2028 Republicans pick sides on Epstein Files
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Photo illustration: Maura Losch/Axios. Photos: Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images, U.S. Department of Justice
The Epstein Files are dividing the prospective 2028 GOP field, as MAGA influencers watch closely to see who's with them and against them.
Why it matters: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) are aligning with the MAGA base that's infuriated by the Trump administration's decision to not release all Epstein-related documents.
- Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem work for Trump and won't get sideways with him.
- Governors like Brian Kemp of Georgia, Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia aren't weighing in on the federal issue.
But for Republican senators, the Epstein case is unavoidable, low-hanging fruit.
- A July Economist/YouGov poll found that 79% of Trump voters believed the government should release the Epstein files, and that 52% thought the government was covering up evidence.
- Pro-Trump figures ranging from Mike Cernovich to Mike Lindell to Steve Bannon have attacked the White House for its handling of the case.
- Prominent podcasters like Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz have piled on.
1) Ted Cruz used his podcast last month to outline a four-point plan for dealing with the Epstein files, and during an appearance on Piers Morgan's show he called on the White House to "release everything."
2) Josh Hawley doubts the administration's claim the late financier had no client list, calling it "deep state talk."
- "I think all this stuff ought to be public," Hawley said in mid-July.
- Hawley hasn't hit the campaign trail. "Josh has said he's not running for president multiple times," a Hawley aide told Axios.
3) Rand Paul called for the release of the Epstein files during an interview this week with MSNBC.
- "I can understand the public wanting to know more. I can understand the sense of distrust the public has in government," he said.
Zoom out: Cruz and Paul, in particular, are positioning themselves for possible 2028 runs.
- Paul, who like Cruz ran unsuccessfully against Trump in 2016, recently traveled to South Carolina and Iowa. He is planning a fall trip to New Hampshire, another early primary state.
- Cruz is planning a donor retreat next year and has a top-ranked podcast and syndicated radio show that has helped him develop a conservative base.
- Hawley has taken a number of high-profile positions of late, most recently proposing legislation that would ban stock trading by the president, vice president, and members of Congress.
- Trump lashed out at Hawley on Wednesday over the bill, calling him a "second-tier Senator."
The other side: White House spokespersons did not respond to a request for comment.
- But Trump has attacked Republicans who've called for further Epstein-related disclosures, calling them "stupid and foolish" and chastising them for "buy[ing] into this bullshit hook, line and sinker."
The bottom line: "Future tough talk about deconstructing the administrative state is purely performative if members of Congress aren't using their office right now to move the needle on the Epstein front," Natalie Winters, who reports for Bannon's "War Room" podcast, told Axios.
