(24 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++BEGINS AND ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington – 24 July 2025
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina:
"I’m confident, when it comes to the idea that Trump did something nefarious, and Biden sat on it for four years is hard to believe. But just put it out, let people look at it."
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Richard Blumenthal, (D) Connecticut:
"There should definitely be a subpoena for those files in the Senate as well as in the House. Obviously, the president was informed that his name appeared multiple times and then denied it. But the fact that he was informed and the decision was made to refuse to release the files smacks of a cover-up."
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. John Fetterman, (D) Pennsylvania:
"If there is something let’s just release it. But what I’m saying though is I’m not really I’m not really convinced that it’s the blockbuster that some people believe that it is. And I’m not going to live in a conspiracy kind of and head down every rabbit hole."
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Thom Tillis, (R) North Carolina:
"At the end of the day, we’ve gotta get back on what we’re doing to help the American people and get distractions off the table. And I doubt, seriously, in spite of the fact that the House went home, that you all are going to forget about this between now and Labor Day. So the best way to deal with this is to release the file and let the facts speak for themselves. Gotta go."
++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
Both Republican and Democratic Senators agree that the Epstein files should be released even if President Donald Trump is directly named in them.
On Wednesday a House subcommittee voted to subpoena the Department of Justice for files in the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and now the Senate is considering following suit.
"There should definitely be a subpoena for those files in the Senate as well as in the House," said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut.
"The fact that (Trump) was informed and the decision was made to refuse to release the files smacks of a cover-up," Blumenthal added.
Democrats cheered the action as proof that their push for disclosures in the Epstein investigation was growing stronger. The committee agreed to redact information on victims, yet Democrats successfully blocked a push by Republicans to only subpoena information that was deemed to be “credible” — language that Trump has also used when discussing what he would support releasing.
"Just put everything out, make it as transparent as you can, protect victims," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina.
Democratic leaders are hoping to make the issue about much more than just Epstein, who died in his New York jail cell six years ago while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.
It comes as both parties are gearing up to take their messaging to voters on Trump’s big multitrillion-dollar tax breaks and spending cuts bill.
For Republicans, it’s “beautiful” legislation that will spark economic growth; for Democrats, it’s an “ugly” gift mostly to the richest Americans that undermines health care for low-income people.
"If there is something let’s just release it. But what I’m saying though is I’m not really I’m not really convinced that it’s the blockbuster that some people believe that it is," said Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania.
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