Epstein survivor Haley Robson holds up a photo of her younger self during a Tuesday news conference outside the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images
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THE EPSTEIN FILES: WHAT IS NEXT?
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent
Years in the system, the case of Jeffrey Epstein reaches another turning point today.
The House of Representatives just passed a bill — the Epstein Files Transparency Act — that would direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and any communications regarding those cases.
The final House vote Tuesday on the Epstein files bill.
Firestorms and Situation Room meetings at the White House have been set off by this bill and the successful effort to bring it to a vote, despite an initial block from Republican leadership. President Donald Trump has done a complete 180 on the measure – from fiercely campaigning against it to saying he would sign it.
We thought it a good time to give you a quick look at where the document push stands and what comes next.
The Senate wants to move quickly. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that the chamber could vote on the bill as soon as Tuesday night. It is expected to pass there as well.
And then, as above, Trump has said he’s committed to signing it.
But let’s talk about what happens then.
There’s a deadline. The bill demands that all Epstein files be released within 30 days.
The fine print. There are some categories of information that can be withheld or redacted: personal information about victims, explicit depictions of child abuse, anything jeopardizing a federal investigation, depictions of death or injury, information properly classified to protect national security. (I pushed House Speaker Mike Johnson today to further explain his concerns about the bill.)
Watch the clip in the player above.
What happens after the files are released? Within 15 days of the document drop, the Department of Justice must give Congress a full list of all materials released and withheld, a full report on any redactions, and a list of all government officials and “politically exposed persons” named in the materials.
Now to the next pressing question.
Are there ways the Department of Justice can delay the release?
Yes. Look at one of the categories of information that the attorney general can withhold — anything that “would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary.”
That is an understandable exception. And when the bill was written, it did not seem likely to include a large amount of material. There is no known current Epstein investigation. Epstein himself died in prison in 2019 before he went to court. Maxwell has been convicted and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
But in the last week, Trump specifically asked the DOJ to launch a *new* Epstein investigation into a list of individuals and entities. All of the individuals named, including former President Bill Clinton, are Democrats.
Some have wondered whether the DOJ will cite this new investigation as a reason to withhold large swaths of material.
And now, one last question.
How would the material be released?
That is not yet clear. But it could follow the administration's current preferred method — handing over files to the House Oversight Committee.
Or the administration could post the files en masse online, as it did with files regarding the John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. assassinations.
So, what happens next?
Congress finishes voting. (Watch the Senate floor here.)
One Big Question: What to make of Trump’s U-turn on the Epstein files? NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter discuss.
This is how President Donald Trump dismissed the 2018 killing of a Washington Post journalist during Tuesday’s controversial Oval Office meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In response to a reporter’s question about whether it was appropriate for the Saudi prince to visit the White House given the conclusion by U.S. intelligence that Trump’s guest likely played some role in the murder, the president instead called the late journalist Jamal Khashoggi “extremely controversial.”
“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about,” Trump said. “Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen.”
“We can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,” Trump added.
Trump also rejected the claim that he’s profiting from family business dealings in Saudi Arabia, saying his company doesn’t deal with that country much and adding that he’s distanced himself from operations. Trump has placed his business interests in a trust controlled by his son, rather than a blind trust, as most modern presidents have done.
Prince Mohammed’s visit to the White House on Tuesday was his first since Khashoggi’s murder. The Saudi leader announced during their meeting that his country was increasing its planned investment in the U.S. to $1 trillion, up from $600 billion he had initially pledged earlier this year.
THIS WEEK’S TRIVIA QUESTION
An Indigenous man lies on the ground while holding a globe in his hand during the Indigenous People Global March during the COP30 climate negotiations. Photo by Pablo Porciuncula/AFP via Getty Images
“There is no time to lose with delays and obstruction,” he said Monday.
Notably absent: The United States.
Activists highlighted an empty chair meant for a U.S. representative at the talks to draw attention to the nonattendance of the world’s second-biggest carbon polluter.
The site of this year’s climate talks also holds significance.
Our question: COP30 is being held in Belém, Brazil, on the edge of this diverse biome that spans across eight South American countries. What is it?
Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.
Last week, we asked: What does a purple poppy on Armistice Day commemorate?
The answer: Animals killed in war. Animal Aid, the animal rights organization that advocated for the purple poppy in 2006, discontinued the symbol in 2015, saying media narratives tended to portray animals used in wartime as heroes and not victims. The group now uses a purple paw badge to represent “all animals exploited by humans,” though other organizations have continued to use the purple poppy.
Congratulations to our winners: Brenda Radford and Alice Kontos!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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