Dems ready more Epstein attacks – POLITICO

By NICHOLAS WU, MEREDITH LEE HILL, CALEN RAZOR, MIA MCCARTHY and BENJAMIN GUGGENHEIM, 07/25/2025 04:50 AM EDT

IN TODAY’S EDITION:
— How Epstein could permeate recess town halls
— Senate negotiates next week’s spending bills
— Senate Republicans call for probe into Obama

The Jeffrey Epstein controversy could be hitting town halls across the country as House lawmakers head home over August recess.

Democratic leaders have brushed aside misgivings about dabbling in conspiracy theories to broadly paint the GOP as a party intent on protecting the powerful rather than standing up for the vulnerable.

“It’s all connected,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters this week.

“This administration refuses to share the truth and be transparent … while they are simultaneously working to shut down hospitals and urgent cares and Planned Parenthoods,” said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, previewing how Democrats would combine Epstein talking points and economic messaging in the coming weeks.

Some Democrats plan to leave Epstein to the wayside during recess, with especially those in purple districts more interested in using their town halls and other events to hammer Republicans over President Donald Trump’s tariff and trade agenda, as well as the Medicaid cuts and other provisions in the GOP domestic policy package.

“I don’t plan to bring [Epstein] up,” said swing district-Rep. Dave Min. “It’s not something that is top of mind.”

This could be welcome news for Speaker Mike Johnson and House GOP leaders, who took pains to avoid Epstein-related votes in the House this week in an effort to give the administration time over August recess to release any new information on the convicted sex offender.

GOP leaders are also telling rank and file members to use their recess time at home to promote the megabill, hoping their sales pitch for it will counteract the Democratic narrative against it: “I’m encouraging our people to just talk about it,” NRCC chair Richard Hudson told reporters.

Still, Democrats are making clear the Epstein issue isn’t going away, especially after Democrats succeeded in getting enough Republicans to join them in a vote to subpoena the DOJ’s entire Epstein file during an Oversight subcommittee markup Thursday.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise in an interview this week said that Republicans are trying to “expedite” the process of releasing information on Epstein, but acknowledged it depends how quickly the courts respond to Trump administration efforts to unseal grand jury information.

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