Democrats are seizing the moment as the fight over releasing the Epstein files is far from over — and Republicans "desert en masse" from MAGA and President Donald Trump, according to an analysis.
Trump appeared to admit defeat Sunday in a sudden U-turn in which he demanded release of the files, but some questions have surfaced over how much will actually be made public and how Democrats will navigate this next challenge ahead, according to a report published by The Bulwark on Monday.
Trump has "consistently" and "insistently" fought releasing the files, attacking people who have called for an investigation and disclosure. He even created the "remarkable spectacle" of summoning Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) to the White House Situation Room last week to try and persuade her to remove her name from the discharge petition. But that didn't change where Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) stood and they maintained their positions on releasing the files.
"But as House Republicans prepared to desert en masse, Trump last night acknowledged defeat. The House will pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, likely tomorrow. The Senate will very likely follow suit quickly now that Trump has backed down. We will then see if Trump will sign the measure," The Bulwark reports.
But that doesn't mean everything will come to light.
"The Justice Department could withhold materials and limit the scope of the release of the files. And it will be hard to know what isn’t being released," the outlet wrote.
"So this fight is by no means over. Democrats and the truth-seeking Republicans will have to keep the pressure on—by cross-checking the files that are released with what survivors and others know to be in them, by insisting on a full accounting of what hasn’t been released, by demanding hearings and testimony from Bondi and Patel under oath, and the like. And this is to say nothing of the fact that various documents and records might have conveniently gone missing in the course of Bondi and Patel’s exhaustive review."
And as the writers point out, "it was easier in this case to fracture the MAGA coalition than to get 'responsible' Republicans to defect from Trump."
A future strategy for Democrats is also evolving as they realized "they are not powerless" as the minority but instead adjust to be more centrist and bipartisan.
"It may be more fruitful in the effort to weaken Trump to find and exploit fractures in the MAGA coalition than to try to find moderates to step up," The Bulwark reports.
"Democrats should run against not just Trump and the GOP, but against elites in general in 2026, and I dare say in 2028."