A fresh political storm has erupted after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of shielding President Donald Trump from renewed scrutiny tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Schumer has publicly questioned whether key documents and testimony related to the Epstein investigation are being fully disclosed, raising allegations of political interference and a possible cover-up. Republicans have strongly rejected the claims, calling them politically motivated attacks.
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NewsTranscript
00:00The way Pam Bondi and the Justice Department have handled the release of the Epstein files
00:04has all the stench of a cover-up.
00:06That several memos detailing a woman's accusation against the president from when she was a minor
00:14have been withheld from the public.
00:17They need to be made public.
00:20Pam Bondi does not have the right to pick and choose which Epstein files to release
00:25to the public.
00:27Protecting the president from embarrassment is not her job.
00:31And Pam Bondi's job is to give Americans full access to the truth.
00:37Protecting Donald Trump's image does not, does not fit any of these buckets.
00:50Okay, it's afternoon.
00:53Good afternoon, everybody, and thank you all for coming.
00:57I'm joined by Senators Durbin, Merkley, Gallego, and that's it.
01:03We may have a few more coming.
01:06Well, it's been 99 days since Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
01:14The American people sent Donald Trump a clear and simple demand, release the Epstein files.
01:22Donald Trump said he wants to turn the page on the Epstein files.
01:27Democrats are not going to let Donald Trump turn the page.
01:33It was not a suggestion, not a request.
01:36The law requires the DOJ to release all the files, not just some of the files, not just
01:42the ones they pick and choose and want to do.
01:45Since then, we've seen the Justice Department break the law and continue to hide the truth
01:50from the American people.
01:52Let me be blunt.
01:54There is a massive cover-up going on in the Justice Department to protect Donald Trump and
01:59people associated with Jeffrey Epstein.
02:02As we expected, Trump, Bondi, and their missions and their minions have played games with the
02:08release of these files.
02:09They release some documents that they want to release and continue to hide others.
02:15The American people see right through it, and they're all asking the obvious question,
02:20what is Bondi trying to hide?
02:22President Trump, what are you trying to hide?
02:26That's the question the American people are asking.
02:29Senate Democrats Epstein Working Group, including my colleagues here with me, have been preparing
02:35for this very scenario.
02:37We saw what they were doing.
02:38And so we're working with victims' attorneys, we're working with legal experts, we're working
02:43with people very familiar with this case to ensure full compliance of the law.
02:49We know the administration's withholding some documents unlawfully.
02:53Yesterday, news outlets reported that several memos detailing a woman's accusation against
02:58the President from when she was a minor have been withheld from the public.
03:05We know they are abusing redactions to hide the truth.
03:09Hundreds of pages are completely blacked out.
03:12Co-conspirate identities remain hidden while survivors have been exposed.
03:16We're here today to put a shot across the bow of the Department of Justice and the Trump
03:20administration that we are going to reveal this massive cover-up.
03:25We will not rest.
03:27It's an all-out oversight effort.
03:30We're going to pull on every thread.
03:31We're going to chase every lead.
03:33We'll talk with whistleblowers.
03:34We will get to the truth.
03:38Our Working Group Senate Democrats will go review the unredacted files in the coming days.
03:46Let me repeat that.
03:47Our Working Group Senate Democrats will go review the unredacted files in the coming days.
03:55Pam Bondi should listen carefully.
03:57The truth will come out.
03:59The whole ugly truth about what she's doing to protect people in the files will come out.
04:05The whole world is going to know exactly what she knew, when she knew it, and what she
04:10did to cover it up.
04:13Democrats are going to hold Pam Bondi and everyone involved at the DOJ accountable for
04:19this cover-up.
04:21Today, we are demanding that the Department of Justice and the FBI preserve records on
04:27what transpired behind the scenes.
04:29We want to know who was involved in the decision to hide the truth.
04:32And a warning to the Trump cronies working on this.
04:35Yes, we will know if you are destroying documents and evidence, you will not outrun the law.
04:41You will not outrun the truth.
04:44This isn't political.
04:46The survivors deserve the truth, and the American people are demanding it.
04:50Democrats and Republicans agree the American people deserve the truth.
04:54So, Donald Trump, stop hiding.
04:57Stop delaying.
04:58Come clean with the American people.
05:01And if you don't, Democrats will make sure that the truth comes out.
05:07Our next speaker is Senator Durbin.
05:10SENATOR DURBIN
05:11SENATOR DURBIN
05:16Thanks, Senator Schumer.
05:18With the Epstein files, the Trump administration had an opportunity to secure a win for survivors,
05:25for accountability, and for transparency.
05:28But after mishandling the files for a year, it took an act of Congress to force Pam Bondi
05:35and Kash Patel to even consider providing justice.
05:40Even after the passage of the Epstein files transparency act, the Trump administration decided to violate
05:47federal law to protect the rich and powerful.
05:51The law required DOJ to produce the files by December 19th.
05:56Yet the vast majority of those files were not produced until January 30th, 42 days later.
06:03Department of Justice has violated the legislation's protection for victims by publishing records
06:09without redacting personally identifiable information of victims, including nude photos where their names
06:16and faces could be identified.
06:18In sharp contrast, other produced records heavily redacted information identifying powerful business
06:25and political figures who are alleged conspirators or material witnesses to Epstein's crimes.
06:32Violations of the Epstein Files Transparency Act continue as the Department of Justice has yet to produce all Epstein-related
06:40records required by law
06:42and has removed thousands of records from the website beyond those that inappropriately identify victims.
06:50Keep in mind, a whistleblower told my office that FBI agents reviewing the Epstein files were instructed to flag any
06:59records that mentioned President Donald Trump.
07:02This disclosure is even more damning in light of yesterday's bombshell.
07:06The New York Times report that the Justice Department failed to disclose documents related to a woman who alleged that
07:13Trump sexually assaulted her when she was a minor.
07:16Simply put, Pam Bondi and Kash Patel have mismanaged these records during their tenure in office.
07:23That is why, as ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I'm joining our leader, Charles Schumer, in a letter
07:29to the Justice Department and FBI requesting the preservation of records related to the management of the Epstein files over
07:37the course of the Trump administration.
07:39Preserving federal records and safeguarding information critical to congressional oversight is a legal obligation that all department employees are required
07:48to meet.
07:49As I told General Bondi during last year's Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, quote,
07:54Eventually, you're going to have to answer for your conduct in this.
07:58You won't do it today, but eventually you will.
08:02The survivors deserve better.
08:04It's clear that Donald Trump and his Republican enablers are executing a cover-up and conceal strategy.
08:11Heads are rolling at the highest levels of the United Kingdom.
08:14Will heads roll in the United States?
08:16When will the Trump administration come clean with the survivors and the American people?
08:22The sooner, the better.
08:24Next, I believe – Senator Blumenthal can't make it.
08:27He's not here yet.
08:28He's in another dealing.
08:29Senator Murphy.
08:29Senator Murphy.
08:33The Epstein Files Transparency Act that I introduced with Ben Ray Lujan in the Senate was crystal clear.
08:40No record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of any of the following.
08:45Embarrassment, reputational harm, political sensitivity, including any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.
08:53Well, here we are.
08:54Those 99 days have passed, and what we have seen is the files have not been released according to the
09:00law.
09:02We have seen that victims' names and photos that were supposed to be redacted weren't redacted.
09:08And all kinds of redactions appear to have occurred for folks who are potential perpetrators.
09:16And we're seeing the Epstein files reverberate across the world.
09:23The Prime Minister of Norway, the former ambassador from Britain to the United States, King Charles' brother.
09:33But what about here in the United States of America?
09:35Why is there no accountability here in the United States of America for these atrocious crimes?
09:40The place where they occurred.
09:44We know that there were about 6 million pages, of which only somewhat more than 3 million have been released.
09:50We want those other 3 million released.
09:52And among them are these 50 pages that entail, as the New York Times said, claims made in 2019 by
10:01a woman who came forward after Mr. Epstein's arrest to say she'd been sexually assaulted by both Mr. Trump and
10:08Epstein when she was 13 to 15 years old.
10:11And it goes on to say that there were 4 interviews with this woman.
10:16And only one of those interviews was released.
10:19Where are the other 3?
10:20Now, we know the other 3 exist because they are in the index.
10:26And yet, the pages are missing.
10:29How can anyone justify that these interviews have not been released?
10:36So, that is a massive cover-up by this administration.
10:41It's a massive and unacceptable cover-up.
10:45We also know from the Telegraph that there are 6 secret storage units rented across the country by Epstein that
10:54may have contained information that the Department of Justice hasn't apparently attempted to retrieve.
11:01By unanimous consent, the Senate said, yes, we passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
11:10Senator Schumer came forward and tried to strengthen that act with some real penalties, and the Republican whip objected.
11:18Well, if Republicans were with us on seeking full disclosure, why object to putting more teeth into this bill?
11:27We all together, Democrats and Republicans, should be saying yes on transparency for the public.
11:36Yes on accountability for the perpetrators, and yes for the closest thing we can get to justice for the victims.
11:45Senator Gallego has been relentless on this issue.
11:49Senator Gallego.
11:51As we stated, princes, CEOs, the most powerful men in the world are being held accountable everywhere except the United
11:57States.
11:59Where we are supposed to be a country of equal justice under the law, we are actually proving quite the
12:05opposite.
12:06You know, what we're proving here right now, what the Republicans are proving right now with the help of Donald
12:11Trump and Attorney General Pam Bundy,
12:13is that if you are part of the Epstein class, if you are rich enough, you are powerful enough, you
12:18can do some really horrific things.
12:20You know, the Republicans, raping children, raping women, engaging in sex trafficking, and this administration, the Republicans, will engage in
12:29an active cover-up for you.
12:32And even more so, now we're getting more reports of some real serious allegations of this president from a minor,
12:40a woman who was a minor,
12:41that is accusing the president of some very serious, serious crimes.
12:45The American public deserves to know what happened, who was involved, not just President Trump, but everyone else involved,
12:52all these powerful men that are still walking around the United States right now.
12:55We're only talking about a couple years removed, a decade removed from a lot of these allegations.
13:01These men are still in power.
13:03These men are still potentially victimizing women, victimizing children.
13:09And the fact that this administration is actively covering up past crimes potentially means they're covering up current crimes.
13:16It's time for us to have full transparency.
13:19It's time for us to have accountability.
13:21It's time for us to throw some people in jail that did some really horrible stuff against kids in this
13:27country.
13:28And the fact that Donald Trump and the Republicans, after talking a big game for so many years about going
13:33after pedophiles,
13:34are actively covering up for pedophiles right now should tell you exactly what is wrong with this administration.
13:41I, unfortunately, going to have to go read those redacted files next week.
13:47It's one of those things that you don't want to do.
13:49The disgusting nature of what I'm going to find on there is going to, you know, probably make me very
13:55ill.
13:56But because we have an administration that's actively covering up for pedophiles, we have to take this step.
14:03And we have to take this step to keep them accountable and to expose all these pedophiles that are still
14:08in power right now all over this country.
14:12And just one more point, which this article from the New York Times shows.
14:19More and more is keep – more and more keeps coming out.
14:22And the more we – that comes out, the more we see how large their cover-up has been.
14:27Questions on this subject.
14:30But, yes, in the back.
14:31So, Sarah Bayer used to think you're going next week.
14:34Have the rest of you –
14:35Yeah, we're all going together.
14:36We're all going together.
14:36Yeah, I mentioned that in my remarks.
14:38Yes.
14:39Yeah.
14:39Yes.
14:40I don't know if we're going together.
14:41We're all going.
14:42And we have set up appointments to go.
14:45Yes.
14:45Senator Schumer, you asked for unanimous consent on the floor a few weeks ago.
14:49Whit Barrasso objective.
14:50What is your floor strategy moving forward to kind of get Senate action on this?
14:55Well, the bottom line is the Republicans all voted for it, every single one.
14:59And we're going to keep at it.
15:00We're going to use every strategy we can, going to the Justice Department, seeking lawsuits,
15:05as well as whatever legislative strategies will work.
15:08Yes.
15:10Over on the House side, the Clintons are being deposed starting today and tomorrow in the
15:14episode investigation.
15:15Just your general reaction into that?
15:17Look, all the truth should come out.
15:18Period.
15:20Yes.
15:21Thank you, Senator Schumer from the Italian National TV.
15:24Just two quick questions.
15:25One, do you also see a difference between the treatment that this case has been happening
15:29in Europe and here in the United States?
15:30As my colleagues well outlined, I agree.
15:33And, okay, second question.
15:34How do you react to people who say that Democrats and Republicans are enacting a new form of
15:39militardism, basically judging guilty by association, whether he's in the email or
15:44?
15:44All we want is the truth.
15:45The truth.
15:46Is there any danger?
15:48Yes.
15:48Is there any effort to reach out to the woman who made the claim against President Trump?
15:52Uh-huh.
15:54There will be efforts to reach out to everyone who's willing to come forward and speak.
15:58And do you want to talk about that?
16:00I think I mentioned my remarks.
16:03Yeah.
16:03We'll flee the letter on preserving evidence and witnesses.
16:06Yeah.
16:07So we can get it.
16:08Yes.
16:08When you see the unredacted documents, what can the public expect from you to inform them?
16:14Can you do anything to inform them?
16:15Well, let's – we're not going to prejudge.
16:17Let's see what's in the documents.
16:18We want to protect people's identities, but we also want the truth to come out.
16:22And we will walk that line with great vigor.
16:27Yes.
16:28There are an additional three million files that have not been released.
16:31And many, it seems, of the files that have been released remain redacted or have parts
16:35redacted.
16:36So what steps are you taking to ensure that those redactions are unredacted?
16:41Yeah.
16:41We're going to demand justification for any redactions.
16:44And if the redactions are cover-ups as opposed to protecting identities, we're going
16:48to get to the bottom of it.
16:49How?
16:50We're going to get to the bottom of it.
16:51Okay.
16:52Thank you, everybody.
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