WASHINGTON — The political battle over the release of the so-called Epstein Files has reached a boiling point on Capitol Hill, with a trio of Republican congresswomen defying both party leadership and President Donald Trump to demand full public disclosure of federal documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Their push has reignited debate about transparency, accountability, and the enduring shadow cast by Epstein’s crimes and connections.
On September 7, 2025, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado joined fellow Republicans Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Nancy Mace of South Carolina in signing a discharge petition to force a House vote on legislation requiring the Department of Justice to release the complete Epstein Files for public review. The petition, sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), is an attempt to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who has so far kept the bill stuck in committee, and to pressure President Trump to fulfill a campaign promise many believe he’s now abandoned.
The political stakes couldn’t be higher. According to The New York Times, when Massie left Washington in July, he had nearly a dozen Republicans ready to back his effort. But by early September, only three women remained—Boebert, Greene, and Mace—all of whom have built their reputations as loyal Trump supporters. Their break with the White House, especially on an issue so fraught with scandal and conspiracy, has sent shockwaves through the GOP.
President Trump has not taken kindly to the rebellion. On September 5, he called for an "end" to federal inquiries about Epstein, declaring on Truth Social, “The Department of Justice has done its job, they have given everything requested of them. It’s time to end the Democrat Epstein Hoax, and give the Republicans credit for the great, even legendary, job that they are doing.” He accused Democrats of befriending Epstein while he was alive and dismissed the ongoing investigations as politically motivated attacks. According to The New York Post, Trump’s administration has gone as far as warning congressional Republicans that supporting the discharge petition would be seen as a “very hostile act” toward the White House.
Despite this pressure, the three congresswomen have stood firm. Their motivations, as detailed by The New York Times and The Colorado Sun, are as much personal as political. Nancy Mace, currently running for governor of South Carolina, has been open about her own history of trauma and sexual assault. “I’m not going to move from where I am because it’s a deeply personal issue for me,” she said, adding that the White House “knows and understands my story; they get it.” Mace’s emotional commitment was evident when she left a closed-door meeting with Epstein’s victims red-faced and in tears, refusing to speak to reporters.
Lauren Boebert, too, has alluded to past abuse and trauma. In her memoir, she recounts living with men who were verbally and physically abusive to her mother. During her divorce last year, Boebert was granted a temporary restraining order against her ex-husband after alleging threats and harassment. While she hasn’t been as vocal as Mace, Boebert told The Colorado Sun this week, “I think we should have transparency.” She added that while Trump may ultimately be proven right that the Epstein saga is a “hoax,” she isn’t willing to bet on it without the full release of documents.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally, has never publicly discussed personal experiences with abuse, but she’s made clear that her support for the petition is rooted in solidarity with survivors. Speaking at a news conference on September 3 outside the Capitol, Greene declared, “They have carried with them shame. The shame does not fall on these brave, courageous women. The shame falls on every single person that coldly turns a blind eye to their abuse. The shame falls on every single person that enabled it.” She added, “Anyone that is being abused, it is not your fault. You should live with no guilt or fear or shame. All of the fault belongs to the evil people that do these things.”
The gender divide on this issue within the GOP is striking. As The New York Times points out, the party remains male-dominated and led by a president who himself has faced allegations of sexual abuse. The few Republican women in Congress with firsthand experience of the challenges women face have been under immense pressure to fall in line. In both the House and Senate, it has often been women who have broken ranks to voice skepticism or demand accountability on issues of abuse—sometimes at significant political risk.
Meanwhile, the White House and party leadership have worked behind the scenes to stifle the rebellion. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), once a vocal supporter of the petition, withdrew her backing after pressure from Trump and House leaders, saying she was now satisfied with the DOJ’s document disclosures—even though most of the 33,295 pages turned over to the House Oversight Committee were already public, as reported by The New York Times.
The broader context is equally contentious. The Epstein saga has long been a fixation for Trump’s political base, many of whom are deeply invested in exposing child sex-trafficking rings and have embraced conspiracy theories like Pizzagate and QAnon. For years, the right has speculated about powerful liberals—including Bill Clinton—being implicated in Epstein’s crimes. Now, with Trump calling the story a “Democrat hoax” and resisting further disclosure, there’s an internal crisis brewing among his supporters. Even prominent right-wing voices like Joe Rogan have accused the Trump administration of “gaslighting” the public by reversing course on the release of the files.
Survivors of Epstein’s abuse have not been silent. On September 7, they held an emotional hour-long news conference backing the discharge petition, with the family of Virginia Giuffre—whose accusations against Prince Andrew and Alan Dershowitz were pivotal—sharing their grief and determination. As The Colorado Sun reported, the survivors and their advocates are demanding the transparency they’ve been denied for decades.
With the petition still short of the 218 signatures needed to force a floor vote, its fate in Congress remains uncertain. Speaker Mike Johnson has publicly stated there isn’t enough bipartisan support to move forward. Yet Democrats are poised to make the issue a political cudgel in the 2026 elections, especially against vulnerable Republicans who have refused to sign on.
For now, the fight over the Epstein Files encapsulates the deep divisions within the Republican Party and the broader American political landscape—a battle over truth, justice, and who gets to control the narrative. As survivors and their allies press for answers, the country watches, waiting to see whether transparency or political expediency will prevail.
