Democrats dig deep: Obscure law used to smoke out Epstein files
The White House has been facing increasingly intense demands to be more transparent about the case of the disgraced financier, who died in federal prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
The president raised further questions about his past relationship with Epstein on Tuesday when he told reporters he fell out with his former friend after he "stole" female employees from the spa at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The Justice Department angered Trump supporters earlier this month when it confirmed that Epstein had died by suicide and had no secret "client list" – rebuffing conspiracy theories held by Trump's far-right supporters about supposedly high-level Democratic complicity.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee wrote to the Justice Department asking for the materials under a section of federal law known as the "rule of five."
"The public has a right to know who enabled, knew of, or participated in one of the most heinous sex trafficking operations in history," Schumer told reporters at the Capitol.
"Let me remind everyone of what's happened in recent months. Donald Trump campaigned on releasing the Epstein files. He broke that promise."
The measure – introduced a century ago but rarely used – requires government departments to provide relevant information if any five members of the Senate's chief watchdog panel request it.
It is not clear if it could be enforced in court, but even if the effort fails it keeps the spotlight on an issue that has upended Trump's summer, dividing Republicans and leading to the early closure of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Trump has urged his supporters to drop demands for the Epstein files, but Democrats in Congress – with limited Republican support – have also been seeking a floor vote to force their release.
House Oversight Committee Democrats, backed by some Republicans, approved a subpoena last week for the Justice Department to hand over the documents, although the demand has yet to be sent.
Lawmakers have also been seeking testimony from Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison for her role in his alleged crimes.
Maxwell's lawyer has said she would speak to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee if granted immunity for her testimony.
"The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms Maxwell's attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony," a spokesman for the panel said.
Democrats have tried to attach votes on the Epstein files to unrelated bills multiple times, prompting Speaker Mike Johnson to send lawmakers home for the summer a day early last week, shutting down the efforts.
Senate Democrats launched a separate effort to get the files released via a bill called the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but this cannot even be taken up until the House reconvenes in September.
Meanwhile the Supreme Court's justices are expected to consider at a Sept 29 conference ahead of their October term whether to hear an appeal by Maxwell of her sex trafficking conviction.
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