Trump admin faces GOP blowback in Congress over Epstein
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Donald Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on July 13. Photo: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The simmering MAGA revolt over the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files threatens to spill over into the halls of Congress.
Why it matters: Some right-wing Republican lawmakers who have spent years investing political capital in the promise of a grand reveal are now trying to balance their loyalty to President Trump with placating their base.
- "I don't think the American people are gonna move on that quickly, so I don't understand why they're hiding what they're hiding. ... This is a priority," Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) told Axios.
- Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) said: "I think the American people think there's more to the story than what we're being told … that there's just some things that don't pass the sniff test."
State of play: The Justice Department and FBI touched off fury among some of Trump's most loyal grassroots supporters by saying last week that Epstein died by suicide and did not have a "client list."
- Trump has tried somewhat in vain to dismiss questions about Epstein as Democrats have attempted to keep the issue alive by highlighting the president's own connections to Epstein.
What they're saying: "It's definitely a full reversal on what was all said beforehand, and people are just not willing to accept it," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), one of Trump's most loyal supporters in Congress, told the New York Times.
- "The public's been asking for it, I think there are files. All of a sudden to not have files is a bit strange," said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), though he said he trusts Trump to ultimately do the right thing.
- Burlison said of Bondi: "She, at the end of the day, needs to live up to her promises, period."
What to watch: Several House Republicans said they were open to supporting a resolution introduced by Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) demanding that the Trump administration release all the Epstein files.
- "This is a moral high ground, this is not partisan," Burlison said of potentially supporting the measure.
- Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) told Axios: "That's been something that I've supported from day one … I think there needs to be transparency, and I'm glad to see that this is bipartisan because it should be."
The intrigue: Norman went so far as to vote with Democrats on the House Rules Committee in favor of a measure introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) that would force the Justice Department to release the files.
- Republicans argued that the amendment was unrelated to the procedural measure at hand, which was about bringing cryptocurrency and defense appropriations bills to the floor.
- Khanna's measure, which would have required Bondi to publish the files on a publicly accessible website within 30 days, failed 5 to 7.
Between the lines: In the eyes of more establishmentRepublicans, the party's embrace of grand conspiracy theories about the inevitable downfall of a network of powerful figures was always destined to backfire.
- "Giving them all binders and stuff and saying 'Epstein files' and the whole thing, it's all by our own design," said one House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
- The lawmaker said of FBI Director Kash Patel's and Deputy Director Dan Bongino's years of commentary as MAGA influencers prior to joining the administration: "It's a lot different when you're calling plays not being in the seat, versus being in the seat."
Go deeper: Trump shuts down Jeffrey Epstein question
