Congress Erupts Over Epstein Docs | Watch: Allegations of Obstruction Against Trump & Jeffries

Congress Erupts Over Epstein Docs | Watch: Allegations of Obstruction Against Trump & Jeffries | APT

A heated debate erupted on the House floor as lawmakers accused both Donald Trump and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of obstructing the release of the Epstein documents. Members from both parties demanded full transparency, pointing to alleged selective leaks, redactions, and political interference. The debate centers on whether Congress should release all files — including financial networks and co-conspirators — without restrictions.

#EpsteinFiles #CongressDebate #HouseFloor #Trump

Epstein files, Epstein documents Congress, House floor debate Epstein, Donald Trump Epstein obstruction, Hakeem Jeffries Epstein accusations, Congress Epstein transparency, House debate full release, bipartisan Epstein fight, political obstruction claims, Capitol Hill debate, oversight committee Epstein, Epstein survivors justice, Epstein accomplices investigation, financial networks Epstein, congressional

#EpsteinFiles #HouseFloor #HOR #DonaldTrump #HakeemJeffries #CongressNews #BreakingNews #PoliticalDebate #Transparency #JusticeForSurvivors #OversightCommittee #EpsteinInvestigation #CapitolHill #USPolitics #Accountability

Transcript

00:00The gentleman from Maryland is recognized.

00:04Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume.

00:07The gentleman is recognized.

00:08Today, four months and three days after Mr. Khanna and Mr. Massey

00:13introduced their discharge petition, perhaps the most famous discharge petition in American history,

00:19the People's House unites across party lines to draw a moral line.

00:25We draw a line against the rape and sexual violation of children.

00:30We draw a line against the global criminal trafficking of girls and young women

00:35to service the pleasure of rich and powerful men who believe they are beyond all law and all morality.

00:43We draw a line to put the voices of the victims and the survivors first.

00:49We ask the Senate to join us without changes rather than obstruct this bill with dilatory amendments,

00:56legislative graffiti, and self-dealing million-dollar jackpot provisions for lucky senators just passed the bill.

01:04We're finally voting today because a bipartisan discharge petition led by Representatives Massey and Khanna

01:12and signed by 218 of us, overthrew the determined obstruction of the Speaker.

01:20This forced vote means the House will no longer acquiesce in this astonishing real-time cover-up

01:29of a multi-billion-dollar global sex trafficking and child rape ring

01:35that has ravaged the lives of more than a thousand girls and young women.

01:40We are here today because these victims, these survivors, these citizens, these inspiring women

01:47who have come to Washington are demanding nothing less than justice and the complete truth

01:53about who is responsible for their vicious abuse, including those responsible for enabling it,

02:00ignoring it, bankrolling it, and covering it up.

02:05We join them today in rejecting any more dangerous lies about the crimes they suffered.

02:11No, child sex abuse is not a hoax. It's a crime. Human trafficking is not a hoax. It's a crime.

02:21These crimes are a curse on children and young people across America, in universities and elementary schools,

02:28in churches and mosques and synagogues, in Boy Scout troops and college sports teams and summer camps.

02:35Anywhere the powerful and the rich believe they've got the opportunity and the impunity

02:42to exploit the young, the poor, the powerless, and the vulnerable.

02:47We must face the truth and find the co-conspirators still at large

02:52in one of America's most extensive and sophisticated sex trafficking and child abuse rings in history.

02:59Release of the file will expose the role of everybody who facilitated and covered up these crimes,

03:06like JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, and Bank of New York Mellon,

03:12which executed billions of dollars in transactions related to these offenses,

03:16as well as any bank executives who participated in the sexual abuse of girls and young women.

03:22We must expose everyone who covered up these crimes, like Alex Acosta, the former U.S. Attorney in Miami,

03:29Donald Trump's Labor Secretary, who gave Jeffrey Epstein an unbelievable sweetheart plea deal,

03:36immunized unnamed conspirators, and killed an investigation into Epstein's financial crimes

03:42that could have brought down the entire criminal network.

03:47And with that, I'm going to yield — I'll reserve the balance of my time.

03:53The gentleman in reserves. The gentleman from Ohio is recognized.

03:56Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield four minutes to the distinguished chair of the House Oversight Committee,

04:00Mr. Comer, and the gentleman from Kentucky.

04:02The gentleman from Kentucky is recognized.

04:04Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As chairman of the House Oversight Committee,

04:07I've always believed that sunshine is the best disinfectant.

04:11For years, the American people have demanded transparency about Jeffrey Epstein

04:15and Ghislaine Maxwell's horrific crimes and about the federal government's failure to protect the victims.

04:22The House Oversight Committee is conducting a thorough review of the federal government's investigation into Epstein.

04:28Our work goes far beyond the legislation before us today.

04:32We are committed to accountability, transparency, and justice for the American people

04:36and for the survivors of these appalling crimes.

04:40To date, the Oversight Committee has released more than 65,000 pages of documents, issued 13 subpoenas,

04:49and conducted interviews with two key witnesses, both of whom were Republicans.

04:54The Trump administration has provided us with Department of Justice materials and access to suspicious activity reports.

05:01Unfortunately, throughout this investigation, Democrats have chosen to manufacture yet another anti-Trump hoax

05:07instead of pursuing justice.

05:10They have mischaracterized witness testimony and selectively released documents complete with targeted redactions

05:18in an effort to smear President Trump.

05:22For example, former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, who oversaw the 2019 Epstein investigation,

05:29stated clearly, under oath, that the prosecution team found no evidence that President Trump committed wrongdoing.

05:39Despite this simple and straightforward fact, ranking member Robert Garcia, moments after that deposition,

05:50tiptoed out and publicly claimed that, quote, Barr could not clear Trump of wrongdoing.

05:57That was a lie, and we have the transcript to prove it.

06:01I invite the media to read the transcript.

06:04When the Oversight Committee interviewed former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Alex Acosta,

06:10Democrats whipped themselves into a frenzy trying to manufacture a gotcha moment.

06:15But they failed.

06:17Mr. Acosta dismantled the Democrats' narrative.

06:20His testimony confirmed there was no contact between President Trump and Mr. Acosta,

06:25and no connection between President Trump in the Epstein case.

06:30Next, Democrats resorted to selective leaks and doctored documents to mislead the American people.

06:35Oversight Committee Republicans have posted 65,000 pages of documents we have received to date.

06:41Democrats, by contrast, have released fewer than one dozen.

06:46In their latest selective leak, Democrats released just three, three of the 23,000 pages of documents from the Epstein estate.

06:56And they made redactions to two of those emails that changed both the context and the meaning of the three pages they released.

07:05When CNN, CNN, called them out for their deceptive redactions,

07:11Representatives Stansberry and Crockett tried to blame Republicans for their own edits,

07:18for the Democrat Oversight Committee edits.

07:21After Democrats released only three emails, Republicans released over 23,000 pages.

07:27And what did Democrats say in response when we released every single document that we got?

07:33They claimed full transparency was meant to, quote,

07:37disorient or distract from their manufactured narrative.

07:42These are the same Democrats who chant,

07:44release the files every day until the files contradict the story they want to tell.

07:50That, that is the definition of hypocrisy.

07:55In contrast, full transparency exposed how Epstein appears to be TDS patient zero.

08:02The emails reveal a journalist coached Epstein to blackmail then presidential candidate Donald Trump.

08:14The files also show that a House Democrat colluded with Epstein during the 2019 oversight hearing

08:20to discredit witness with a vendetta against President Trump.

08:25And unsurprisingly, Democrats have been silent about their colleagues' coordination with Epstein.

08:30Another email shows Democrat fundraisers invited Epstein to an event or to meet privately with Hakeem Jeffries

08:37as part of their 2013 effort to, to build, to win a majority.

08:42So Hakeem Jeffries campaign solicited money from Jeffrey Epstein.

08:47That's what we found in the last document batch.

08:50The files underscore why former President Trump must appear for his deposition.

08:54We've subpoenaed him.

08:56To date, the Democrats have done nothing to help us secure his appearance.

09:01I support full transparency.

09:03The Oversight Committee will continue to work to get the truth to the American people

09:07and to get justice for the victims.

09:09That's our goal of this investigation.

09:12With that, I yield back.

09:14The gentleman yields back.

09:15Yeah, Mr. Speaker, we reserve.

09:16The gentleman reserves.

09:17The gentleman from Maryland is recognized.

09:19Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

09:21You know, I should just point out that we've heard now from the two distinguished

09:24Chairman of the Judiciary and the Oversight Committee.

09:27And they've spoken almost exclusively to denounced Democrats.

09:31We have a bipartisan coalition here demanding the truth about the largest child sex abuse

09:38and trafficking ring, perhaps in American history, certainly in this century.

09:42And they want to just throw stones at the Democrats.

09:45What a remarkable failure of leadership we're seeing from the other side.

09:49And I imagine that the Chairman of the Oversight Committee will follow up his spectacular failure

09:53in trying to impeach President Biden with his spectacular failure in trying to block the resolution

09:58we brought to the floor today.

09:59I'm happy to yield one minute — excuse me, you're not recognized, whoever's speaking.

10:04And I'd like to yield one minute to the very distinguished minority leader in the House Oversight Committee.

10:10The gentleman is recognized.

10:13And, Mr. Speaker, it's wonderful to hear Republicans and certainly the Chairman of our Committee

10:18finally wanting transparency on this issue.

10:21It is time to end this White House cover-up now.

10:25Now, we know that Donald Trump has tried everything to kill our Jeffrey Epstein investigation, and he's failed.

10:31And now he's panicking.

10:33He's about to lose his Epstein vote to force the Department of Justice to release the files.

10:39And let's be crystal clear.

10:41Trump has the power to release the files today.

10:45He does not even need a vote.

10:47And he continues to defy the subpoena of the Oversight Committee to release all the files.

10:54What is Donald Trump hiding?

10:57What is Pam Bondi, the Attorney General, hiding?

11:00Why won't they release the Epstein files right now?

11:04And he must explain to the public why he moved sex trafficker and monster Ghislaine Maxwell

11:11to a cushy, low-security prison after her interview with Trump's personal lawyer.

11:16He should declare, and every Republican should say, that she does not deserve a pardon or a commutation.

11:21The gentleman's time has expired.

11:23I grant him 20 more seconds.

11:26We don't care how much money you have, what party you're in, how powerful you are.

11:31We should get justice for the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein.

11:34And our work on the committee is not over.

11:36Next up are the bank and financial records to follow and expose Epstein's network.

11:41Today, there should be a unanimous vote on releasing the files, and we will get justice.

11:46And with that, I yield back.

11:47And we reserve.

11:48The gentleman reserves.

11:49The gentleman from Ohio is recognized.

11:51Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

11:52I yield a minute and a half to the distinguished gentleman from California,

11:54and member of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Kiley.

11:56The gentleman from California is recognized.

11:58I have consistently called for the maximum possible level of transparency

12:03when it comes to the heinous crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.

12:06That's why I have consistently said I am inclined to vote for this bill,

12:10and it's why I will be doing so today.

12:13The victims deserve the truth.

12:16They deserve justice.

12:18And they deserve closure.

12:20For months, they've had to wake up every day and see the name of their tormentor on the

12:26front page of every newspaper, on every TV channel, as has the broader American public.

12:33This issue has been so politicized by so many people in so many ways, which is deeply unfortunate

12:41when we're talking about matters of the highest sensitivity and untold suffering.

12:47It is my hope that the passage of this resolution today, together with the work of the Oversight Committee,

12:53will lead to the expeditious release of all pertinent material, so that we can move on.

13:01Let's get accountability, let's get answers, and let's get this over with.

13:07I yield back.

13:08The gentleman yields back.

13:10The gentleman reserves.

13:11Yeah, we preserve.

13:12The gentleman from Maryland is recognized.

13:14I yield one minute to the very distinguished general lady from Washington, a member of the Judiciary Committee.

13:18The general lady from Washington is recognized.

13:20Mr. Speaker, thousands of girls, children, were abused by Jeffrey Epstein and his massive and powerful ring of pedophiles,

13:30and protectors of pedophiles.

13:33We can't say all their names here.

13:35We don't have time.

13:36But let's at least bring a few of the courageous survivors and their names onto the House floor right here as we debate this.

13:45Haley Robson, Jenna Lisa Jones, Michelle Licata, Ashley Rubright, Annie Farmer, Marina Lacerda, Rachel Benavides.

14:00These women have carried a burden that they never should have had to bear.

14:05And today, they demand, we demand, the American people demand that we answer their clarion call to justice.

14:13Today, despite all the giant cover-up attempts by this administration and this Speaker of the House,

14:19we will vote to release all the Epstein files.

14:23To be clear, there is no protection for pedophiles.

14:26No protection for the rich and powerful men of either party who participated, who turned a blind eye,

14:32who winked and grinned while witnessing the horrific abuses of young children.

14:38Release all the damn files now.

14:44The gentleman reserves. The gentleman from Ohio is recognized.

14:47Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield a minute and a half to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina and member of our committee.

14:51The gentleman is recognized.

14:52Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been very supportive of this effort specifically to bring justice to the victims of this horrific series of crimes.