A major decision in the legal fight over President Donald Trump's responsibility to release the Jeffrey Epstein files may have given lawmakers a way to take down the president, according to one legal expert.
Last year, Congress passed a law requiring the Department of Justice to release all Epstein files in its possession by Dec.19, 2025. The administration has said in court filings that it has released just 1% of the files so far, and will need "several weeks" to review millions more documents that it allegedly discovered. Some of the files have painted Trump's relationship with the disgraced financier and convicted sex criminal in an unsavory light.
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) recently asked Judge Paul Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York to appoint a special master to oversee the DOJ's handling of the Epstein files, but the court denied the request on Wednesday, according to reports.
Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor, discussed the case with progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen on "The Legal Breakdown" on Wednesday, where he noted that the judge appeared to carefully instruct lawmakers on how to achieve their ends.
Kirschner pointed to a footnote the judge wrote where he stopped short of instructing lawyers representing Khanna and Massie to file an actual lawsuit instead of a petition.
"Judge Engelmayer said this does nothing to prevent the Representatives' right to file a lawsuit to accomplish what procedurally they can't quite accomplish in the current posture," Kirschner said. "So, I have a feeling the next thing we're going to see are lawyers for these representatives filing a lawsuit and taking advantage of that ... suggestion by Judge Engelmayer, that opportunity to actually create standing."
Kirschner added that the ruling may end up giving lawmakers more ammunition down the road to go after the president.
"I think the forces of good, the forces that actually care about the rule of law and the rights of victims, may have lost this battle, but I think there's another battle to be fought very soon. And I think the forces of good may end up winning this war," Kirschner said.
