Democrats are planning to lean into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal now that Congress is coming back into session.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) stopped by House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) office Tuesday, after the Senate voted to reopen the government, with a copy of Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre's memoirs in a sign that congressional Democrats plan to make the matter a major issue in the coming weeks, reported Slate.
“It just was kind of a slow trickle, you know, a lot of us had heard about this years ago,” Gallego said.
The issue took center stage earlier this year, after Elon Musk highlighted President Donald Trump's ties to the late Epstein, and then the Department of Justice and FBI abruptly announced no further details about his alleged crimes would be released – which has prompted a procedural motion to force a vote on a resolution to release all unclassified information about the disgraced financier.
"Democrats have been pushing Epstein toward center stage for months, and elsewhere, it’s already spawned parallel scandals, which have included the former Prince Andrew being stripped of his royal status and consigned essentially to internal exile in the U.K.," Slate reported.
"But it will come to a head Wednesday when, after nearly two months, Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva is sworn into Congress, 50 days after winning election to the House of Representatives," the report added. "Johnson had used the ongoing government shutdown as an excuse not to swear in the Arizona Democrat, who would be the final signature needed on a procedural motion to force a vote on a resolution to release all unclassified information about Epstein."
Gallego used the occasion to take another swipe at the speaker – whom he called a "doofus" – after their viral encounter a month ago over Johnson's refusal to seat Grijalva by dropping a copy of Guiffre’s memoir with a receptionist at the Louisiana Republican's office, and pointed out that Epstein's co-conspirator was transferred to a low-security prison after meeting with Todd Blanche, Trump’s deputy attorney general and former personal attorney.
“It just keeps on pointing to powerful people trying to protect powerful people,” Gallego said.
"There is something really explosive to some very, very powerful men,” he added.
Gallego said the president acted "weird" about the Epstein files, and Democrats plan to make an issue of their suspicions, which many voters share.
"It tells me there’s something that he’s embarrassed about," Gallego said, "and maybe it’s not him, maybe it’s one of his really, really, really close friends and powerful friends.”
House Democrats shared emails Wednesday morning, after Gallego stopped by the speaker's office, provided by Epstein's estate that showed Trump "knew about the girls" who were being trafficked, and Epstein claimed Trump "spent hours" with a victim at his home.
"I’m not sure if this has anything to do with voters, where voters actually would care this much," Gallego said before those emails were released. "I do think that everyday Americans want justice, and that’s why we need to deliver this, not really for any kind of movement in the voting booth or anything like that.”