As many Democrats call for the release of the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) urged caution in a Thursday morning interview.
“This is a distraction. We have major issues, right here, things we’re voting on today,” she said on MSNBC, citing the recissions package requested by the White House and approved by Congress late Thursday night.
“His own base has its own views of what the president should do. I’ll leave it up to them to talk them out,” Pelosi added.
The recissions package claws back some $9 billion in public media funding and overseas aid. The House signed off on the package on Thursday night, marking the first time in decades that Congress had approved a presidential request to rescind already approved funding.
Hours after the MSNBC interview, the former Speaker called for the release of the files in a post on X.
“This week, House Democrats voted unanimously to release the files. Republicans voted to keep them hidden,” she wrote. “With deep respect for the victims, their trauma and their privacy, everyone on the Epstein list must be held accountable no matter who they are. Release the files.”
Pelosi during the MSNBC interview also called the Trump administration’s push to reopen the historic Alcatraz prison a distraction.
“Whether it’s Jeffrey Epstein or Alcatraz, it’s all off the subject of what they’re doing with this budget that is harmful to the kitchen table,” Pelosi, who represents San Francisco, said.
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