These Republican reps exposed as cowards by one colleague

One member of Kansas’ U.S. House delegation has stepped up to demand government accountability in the Jeffrey Epstein case. The other three representatives?

They’re missing in action.

Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat, has signed onto a discharge petition that would force a vote on releasing files about Epstein, his powerful friends and crimes against teenage girls.

Reps. Derek Schmidt, Tracey Mann and Ron Estes, all Republicans, have declined to add their names. They will be on the record soon enough. A vote on the petition appears likely this week.

You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to believe that something has gone awry in the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein case.

The deceased financier committed sex crimes and boasted of famous pals, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Official and journalistic inquiries into his depravity have continued for decades, and documents have trickled out throughout that time. The current administration swept into office promising unprecedented disclosure of case files.

Then the administration abruptly declared there was no news there, with Trump dubbing the affair a “Democrat hoax.”

That sounds, well, suspicious.

The stories keep coming. Earlier this year, we learned about a birthday letter to Epstein bearing Trump’s name (the president denies the signature is his). A tranche of email messages to and from Epstein landed just last week. So forgive me, and folks from across the partisan divide, who believe there’s more to learn about case.

In the House, four Republicans have joined all Democrats in demanding the government release everything it can. Party leadership has opposed the effort, and Trump has lobbied hard to shut it down. He’s denounced GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie online. Neither have been known for liberal views, to say the least. Administration bigwigs apparently lobbied Rep. Lauren Boebert inside the Situation Room.

One might assume our GOP representatives in Washington, D.C., would be front and center, demanding answers and accountability. After all, they come from a party that supposedly highlights both family values and a tough on crime stance.

Yet Schmidt, Mann and Estes haven’t supported the petition. They haven’t spoken up. To me, that looks like a missed opportunity.

Estes’ office at least sent a statement: “Rep. Estes appreciates the good work that the House Oversight Committee has done to provide transparency about this despicable person, including the 20,000 pages of documents that were released this past week. He is reviewing the bill that will come before the House to ensure it provides sufficient transparency while protecting innocent victims.”

I’m sure all of these representatives detest Epstein and find his crimes appalling. I’m sure they all want justice for his victims and to understand how far the corruption went among American elites who curried Epstein’s favor. I’m sure that, given their druthers, they would support any and all efforts to seek the full release of information about the case.

How unfortunate that we live during a time when they face political risk for doing so. They know which way the wind blows, and they have seen Trump’s attacks on Greene and Massie. I’m sure they believe it’s safer to avoid the whole mess and stay in the good graces of their party leader — the same man who once stated Epstein was “a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

(Trump himself has been accused by nearly 30 women of sexual impropriety. His 2016 campaign for president was nearly derailed by a tape in which he talked about grabbing women by their genitalia. Diehard Trump supporters have made their peace with all this, however, so let’s move along.)

The real question of the moment is how Schmidt, Mann and Estes justify their position in this moment, right now. They have to know that their votes, and the votes of their colleagues, will be recorded and reported across the nation.

I reached out repeatedly to the offices of all three men before writing this column. As noted above, I heard back from Estes. Good for him, and good for staff members who check their email messages.

I didn’t hear back from Mann or Schmidt. That was especially disappointing given that Mann’s staff insisted three months ago that they were committed to communicating.

Apparently not when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein!

Anyway, I don’t want to think poorly of anyone. If Schmidt or Mann or their spokespeople want to send along a comment about the discharge petition — or the underlying bill — I will happily include it in an updated version of this column. I’ve done it before and will again. Their words and their stances matter.

Frankly, I haven’t written about Epstein or his crimes until now because I don’t see the controversy. Who would willingly block records about a rich and powerful sex offender? I don’t care about your party or political beliefs.

Release the records, and let the chips fall where they may.

• Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.