Top Democrats Call For Release Of Epstein Files

Forbes Breaking News

Top Senate Democrats hold a press briefing to call for the release of the Epstein Files.

Transcript

00:00I just like to leave that dude.

00:30Okay, great, okay, good, whoa, good morning every, nope, good afternoon everybody.

00:44It's ten minutes into the afternoon.

00:46And I want to thank our great ranking member of HISGAC, Senator Peters, and a great member

00:51of HISGAC and head of PSI, Senator Blumenthal, for joining me.

00:56And this morning, I was really proud to join every single one of my Democratic colleagues

01:01on the Homeland Committee in invoking a century-old and little-known law known as the Rule of Five

01:10to compel the Department of Justice to release the full and complete Epstein files.

01:17Under federal law, when any five senators on the Homeland Security Committee call on the

01:22Executive Branch, the Executive Branch must comply.

01:27Our request covers all documents, files, evidence, and other materials in possession of the DOJ,

01:34the FBI, related to the case of the United States v. Jeffrey Epstein.

01:40While protecting the victim's identities can and must be of top importance, the public has

01:46a right to know who enabled, knew of, or participated in one of the most heinous sex trafficking operations

01:53in history.

01:56Let me remind everyone of what's happened in recent months.

01:59Donald Trump campaigned on releasing the Epstein files.

02:04He broke that promise.

02:06In February, FBI Director Kash Patel promised during sworn testimony in his confirmation hearing

02:13he would, quote, make sure the American public knows the full weight of what happened.

02:19Well that has yet to happen.

02:21A. G. Bondi said in February that a supposed, quote, client list, she said, was sitting on

02:29her desk right now to review.

02:32And she said that's been a directive by President Trump.

02:36Five months later, we have zero answers, only more questions.

02:42What have we gotten since?

02:44Stonewall, evasion, lies.

02:49Trump was asked earlier this month if he had ever been informed whether or not he was mentioned

02:53in the Epstein files, and now we know he lied.

02:56He said no, but in fact he was told by the Attorney General in May that he was mentioned.

03:02And when the House had an opportunity to take votes on the Epstein files, Speaker Johnson

03:07skedaddled out of town launching the Epstein recess.

03:13This is not complicated.

03:15After promising full transparency for years, every single time Trump, his administration,

03:22Republican leaders have had a chance to be transparent about the Epstein files they've

03:25chosen to hide.

03:27The evasions, the delays, the excuses, they are not just odd, they're alarming.

03:35It begs the question, if there's nothing to hide, why all the evasiveness?

03:39Trump should stop hiding from the truth.

03:41He should stop hiding from the American people.

03:44So today, Senate Democrats took action.

03:47We're invoking federal law and using our authority as a check on the executive to compel transparency.

03:55That's why today's letter matters.

03:59It's not a stunt.

04:00It's not symbolic.

04:01It's a formal exercise of congressional power under federal law.

04:06And we expect an answer from DOJ by August the 15th.

04:11That's what accountability looks like.

04:13This is what oversight looks like.

04:15And this is what keeping your promises to the American people look like.

04:20I urge my Republican colleagues in the Senate, if you believe in transparency, if you believe

04:26Congress has a role to play in checking the executive, join us.

04:31Join us in calling for more transparency on the Epstein files.

04:35Because once there's transparency, the truth emerges.

04:40Because once we get the truth, we can have accountability.

04:43We can move forward.

04:44Not just on this, but on many issues affecting the American people, protecting health care,

04:50growing the middle class, defending democracy.

04:53But none of that is possible if the public loses faith that justice only applies to some,

04:59not all.

05:00Senator Peters has taken a great lead on this issue as ranking member of the Homeland Security

05:05Committee.

05:06And I'm proud to call on him to speak.

05:08Thank you, Chuck.

05:09You know, the American people want and deserve transparency from their elected officials.

05:18On the campaign trail, President Trump promised, he promised many times to deliver that transparency

05:26by making the records in the Jeffrey Epstein case public.

05:30And now he is going back on that promise.

05:34This kind of reversal is what leads to distrust of elected officials.

05:38And also, we all know, it breeds conspiracy theories and misinformation.

05:43But the solution is very clear.

05:45Americans deserve transparency from congressional Republicans and the Trump administration.

05:51Our Republican colleagues are failing to conduct independent oversight of the administration

05:57and call for this information to be made public.

06:01Some have even publicly said they want to provide.

06:03And this is a member of the U.S. Senate, a Republican member, who said that they wanted

06:07to provide, quote, cover.

06:11Republican senators said it.

06:13They want to provide cover to President Trump after his reversal.

06:18And that's why my Homeland Security Committee Democratic colleagues and I are pressing the

06:22Justice Department to produce files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

06:27We are using very unique statutory authority that is granted only to our committee, to Homeland

06:35Security and Government Affairs.

06:37The statute that we are invoking requires the administration to hand over documents asked

06:43by or requested by any five members of the Senate committee.

06:46This letter demands that the Justice Department produce documents that Attorney General Pam Bondi

06:51and FBI Director Kosh Patel have publicly already confirmed they have in their possession.

06:59We all know, in fact, that the Attorney General said, quote, she said, they're sitting on her

07:04desk.

07:05It should be pretty easy to turn over documents that are sitting on the Attorney General's desk.

07:12It's certainly disappointing that we have to take this action to hold President Trump

07:16to his word.

07:17But we believe that providing this transparency is what is best for the American people.

07:23Joining me on that letter and also working in his own right as a ranking member of the

07:28Permanent Subcommittee of Investigations, as part of my committee, is Richard Blumenthal.

07:33Thank you, Mr. Gary.

07:34Senator Blumenthal.

07:36I want to thank, first of all, Senator Schumer for his leadership and Chairman Peters – Ranking

07:43Member Peters for taking the lead here as well.

07:50This letter has the force of law.

07:52This letter invokes a statute that has been little used because it has been unnecessary

08:00in the past to enforce transparency.

08:04It's necessary now because this Administration is stonewalling and stalling and concealing.

08:11And the American people are rightly asking, what do they have to hide?

08:16What's at stake here is not just the President's promises, although they are absolutely clear

08:24when he said, quote, President Trump says he will declassify the 9-11 files, JFK files,

08:32and Epstein files, end quote.

08:34That's President Trump.

08:36What's at stake here is more than the President's promises.

08:40It's the credibility of our justice system.

08:43And the question whether there was proper criminal prosecution, whether it was complete and full,

08:55whether it was accurate, and what additional facts the American people are entitled to know.

09:03What's at stake is also the victims.

09:09This crime by Jeffrey Epstein and Jelaine Maxwell was not a victimless crime.

09:20It was not just about money laundering.

09:22It was not just about lying to the government.

09:28It was about exploiting women, in fact, girls – girls who were mercilessly and repeatedly

09:39subject to abuse and trafficking.

09:44And that is why the American people have a right to know who else was involved, whether

09:51the system really was rigged in favor of the rich and powerful, which is what the suspicion

09:58has been on the part of a lot of the President's supporters and why they so enthusiastically greeted

10:05his promises of full disclosure.

10:07He's broken those promises.

10:09We're going to enforce the law to make him fulfill his commitments to be transparent and

10:15full in disclosure.

10:17Thank you, Richard.

10:18We'll take questions on this subject first.

10:21Yes.

10:22Would this law compel information that's under grand jury sealed by the court to be released

10:29to the committee?

10:30And are there other, like, things that could be redacted?

10:31Well, unfortunately –

10:32Yeah.

10:33Look, there can be redactions, and we're not going to break – whoa.

10:37Are you okay?

10:38We're not going to force any agreements that have been broken, but we believe almost everything

10:48can come out, barring – barring any –

10:50Well, we'll have to – that'll have to be litigated.

10:54Yes.

10:55Would you accept the Justice Department limiting the reading of these files to leadership or

11:01members in a –

11:02I think they should be made public.

11:04I mean, certainly to the Congress and to the public.

11:06The public has a right to know, including the interviews that were done recently with

11:10Maxwell in the last couple of days.

11:12All the notes that were taken, any recordings, should be made public as well.

11:19And, you know, the redactions that Senator Schumer mentioned are standard operating procedure

11:24in the Department of Justice when it does a report based on an investigation.

11:28It's rare, but it's not unusual.

11:31Yeah.

11:32When the Justice Department says a –

11:34Go ahead.

11:35We both can go.

11:36Do you want to go once?

11:37We'll answer two.

11:38Go ahead.

11:39He goes first.

11:40If they don't respond to your request, is there any enforcement mechanism?

11:44Is there any way for you guys –

11:45Well, our hope is that our Republican colleagues will join us.

11:48This is a – this is a law.

11:51This has been made – it should be bipartisan.

11:54And we're still – Gary, we're still talking to Republican colleagues about trying to join

11:57us, and that may – that may help get this public.

12:01But if not, there's recourse in the courts.

12:03This is the law.

12:04Yes.

12:05How can Democrats, as a minority, take this to the courts?

12:08There – we have talked to some of our lawyers, and we will – this can be challenged

12:13in the courts.

12:14Yeah.

12:15Yes.

12:16There's been a horrific shooting in New York, and a police officer was killed.

12:20Do you think it's a bad look for Senator Booker to be objecting to police and law enforcement

12:25or –

12:26Look, Senator Booker has strong beliefs on this issue.

12:29He's had them for a very long time.

12:31He believes in strong law enforcement.

12:33Yes.

12:34Some of your Democratic colleagues have talked about making an amendment to the minibus related

12:40to the F-Team files.

12:41Will you use that for the NOM's negotiations that are going on?

12:45Look, we – on the initial minibus, we are running a hotline right now.

12:52Okay?

12:53Yes.

12:54Emile Bovey was confirmed last night, even after a number of whistleblowers came forward

12:58including some of the 11th hour.

12:59But what do you think this means going forward for future whistleblowers who are thinking

13:03about –

13:04I think it was – I think I said it was one of the low points, not only in this Congress,

13:08but in the history of Congress, to put a man like this in such an important position

13:13as a circuit court judge.

13:15It's a disgrace.

13:16He doesn't belong there.

13:17And our Republican – he only had one qualification – he'd do whatever Trump wants.

13:22That's a horrible qualification for a judge.

13:24Yes?

13:25Thanks, Senator.

13:26What do you make of reporting that Republicans in the White House are lobbying against a

13:29stock trading ban in Congress here?

13:32We – we Senate Democrats are for a stock trading ban.

13:35Okay?

13:36Thank you, everybody.

13:37Do you want to –

13:38Go ahead, Dan.

13:39We just – we just passed it out of the committee before this meeting here, and on

13:42a bipartisan basis.

13:43And do you have any comment on Senator Hawley and Scott kind of going back and forth arguing

13:47about it?

13:48It was a spirited committee hearing, but the end result was that we passed it out and

13:52it now moves to the full Senate.

13:54Thank you, everybody.

13:55Go ahead, Dick.

13:56Go ahead.

13:57And thanks to Senator Hawley for championing this card.

13:59Yep.

14:00Thanks, everybody.

14:02I thank Senator Blumenthal and Senator Peters for championing this card.

14:07Thank you, Guy.

14:08Woo-bye.

14:09Are you okay?

14:10I don't move on.

14:11Pull on.

14:12Pull on.

14:13There.

14:14Pull on.

14:15Bring on.

14:16That was probably good treatment.

14:17Fuck.

14:18I was just looking for an...

14:19.

14:20اشIGN.

14:23.

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