{"id":11567268,"date":"2025-07-21T05:00:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T09:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11567268"},"modified":"2025-07-20T10:56:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T14:56:37","slug":"how-maryland-lawmakers-helped-democrats-take-over-the-epstein-files","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/21\/how-maryland-lawmakers-helped-democrats-take-over-the-epstein-files\/","title":{"rendered":"How Maryland lawmakers helped Democrats take over the ‘Epstein Files’"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 MAGA wants the Epstein files<\/a>. Democrats want to help.<\/p>\n

Delivering the full files regarding Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy and well-connected financier who died by hanging in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors, has become a new obsession for Democratic lawmakers. And it puts them in alignment with Trump supporters who have long called for transparency in the case, concerned a cover-up was protecting Epstein’s clients.<\/p>\n

Since President Trump\u2019s administration backpedaled on its promises to deliver the so-called \u201cEpstein files,\u201d there\u2019s been an influx of amendments, speeches and social posts from Democrats hoping to capitalize on the rift between Trump and some of his loyal supporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognize that there\u2019s a genuine and understandable public interest in this case and the government\u2019s handling of the case,\u201d Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen told The Baltimore Sun. \u201cAttorney General Bondi is the one who has raised questions about how the Epstein files have been handled. So now we\u2019re simply calling upon her and Trump to release the files.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump and administration officials have denied, downplayed and dubbed a \u201choax\u201d the possibility of new information becoming available that would shed light on Epstein\u2019s actions and\u00a0whether anyone else was potentially involved.<\/p>\n

The Justice Department released a memo earlier this month that effectively shut down the possibility of further activity. The memo said the department had conducted an exhaustive review and found that no client list existed. The department indicated that no further information would be released on Epstein.<\/p>\n

‘Talked about for years’<\/h4>\n

During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on July 10th, Van Hollen introduced an amendment that would require Attorney General Pam Bondi to \u201cretain, preserve, and compile\u201d records and evidence related to Epstein\u2019s investigation \u2014 including, if they exist, the much-discussed client list and any connections Epstein had with government officials.<\/p>\n

The measure was adopted unanimously by the committee.<\/p>\n

Van Hollen acknowledged the timing was politically fortuitous. Two days before the hearing, after a reporter mentioned Epstein to Trump<\/a>, the president said, \u201cAre you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy\u2019s been talked about for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re asking \u2014 we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things, and are people still talking about this guy? This creep?\u201d Trump added. \u201cThat is unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The comments deepened the divide between Trump’s priorities and his supporters on this issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe amendment did hit at the moment where the public was really demanding transparency,\u201d Van Hollen said. \u201cThere was a moment where I thought we could get everyone on record.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘See what sticks’<\/h4>\n

Democratic senators are now all over Epstein. Van Hollen and Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, sent a letter to Bondi on Thursday calling for the files\u2019 release. A cadre of others made a series of floor speeches and statements demanding the administration be more transparent about what\u2019s in the files and if Trump has ties to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe White House is failing to explain to the president\u2019s supporters why they\u2019ve done a 180 on this issue,\u201d Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, said. \u201cTheir explanations don\u2019t add up \u2014 especially after the attorney general and all these Trump officials were promising this massive revelation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of their Republican colleagues said they prefer to focus on other things<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, told The Hill<\/a> last week that Bondi has done enough to provide transparency on what government investigators know about Epstein and his illicit activities. And Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said he would leave the matter \u201cup to DOJ and to the FBI. I think that\u2019s in their purview.”<\/p>\n

In the House, Democrats have tried to force Republicans on the defensive with multiple measures. They\u2019ve pushed amendments and have collected signatures on separate pieces of legislation that would have the Justice Department release all files they have pertaining to Epstein. Montgomery County Rep. Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, meanwhile called for Bondi, Patel and Bongino to testify at a public hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks,\u201d Rep. Rick Allen, a Georgia Republican, said of the efforts.<\/p>\n

‘A political stunt’<\/h4>\n

A committee meeting on Thursday summed up the frustration from Republicans that the files\u2019 release, long a conservative talking point, has been co-opted by their\u00a0liberal colleagues. After Rep. Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, suggested that Republicans who voted against an Epstein-related amendment didn\u2019t want the files to be released, he and Rep. Austin Scott, a Georgia Republican, started yelling at each other.<\/p>\n

Scott said the amendment had been a political stunt introduced at the last minute.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to an honest \u2014 not a political \u2014 debate on the issue of the Epstein files,\u201d Scott said during the exchange.<\/p>\n

Some longtime Epstein hawks have found themselves more in step with the opposing party than their own president, joining a measure<\/a> co-led by Reps. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, and Trump antagonist Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, to force the Justice Department\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

Epstein died six years ago. But his alleged crimes have remained a fixation of many\u00a0on the right who wonder who else was involved. Epstein’s powerful social circle was well-documented, marked by some of the world\u2019s most powerful people \u2014 Prince Andrew, and\u00a0Bill and Hillary Clinton among them.<\/p>\n

Trump reportedly had been\u00a0friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s but had a falling out prior to Epstein\u2019s first arrest in the mid-2000s, when Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. There has been no public evidence to connect the president to any of Epstein\u2019s crimes.<\/p>\n

Trump’s campaign promises to dismantle the “deep state” carried the expectation that his administration would release a \u00a0list of Epstein\u2019s co-conspirators. No such list has ever been confirmed, however, and many Republicans do not believe it exists. But for those who do, a Trump presidency was their hope for it to finally be revealed.<\/p>\n

But Trump distanced himself from those supporters in recent days, posting on Truth Social that he didn\u2019t want the support of anyone still talking about Epstein. That post came days after the Justice Department memo was released.<\/p>\n

Trump has since directed Bondi to release Grand Jury documents from a previous investigation into Epstein. The decision came amid threats from Trump to sue the Wall Street Journal for publishing a story last week on a previously unreported letter, allegedly from Trump to Epstein. Trump has denied the letter came from him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s in these files, but I believe they should be public,\u201d Rep. Johnny Olszewski, a Baltimore County Democrat, told The Sun in a statement. \u201cAfter doubling and tripling down on this issue for years, some of my Republican colleagues are now running from it. That begs the obvious question of: Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

Have a news tip? Contact Ben Mause at bmause@baltsun.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MAGA wants the Epstein files. Maryland Democrats want to help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":267,"featured_media":11566655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-07-21T09:03:32Z","apple_news_api_id":"5c975fda-0c05-4271-8969-e4cfb25d19ff","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-07-21T09:03:32Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AXJdf2gwFQnGJaeTPsl0Z_w","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"middle","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"subheadline":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[83,84,85,93],"tags":[26130,24457],"feature":[],"location":[223],"type-of-work":[],"coauthors":[26476],"class_list":["post-11567268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-headlines","category-local-news","category-news","category-politics","tag-maryland-politics","tag-social","location-maryland"],"post_status":"","edit_last":0,"edit_lock":0,"highlights":"","original_byline":"","original_canonical":"","original_category":"","original_email":"","original_id":0,"original_pubdate":"","original_source":"","primary_section":"93","primary_tag":0,"print_workflow_body":{"deck_headline":"","print_title":"How Maryland lawmakers helped Democrats take over the 'Epstein Files'","print_subheadline":"","print_priority":"","print_placement":"cover","print_planned_ready":"","print_pub_date":"1753070400","print_slug":"TBS-L-DEMSEPSTEIN-0718","print_budget_line":"","print_excerpt":"MAGA wants the Epstein files. Maryland Democrats want to help.","print_notes":"","photo_limits":"Photo limits are: 1 featured image, 5 featured gallery images, 5 embedded gallery images and 5 in-article embedded images. Articles that exceed these limits will not export. Please adjust images to reflect these limits.","print_featured_gallery_richtext":"","print_inline_galleries_richtext":"","print_inline_images_richtext":"","print_content":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 MAGA wants the Epstein files<\/a>. Democrats want to help.<\/p>

Delivering the full files regarding Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy and well-connected financier who died by hanging in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors, has become a new obsession for Democratic lawmakers. And it puts them in alignment with Trump supporters who have long called for transparency in the case, concerned a cover-up was protecting Epstein's clients.<\/p>

Since President Trump\u2019s administration backpedaled on its promises to deliver the so-called \u201cEpstein files,\u201d there\u2019s been an influx of amendments, speeches and social posts from Democrats hoping to capitalize on the rift between Trump and some of his loyal supporters.<\/p>

\u201cWe recognize that there\u2019s a genuine and understandable public interest in this case and the government\u2019s handling of the case,\u201d Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen told The Baltimore Sun. \u201cAttorney General Bondi is the one who has raised questions about how the Epstein files have been handled. So now we\u2019re simply calling upon her and Trump to release the files.\u201d<\/p>

Trump and administration officials have denied, downplayed and dubbed a \u201choax\u201d the possibility of new information becoming available that would shed light on Epstein\u2019s actions and\u00a0whether anyone else was potentially involved.<\/p>

The Justice Department released a memo earlier this month that effectively shut down the possibility of further activity. The memo said the department had conducted an exhaustive review and found that no client list existed. The department indicated that no further information would be released on Epstein.<\/p>

'Talked about for years'<\/h4>

During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on July 10th, Van Hollen introduced an amendment that would require Attorney General Pam Bondi to \u201cretain, preserve, and compile\u201d records and evidence related to Epstein\u2019s investigation \u2014 including, if they exist, the much-discussed client list and any connections Epstein had with government officials.<\/p>

The measure was adopted unanimously by the committee.<\/p>

Van Hollen acknowledged the timing was politically fortuitous. Two days before the hearing, after a reporter mentioned Epstein to Trump<\/a>, the president said, \u201cAre you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy\u2019s been talked about for years.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou\u2019re asking \u2014 we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things, and are people still talking about this guy? This creep?\u201d Trump added. \u201cThat is unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>

The comments deepened the divide between Trump's priorities and his supporters on this issue.<\/p>

\u201cThe amendment did hit at the moment where the public was really demanding transparency,\u201d Van Hollen said. \u201cThere was a moment where I thought we could get everyone on record.\u201d<\/p>

'See what sticks'<\/h4>

Democratic senators are now all over Epstein. Van Hollen and Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, sent a letter to Bondi on Thursday calling for the files\u2019 release. A cadre of others made a series of floor speeches and statements demanding the administration be more transparent about what\u2019s in the files and if Trump has ties to them.<\/p>

\u201cThe White House is failing to explain to the president\u2019s supporters why they\u2019ve done a 180 on this issue,\u201d Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, said. \u201cTheir explanations don\u2019t add up \u2014 especially after the attorney general and all these Trump officials were promising this massive revelation.\u201d<\/p>

Many of their Republican colleagues said they prefer to focus on other things<\/a>.<\/p>

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, told The Hill<\/a> last week that Bondi has done enough to provide transparency on what government investigators know about Epstein and his illicit activities. And Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said he would leave the matter \u201cup to DOJ and to the FBI. I think that\u2019s in their purview.\"<\/p>

In the House, Democrats have tried to force Republicans on the defensive with multiple measures. They\u2019ve pushed amendments and have collected signatures on separate pieces of legislation that would have the Justice Department release all files they have pertaining to Epstein. Montgomery County Rep. Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, meanwhile called for Bondi, Patel and Bongino to testify at a public hearing<\/a>.<\/p>

\u201cThey\u2019re throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks,\u201d Rep. Rick Allen, a Georgia Republican, said of the efforts.<\/p>

'A political stunt'<\/h4>

A committee meeting on Thursday summed up the frustration from Republicans that the files\u2019 release, long a conservative talking point, has been co-opted by their\u00a0liberal colleagues. After Rep. Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, suggested that Republicans who voted against an Epstein-related amendment didn\u2019t want the files to be released, he and Rep. Austin Scott, a Georgia Republican, started yelling at each other.<\/p>

Scott said the amendment had been a political stunt introduced at the last minute.<\/p>

\u201cI look forward to an honest \u2014 not a political \u2014 debate on the issue of the Epstein files,\u201d Scott said during the exchange.<\/p>

Some longtime Epstein hawks have found themselves more in step with the opposing party than their own president, joining a measure<\/a> co-led by Reps. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, and Trump antagonist Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, to force the Justice Department\u2019s hand.<\/p>

Epstein died six years ago. But his alleged crimes have remained a fixation of many\u00a0on the right who wonder who else was involved. Epstein's powerful social circle was well-documented, marked by some of the world\u2019s most powerful people \u2014 Prince Andrew, and\u00a0Bill and Hillary Clinton among them.<\/p>

Trump reportedly had been\u00a0friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s but had a falling out prior to Epstein\u2019s first arrest in the mid-2000s, when Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. There has been no public evidence to connect the president to any of Epstein\u2019s crimes.<\/p>

Trump's campaign promises to dismantle the \"deep state\" carried the expectation that his administration would release a \u00a0list of Epstein\u2019s co-conspirators. No such list has ever been confirmed, however, and many Republicans do not believe it exists. But for those who do, a Trump presidency was their hope for it to finally be revealed.<\/p>

But Trump distanced himself from those supporters in recent days, posting on Truth Social that he didn\u2019t want the support of anyone still talking about Epstein. That post came days after the Justice Department memo was released.<\/p>

Trump has since directed Bondi to release Grand Jury documents from a previous investigation into Epstein. The decision came amid threats from Trump to sue the Wall Street Journal for publishing a story last week on a previously unreported letter, allegedly from Trump to Epstein. Trump has denied the letter came from him.<\/p>

\u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s in these files, but I believe they should be public,\u201d Rep. Johnny Olszewski, a Baltimore County Democrat, told The Sun in a statement. \u201cAfter doubling and tripling down on this issue for years, some of my Republican colleagues are now running from it. That begs the obvious question of: Why?\u201d<\/p>

Have a news tip? Contact Ben Mause at bmause@baltsun.com.<\/em><\/p>"},"print_workflow_exported_ts":"1753023586","print_workflow_exported_username":"Tricia Bishop","print_workflow_shapes":"","print_workflow_side":{"print_section":"24225","print_status":"24232","add_export_buttons":"","print_endpoint":"tribune"},"really_short_title":"","short_title":"","syndication_source":"","market_neutral_title":"","social_title":"","dfm_hub_post_id":0,"paywall_level":"premium","featured_media_content":{"content_type":"image","content":{"id":11566655,"title":"Trump_39479_4edf8b-1","filename":"Trump_39479_4edf8b-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Trump_39479_4edf8b-1.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/18\/trump-epstein-explained\/trump_39479_4edf8b-1\/","alt":"","author":"13","description":"","caption":"Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to reporters as President Donald Trump listens, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. 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