Democrats questioned on Epstein files inaction during Biden administration

Democrats stumbled this week when confronted about why they failed to secure the release of documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein while they still held the White House and Congress, as they demand action now.

“Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough pressed Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., on Thursday over why Democrats failed to act on the issue during the Biden administration and the liberal lawmaker failed to provide an answer.

“But, Congressman, you could have gotten that from ’21 to ’25, when Democrats controlled DOJ. Why — it was a crisis then. It’s a crisis now. Why didn’t Democrats call for it from ’21 to ’25?” Scarborough asked. 

“So, I mean, you’d have to go back and look specifically at particular prosecutorial decisions and what was taking place in terms of the other cases. So, I don’t know, we could try to reconstruct that record,” Raskin replied. 

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Democrats stumbled when asked why they didn’t call to release the Epstein files when they had the chance.  (Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty Images)

Democrats have seized on the issue since the case became a political controversy for the Trump administration. 

However, despite their current calls for transparency on the case, the Biden Department of Justice also failed to release additional documents on Epstein. 

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., was also caught off guard when a CNN anchor challenged her on why she never called for transparency on Epstein while Biden was president, despite her hammering the Trump administration over the case.

“If you see such a need to investigate this, why didn’t you raise it during the Biden administration? We couldn’t find that you made any public comments about Epstein in previous administrations,” CNN’s Pamela Brown asked the congresswoman on Wednesday. 

“I would have been happy to raise it then as well. Frankly, we were focused on so many different pieces,” Jayapal replied. 

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AG Pam Bondi has been criticized for her handling of the Epstein case.  (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Epstein, the disgraced New York financier, infamously killed himself in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors. Due to his association with several high-profile figures, including former President Bill Clinton, President Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Prince Andrew and others, Epstein’s death spurred a tidal wave of conspiracy theories. 

Many Trump supporters have called for the president to release the “Epstein Files” and an alleged “client list” including names of people who had supposedly been involved with Epstein in sex-trafficking minors. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi was widely criticized when she invited several right-wing influencers to the DOJ to view documents related to the Epstein case in February, which turned out not to reveal any new information and were highly redacted.

Bondi has faced harsh backlash in the wake of releasing a two-page Justice Department memo earlier this month which claimed that there is no evidence that a “client list” exists and that there is no “credible evidence” that Epstein was blackmailing associates.

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President Donald Trump lashed out at supporters for harping on the Epstein case.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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This memo triggered a firestorm among Trump’s base, with many influencers accusing the administration of covering up the Epstein case. Trump has repeatedly dismissed the interest in the topic, calling the case “boring” and claiming he no longer wants the support of those still obsessed with Epstein in a July Truth Social post.