitt, a Republican and Trump ally, said he trusts his friend, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“And President Trump’s got a good team around him with Pam Bondi and Dan Bongino and Kash Patel,” he said. “And to the extent there is information, you know, credible information that could be released, I would certainly support that. I again, I just don’t know what’s in the files.”
“Not knowing” the truth has motivated Congressman Eric Burlison, a fellow Republican from southwest Missouri, to back an investigation.
“I’m not gonna like, just turn around my perspective on this,” Burlison told Missourinet. “At the end of the day, like there’s hundreds and hundreds of young women who are victimized and they deserve justice, and they deserve the truth to come out. And so it to me, that’s a moral imperative.”
Burlison said the American people are not stupid and the president should prioritize the release of these files.
The other U.S. Senator from Missouri, Josh Hawley, is strongly skeptical of the Department’s report that Epstein did not have a list of high-profile clients, including politicians and celebrities.
“I mean, listen, he ran the biggest human trafficking ring, maybe in American history. Everybody knows it. I mean, there’s video footage of it,” Hawley told Missourinet. “He was prosecuted, his associates were prosecuted for it. And we’re to believe that this guy who got filthy rich off of trafficking, sex trafficking young women all over the globe, he got rich off of that. But he didn’t know who his clients were? I find that quite difficult to believe.”
Hawley suggested that an independent review may be needed.
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