President Donald Trump’s signing Wednesday of the Epstein Files Transparency Act stipulates that Attorney General Pam Bondi has 30 days to release FBI files and other Department of Justice communications, prosecution materials and investigative records.
The fact that it’s taken this long speaks to hypocrisy among Democrats who sat on these files during Joe Biden’s presidency, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Arizona) said on Washington Watch Thursday.
Trump critics and others eager to know more about the sex-trafficking operation of the former financier with deep political connections.
In February, a month into Trump’s second term, the DOJ officially declassified and published a “first phase” of Epstein files.
The release included flight logs, a masseuse list, an evidence list and a heavily redacted “contact book.”
There were critics on both sides of the aisle. Many viewed the release as a symbolic gesture rather than full disclosure.
But there was never a public dump of Epstein documents under Biden. Newsweek reported this week there were legal considerations in the Biden admin’s decision process.
Apparently, the Trump administration has found peace with those concerns.
The Epstein Files Transparence Act requires that the files be made available in a searchable and downloadable website.
The law allows for redactions but only in very specific circumstances such as privacy protections for victims. The law prohibits withholding records simply because they could cause embarrassment or reputational harm to public officials, foreign dignitaries or other powerful individuals.
“(Republicans) really were pushing hard, and Biden released none. Not a single document or record was released while Joe Biden was president. Then when Donald Trump came in, you've seen in excess of 60,000, somewhere actually getting close to 100,000 records have been released. There's no comparison,” Biggs told show host Jody Hice.
Trump isn’t hiding the information, Biggs said.
“It was the Biden administration. Now we know why.”
House Oversight Committee documents revealed this week showed that non-voting Delegate Stacey Plaskett, a member of the House Democrat Caucus from the Virgin Islands, exchanged texts with Epstein in 2019 at a congressional hearing. while she attended a congressional hearing with Michael Cohen, a former associate of Trump, testifying in February of 2019.
The texts appeared to show Epstein crafting questions for Cohen via Plaskett.
One question identified Rhona Graff as Trump’s assistant and suggested inquiries about other “henchmen” close to Trump.
Plaskett, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, responded in text, “Yup. Very aware and waiting my turn.”
Biggs said the texts are evidence of collusion between Epstein and Plaskett.
“Plaskett was actually coordinating, if you will, colluding, whatever you want to say, with Jeffrey Epstein to try to discredit President Trump in real time in an actual committee hearing. It's just unimaginable. I just never would have imagined such a thing.”
Republican efforts to censure Plaskett and to refer a resolution to the Ethics Committee both failed by narrow votes.
In a second gotcha from Republicans, Rep. James Comer went to the House floor this week to expose a 2013 fundraising email that was sent to Epstein. The email, shown on a placard beside Comer, invited Epstein to attend a fundraising dinner for a Democrat congressman, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries is now the House Minority Leader.
"Here is the email. The evidence speaks for itself," Comer stated. "The only stone-cold liar in this debate is Hakeem Jeffries."
During debate, Biggs said Democrats worked hard to make the discussion about Trump, not Plaskett.
“They want to hide this stuff. The debate that we had over Plaskett was obvious. She basically dug herself a hole and admitted that the reason she was willing to talk to him, meaning Epstein, was because she wanted to get Donald Trump,” said Biggs, adding key Democrats “were always pointing back that this is about Donald Trump.”
Democrats forgetting the victims
The question should be “why don’t (Democrats) care about the victims of Jeffrey Epstein?” Biggs asked.
In Epstein’s 2019 indictment, federal prosecutors said he “enticed and recruited dozens of minor girls” between 2002 and 2005. Some were as young as 14.
“As alleged, Jeffrey Epstein abused underage girls for years, operating a scheme in which girls he victimized would recruit others for Epstein to exploit and abuse. Epstein exploited girls who were vulnerable to abuse, enticed them with cash payments,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a news release.
Instead of focusing on the victims, Democrats are trying to shift the attention.
“Why is it all about a political attack on Donald Trump?” Biggs asked.
