by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday released more than 33,000 pages of records tied to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the long-awaited drop has only deepened bipartisan frustration and demands for transparency.
The files, turned over by the Justice Department following a subpoena, include flight logs, court filings, depositions, jail surveillance footage, memos, and victim interviews. But Democratic lawmakers noted that nearly all of the records — 97% — had already been made public, fueling accusations of a political “document dump.”
“We’re in the process of uploading those documents for full transparency so everyone in America can see them,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said. “We want those to be public as soon as possible.”
Lawmakers Divided Over Next Steps
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) dismissed the release as inadequate, accusing the administration of shielding powerful figures. He introduced a bipartisan resolution Tuesday that would force the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related files, unclassified and unredacted, within 30 days. His resolution has already drawn support from lawmakers across the aisle, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) downplayed Massie’s push, calling it “superfluous” and “inartfully drafted” for failing to protect victims’ identities. The White House also blasted the resolution, saying it was an “attention-seeking” move that could undermine the committee’s ongoing efforts.
Victims’ Stories Resurface
Among the newly released files are at least eight videos of police interviews with victims, many recorded between 2005 and 2006. In one video, a teenage girl described being paid $350 for sex after giving Epstein a massage at age 17. Other records include audio recordings from Florida’s criminal investigation into Epstein’s abuse network.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the committee’s top Democrat, criticized Republicans for rehashing old material while failing to deliver new answers. “There is no mention of any client list or anything that improves transparency or justice for victims,” Garcia said.
Both Massie and Khanna are set to appear alongside Epstein survivors Wednesday morning to press for full disclosure.
Pressure on the Trump Administration
The release has also renewed political headaches for President Donald Trump, who once moved in Epstein’s social circles and pledged during his campaign to release the files. Trump has since downplayed the issue, telling supporters “no one should waste time” on the case.
Still, Epstein’s death by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 — while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges — sparked a wave of conspiracy theories, particularly among Trump’s base. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that most Americans, including a majority of Republicans, believe the government is covering up key details.
With bipartisan pressure mounting, survivors and lawmakers insist the American public has a right to see every unclassified record — including the elusive “client list” and Ghislaine Maxwell’s so-called “birthday book” — without political interference.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The United States has been holding regular negotiations with Denmark and Greenland to expand America’s military presence on the strategic Arctic island, according to the BBC citing multiple officials familiar with the talks.
Federal authorities have charged more than 25 members and associates of Tren de Aragua, the violent Venezuelan-born criminal network recently designated by the Trump administration as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, in a sweeping nationwide crackdown aimed at dismantling the gang’s expanding footprint inside the United States.
The United Arab Emirates has carried out military strikes directly on Iranian soil, according to an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal — a revelation that marks a seismic shift in the Persian Gulf balance of power and places a major Arab Gulf monarchy squarely in the role of active combatant against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday extended for three more days an order allowing women to obtain abortion drugs through the mail without visiting an in-person doctor.
President Donald Trump will arrive in Beijing this week for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as Washington intensifies pressure on both China and Iran amid a fragile ceasefire the president described as being on “massive life support.”
The United States has deployed more than 20 warships to enforce a sweeping naval blockade against the Islamic Republic of Iran, in President Donald Trump’s campaign to strip Tehran of the resources it uses to fund terrorism, destabilize the Middle East, and pursue nuclear weapons.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure Tuesday to announce his resignation timetable after his ruling Labour Party suffered devastating losses in local and regional elections across the United Kingdom.