Dems mount surprise 11th-hour push to subpoena Epstein files

• Trump and his GOP allies in Congress have faced an uproar from their MAGA base after the DOJ said earlier this month that Epstein had no "client list" and died by suicide.
• Democrats have spent the ensuing weeks gleefully forcing Republicans to go on the record opposing rogue measures to force the release of the documents.

What happened: Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), the ranking member of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement, introduced a motion to subpoena the documents during an unrelated hearing on immigration.

• She and other Democrats noted that a majority of Republicans on the panel are members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus who have made the Epstein matter a cause célèbre for years.
• "The Republican members of the committee, including the chair, have all called to release the Epstein files, so now they have an opportunity to make true on their words," said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the full Oversight Committee.

The other side: Republicans on the subcommittee were seemingly blindsided by the move.

• Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), the chair of the subcommittee, suspended the motion until the end of the hearing.
• Most Republicans weren't present when Lee made the motion, and some conceded they were caught off guard. "First time I've heard of it," Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) told reporters while entering the hearing room.