On Monday night time (July 14), all however one of many Republicans on the Home Guidelines Committee blocked an modification proposed by Democratic lawmakers, which might’ve allowed Congress to vote on making information on the loss of life of disgraced financier and intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein obtainable to the general public.
The modification’s failure was first reported by California Democrat Ro Khanna in a publish on X, previously Twitter.
The modification, first proposed by Khanna, was voted down with six in opposition to 5, with all Democrats voting for the discharge together with South Carolina Consultant Ralph Norman. “The general public’s been asking for it. I feel there are information. Abruptly to not have information is somewhat unusual. We’ll see the way it performs out … I feel the president will do the proper factor,” he stated to Axios earlier than the vote. It had been connected to a landmark invoice detailing authorities laws of stablecoins and cryptocurrency set to go earlier than the Home, and if handed, would’ve compelled the administration to make the Epstein information obtainable on a “publicly accessible web site” inside 30 days of the approval.
The information have been the supply of a serious controversy after Lawyer Normal Pam Bondi and the Division of Justice despatched out an inner memo final week stating that there was no blackmail supplies on elite figures or a shopper listing. It contradicts what Bondi together with President Donald Trump and different loyalists within the administration have been saying concerning the information since Trump took workplace in January. The transfer has upset many amongst Trump’s supporters, together with former ally and tech billionaire Elon Musk who referred to as on the administration to launch the information “as promised.” He had beforehand alleged in a publish on X that Trump’s title is on the purported shopper listing, and “That’s the actual purpose they haven’t been made public.”
Republicans in Congress have largely adopted in step behind Trump’s protection of Bondi and his requires transferring on from discussing Jeffrey Epstein and the information surrounding his loss of life whereas in custody in 2019. However there are some who’ve joined his base of MAGA supporters in calling for the information to be launched. “I feel it’s completely comprehensible that the American folks wish to know who he trafficked these ladies to and why they weren’t prosecuted,” stated Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, including: “I feel the Justice Division goes to have to return to the drafting board in answering these questions.”
