GOP divided over Epstein documents

When The Wall Street Journal released a report on Thursday saying that President Donald Trump allegedly penned a sexually suggestive letter to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday, some Capitol Hill Republicans called for Trump to push back against the allegations.

“The Wall Street Journal is a flop. Trump should sue,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said in a post on X.

Others hesitated to address the reporting at all.

“I’m not doing any interviews today,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., the normally outspoken ally of the president, told me as she walked down the Capitol steps early on Friday morning.

The Department of Justice’s announcement last week that it had reached a dead end in its investigation into the Epstein documents has divided congressional Republicans about how to approach longstanding Republican demands to increase government transparency on the matter. While some lawmakers seem to view Thursday’s article as a personal attack on the president, other Republicans believe it’s almost beside the point to the larger priority of resolving lingering questions about Epstein’s dealings.

Epstein was a well-connected hedge fund manager with a list of friends that included former President Bill Clinton, Great Britain’s Prince Andrew, and President Donald Trump. He was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges for allegedly abusing dozens of underage girls as young as 14. His death in prison, ruled a suicide according to officials, came before a federal conviction. An associate of Epstein’s, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls who were later abused by Epstein.

The WSJ’s Thursday report alleged that Trump was among one of many personal friends of Epstein who contributed to a collection of letters for his 50th birthday in 2003, before his misconduct had surfaced.

According to the article, the letter displayed several lines of text framed by the outline of a naked woman. The letter ends with “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Trump has fiercely denied the letter’s authenticity, promising to take legal action against News Corp, the parent company of the Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, its owner.

Despite its salacious nature, some lawmakers believe the letter—real or not—distracts from the real issue: whether the administration intends to follow through on its promises for transparency on Epstein.

That’s the view of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has spearheaded efforts in the House of Representatives to compel the administration’s release of whatever documentation it has. Massie has begun a petition to bring a bill to the floor, over the objection of leadership, that would do just that. To succeed, Massie will need 218 signatories.

“I think that’s somewhat of a distraction,” Massie told me of the WSJ reporting on the letter. “I have never said that we need to do this because it implicates Trump. I’ve never said that. I just think it’s a distraction that this doesn’t really get justice for the victims.”

Massie’s petition comes on the heels of a failed vote in the House Rules Committee that blocked consideration of a similar bill on Thursday evening. The measure, needed to bring the bill to the floor through the regular process, failed 4-9 when Republicans on the committee raised concerns about innocent third parties that could get caught up in disclosures.

Democrats like Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., denounced the stalled vote. Raskin is the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee.

“At this point, we’ve got a sweeping bipartisan consensus that we have to release everything [the DOJ] has got.” Raskin said on Friday morning. “[Epstein] was so central to their story of the swamp, but it’s becoming clear that Donald Trump is the swamp.”

Since the DOJ announced that it had exhausted its investigation into Epstein’s third-party clients last week—and that no record of his clients existed—Trump has attempted to tamp down a frustrated voter base. Now facing renewed scrutiny over the matter, Trump has reversed course, calling on his attorney general to prioritize releasing documentation on Epstein’s court proceedings.

“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent grand jury testimony subject to court approval,” Trump wrote in a post to social media on Thursday. “This scam, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end right now!”

Despite the renewed pledge for transparency, Raskin believes the House discharge petition is still the best way to find answers. He’s worried the administration will be selective about what it makes public.

“They’re saying, ‘We want Pam Bondi to release all credible, authentic evidence,’” Raskin said. “In other words, she gets to decide whether it’s credible or authentic. That’s why the Massie resolution is the right way to go.”

When asked if he’s worried the administration will comply with a congressional order for the release of the documents, Raskin said that’s a more troubling consideration.

“That’s getting into the weeds on whether or not we still have rule of law in America,” he said. “But the point is that the popular sentiment merges with the rule of law and the people want to see justice done here.”

Massie believes his petition has enough support across both sides of the aisle to come to the floor and succeed in the House. Although legislative rules prevent lawmakers from considering the motion for 30 days, he believes the House will consider it sometime after the August recess.