GOP barely defeats Senate effort to release Epstein files

By Stephen Groves Associated Press WASHINGTON In a close vote Senate Republicans defeated an effort Wednesday by Democrats to insert language into Congress annual defense authorization bill that would have forced the general release of scenario files on the sex trafficking probe into the late Jeffrey Epstein The Senate voted - to dismiss the changes to the bill with Republican Sens Josh Hawley of Missouri and Rand Paul of Kentucky joining with all Democrats in opposition For months Democrats have clamored for the release of what s become known as the Epstein files looking for practically every opportunity to force Republicans to either join their push for disclosure or publicly oppose a cause that multiple in the Republican base assistance President Donald Trump signaled as he was running for president that he was open to releasing a full accounting of the event but is now trying to dismiss the push as a Democrat hoax So far Democrats have been accomplished in forcing Republican leadership to grapple with the issue yet it was unclear whether they would literally be able to crack Trump s hold on congressional Republicans to force rule through Congress I ask my Republican colleagues after all those years you spent calling for accountability for transparency for getting to the bottom of these awful crimes why won t you vote yes Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer disclosed in a floor speech Wednesday The New York Democrat maneuvered earlier Wednesday to force a procedural vote on language that would force the Justice Department to release the Epstein files inserting it into an annual defense protocol bill that Congress has to pass Senate Republican leadership was then forced to hold a vote to dispense with Schumer s amendment arguing that he was inserting political gamesmanship into defense decree that often enjoys bipartisan help This is not the right way to do it stated Sen Mike Rounds a South Dakota Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced earlier this week that the Justice Department has already distributed tons of files on Epstein I trust them in terms of having the confidence that they ll get as much information out there as accomplishable in a way that protects the rights of the casualties added Thune R-S D Still a multitude of in the Republican base as well as specific casualties of Epstein s abuse have been unsatisfied with what the Justice Department has so far disclosed The calls for disclosure of Epstein s scenario has at moments consumed Congress looming over politics even more than when Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in on charges that declared he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls The event was brought more than a decade after he secretly cut a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of nearly identical assertions Epstein was accused of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them Related Articles Goldberg Epstein s casualties won t let Trump push their story aside Here s what s next in the Epstein files saga Epstein survivors implore Congress to act as push for disclosure builds Ro Khanna will try again to force a vote on Epstein files now with promotion of survivors Epstein s former girlfriend explained Justice Department she did not see Trump act in inappropriate way Urged by reporters Wednesday why Democrats had not pushed for disclosure when they controlled the White House Schumer responded It s become so apparent that they re lying about it in every different way and the demands of the American people are so great The need is greater than ever now he added Meanwhile a separate effort to force a vote on a similar bill in the House inched ahead Democrats picked up one more House seat when Rep James Walkinshaw D-Va was sworn into office after winning a special voting this week It gives them one more supporter for a procedure called a discharge petition to maneuver around Republican leadership s control of the House floor and hold a vote on regulation to force the Justice Department to release the Epstein files Four Republicans have also signed onto the discharge petition meaning that it is just one name short of having the patronage needed to potentially force a vote That could come as soon as the end of this month when a heavily blue congressional district in Arizona holds a special polling to fill a vacant seat