The mug shot of Jeffrey Epstein, 2019. Credit – Kypros/Getty Images
Democratic Rep. Marc Veasey of Texas on Monday introduced a resolution demanding that the Trump Administration release all files related to Jeffrey Epstein, amid a wave of backlash from MAGA supporters over the way the President has handled the case.
“I’m very concerned about the way [the Trump Administration] handled this case,” Veasey tells TIME. He says that there has been a “steady drumbeat coming from the MAGA world” about Epstein, but that “now, all of a sudden, [the Trump Administration] can’t release these files? That is crazy.”
“What I want is for there to be transparency,” Veasey says.
Epstein and his death have been the subject of speculation and conspiracy theories for years, especially among people on the far right. In the lead-up to the 2024 election, Trump said he would have “no problem” releasing files related to Epstein. And people now in his Administration previously promoted allegations of a governmental cover-up regarding Epstein, including Vice President J.D. Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel, and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. In a February interview, when Attorney General Pam Bondi was asked about Epstein’s supposed “client list,” she said that it was “sitting on my desk right now to review.”
But last week, the Justice Department and FBI released a memo that sought to put the Epstein-related conspiracy theories to rest, concluding that the convicted sex offender didn’t have a “client list” of co-conspirators and that his 2019 death in jail was a suicide. The President’s supporters have expressed anger and frustration over how the Administration has handled the case in the wake of the move.
“The MAGA constituents want to know what’s in these files, Democratic constituents want to know what’s in these files,” Veasey says. “People want to know what the truth is.”
Other Democrats have also criticized the Trump Administration over the case following the memo’s release. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California over the weekend said in a post on X that he would introduce an amendment “to force a vote demanding the FULL Epstein files be released to the public.”
The President has urged people to move on from talking about Epstein amid the controversy. Soon after the memo was released, Trump blasted a reporter for asking about the convicted sex offender during a Cabinet meeting, suggesting that continuing to discuss him was a “waste” of time. In that same meeting, Bondi sought to clarify her remarks back in February, saying that she was referring to the case file on Epstein rather than a “client list.” (Bongino has reportedly clashed with Bondi over the handling of the case.)
Patel said in a post on X over the weekend that “the conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been.”
Read More: Trump Urges Supporters to Move On From Epstein, as MAGA Conspiracists Demand Transparency
Veasey says he wants to ensure that Trump’s handling of the Epstein case is “not a continuation” of what he calls the President’s “corporate cronyism and corruption.”
“Whether or not there’s anything [in the files], I don’t know,” Veasey continues. “But since [Trump] made a big deal about it, I do want to see [those files].”
Contact us at letters@time.com.
