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Republican lawmakers have warned President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi Withholding any documents related to Jeffrey Epstein The matter will “add fuel to the fire.”
The warning comes like this Trump bowed to pressure and signed the Epstein files Transparency Act Wednesday evening, while Bondy waded through questions about how the Justice Department would proceed now that it has 30 days to release the files.
Bondi has changed his stance on the matter several times this year Sharp criticism from the MAGA base and beyond.
There are concerns on both sides of the aisle that she could cite the ongoing investigation into Epstein’s ties to Democratic associates ordered by Trump last week. As a reason for stopping the files.
“You can make changes to whatever investigation is going on, but if you go all out, I think that’s going to anger a lot of people,” said GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Hill.
Tillis, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, told the outlet that the overwhelming support the bill received in the House and Senate is a sign of how strongly the public feels about the issue.
He said of the Justice Department, “I think they would do well to figure out how to release as many as possible and then they would have a very well-articulated reason for why they can’t.” “If they don’t produce something meaningful it will add fuel to the fire.”
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski also warned that people would “feel like they have been deceived” if Bondy and his team claim “we can’t release anything because we have an active investigation.” Hill.
“I don’t think it will help assuage the doubts that many people have harbored about this for a long time,” he said.
“I think that’s not only the intent of Congress, it’s tremendous,” the GOP senator said. “When was the last time you saw this kind of voting in the House?”
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, who is also on the Judiciary Committee, said it would be a “mistake” if the Justice Department failed to meet the expectations of Epstein’s survivors and lawmakers in preparing the document.
“Obviously, that would be a mistake because Congress has said this,” he said. “I fully expect the Justice Department to release all the documents. It will take some time but I believe they have started working on it now.”
He said he expects to see the first tranche of documents after Thanksgiving.
At a news conference on Wednesday about an international criminal organization, Bondy was questioned by reporters about his handling of the Epstein files.
A reporter asked Bondi what had changed since the Justice Department and the FBI issued a joint memorandum in July stating that no further documents would be released, saying a review of the files did not indicate that any additional third-party investigation was needed.
“Information that contains…information,” Bondy replied. “There is information, there is new information, there is additional information, and then we will continue to pursue law enforcement to investigate any leads.”
Bondy said his department has already released more than 33,000 documents in the case.
“We will continue to follow the law and maintain maximum transparency,” he said.