Durbin Statement On Senate Passing Bill To Release The Epstein Files
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Senate unanimously passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed the House of Representatives in a 427-1 vote and now heads to the President’s desk:
“First and foremost, this vote is in tribute to and honor of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes—and any victim or survivor of sexual abuse. Never in America can we tolerate such atrocious crimes.
“President Trump and his MAGA allies spent years peddling lies on the campaign trail about the ‘Epstein files’—only to conduct a massive cover-up once they got into office.
“No more. No more lies, no more secrets. It’s time to provide true transparency to the American people about one of our country’s most extreme sex traffickers and the extent of his horrifying crimes—so we can work to prevent it from ever happening again.
“Now, it’s time for President Trump to sign this bill into law, support transparency, and stand with victims.”
Earlier today, Durbin joined his Senate Democratic colleagues in calling on Leader John Thune (R-SD) to immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to the Senate floor for a vote, without delay or unnecessary process distractions.
The legislation requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to “to publish … all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in DOJ’s possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein,” including materials that relate to Ghislaine Maxwell, flight logs and travel records, and individuals named or referenced (including government officials) in connection with the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.
The bill includes protections for victims, stating that “DOJ is permitted to withhold certain information such as the personal information of victims and materials that would jeopardize an active federal investigation.”
In July, Durbin revealed that FBI whistleblowers had disclosed that personnel were instructed to “flag” any Epstein records in which President Trump was mentioned. When pressed on this during her oversight hearing, Attorney General Bondi stonewalled, saying, “I’m not going to discuss anything about that with you.”
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