_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
The release of more than 3 million Jeffrey Epstein files has turned into a political liability for Republicans, with Attorney General Pam Bondi facing bipartisan criticism over the Justice Department's handling of the documents.
The fallout has implicated several Trump administration figures, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and former White House strategist Steve Bannon, giving Democrats a new line of attack heading into the midterms.
_THE FACTS_
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) reviewed unredacted Epstein files and identified six names that were "likely incriminated.”
Among the names: billionaire Leslie Wexner, who was designated as a "coconspirator of Epstein for 'child sex trafficking'" and Emirati businessman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, whose email address was linked to correspondence about a "torture video."
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testified he visited Epstein's Caribbean island in 2012 with his family, years later than he had previously disclosed.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) slammed Lutnick: "As a mom, I wouldn't sit and have lunch with a convicted pedophile."
The Epstein files revealed thousands of texts and emails between Epstein and conservative commentator Steve Bannon from 2018 and 2019.
Bannon spent significant time with Epstein at his Manhattan townhouse and Paris residence, filming what he described as a documentary project and offering Epstein advice on handling media scrutiny.
In a contentious House hearing, Attorney General Pam Bondi sparred with Democrats and Rep. Massie, who accused Bondi of "incompetence.”
Multiple Epstein victims were present in the room as Bondi dismissed Democrats’ calls for her to turn around and apologize to them as “theatrics.”
Bondi deflected lawmakers’ questions by asking why they weren’t talking about the strong stock market and accused Massie of having "Trump derangement syndrome.”
_INSIGHTS_
Republicans once leaned into the Epstein saga as proof of elite corruption. That strategy is faltering. While the latest disclosures show Trump distancing himself from Epstein years ago, they also reveal uncomfortable ties between Epstein and prominent figures orbiting the current administration.
Now, Democrats smell blood in the water. On the campaign trail, figures such as Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) have branded the GOP the “Epstein class.” If Democrats retake the House in the midterms, we can expect subpoenas, expanded hearings, and a far more aggressive push for accountability, once promised by Trump and Republicans.
