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All His Friends were Democrats
By Kevin Finn
Nov. 21, 2025
The Epstein scandal is taking center stage and evolving rapidly. It started as a grim tale of sex trafficking and exploitation, and morphed into a partisan battleground. The Epstein Transparency Act nearly unanimously passed the House and then cleared the Senate via unanimous consent shortly thereafter.
A discharge petition in the House bypassed leadership and forced a vote on the transparency bill. The bill passed with a tally of 427-1, compelling the DoJ to disclose Epstein-related materials within 30 days, excluding victim identities and explicit content like child pornography. The lone dissenter was Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), who warned that unchecked release could "expose innocent individuals" and undermine due process, echoing broader concerns about privacy.
The Senate's approval sent the bill to Trump's desk, though potential amendments for redactions could delay full implementation. 50,000 page have already trickled out via the House Oversight Committee, including emails from Epstein's estate revealing real-time coaching of congressional figures during hearings.
After an initial hesitation, President Trump vowed to sign it into law, framing it as a Democrat-led hoax aimed at tarnishing his reputation. Trump’s late-night reversal on November 17 marked a tactical pivot. Initially hesitant, citing risks to victims and guilt by association, Trump conferred with aides aboard Air Force One and subsequently directed Republicans to back the bill, declaring, "All of his friends were Democrats."
White House sources portrayed this as strategy: preempt a humiliating floor defeat from a coalition led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) while flipping the script on Democrats.
Trump has long distanced himself from Epstein. He banned the financier from Mar-a-Lago long before his 2019 arrest and even alerted the authorities. Yet Democrats, including Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), claim that Trump is panicking, pointing to newly released emails where Epstein referenced a victim's time with Trump as leverage against Ghislaine Maxwell.
CNN posits that Trump remains "more politically exposed" than he admits, given Epstein's documented flights on his plane and shared social circles. Trump insists the files will vindicate him and urges swift DoJ action under AG Pam Bondi.
Republicans are portraying the transparency push as exposure of the Democrat’s ties to Epstein. House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) accused Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) of soliciting funds from Epstein post-2008 conviction, citing a 2013 email where Democrat fundraisers pitched a private meeting to "help democrats seize control of the House." Comer vowed "Bannon treatment" -- contempt charges and potential prison -- for non-compliant witnesses, starting with the Clintons, who ignored August subpoenas for October depositions. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) decried the Clintons' stonewalling as evidence of evasion, noting Democrats' silence on the matter.
Eyes are now on Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), non-voting member of the Virgin Islands delegation, after texts surfaced showing Epstein coaching her during a 2019 hearing with Michael Cohen. Epstein alerted her to Cohen's mention of Trump aide Rhona Graff, prompting Plaskett's pointed questions. Epstein later texted "good work." A censure resolution to strip her from the intelligence Committee failed, suspiciously. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) retaliated, defending Plaskett as a "sex trafficking fighter" whose call from a constituent broke no rules.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) lambasted Democrats' "obsession" as a ploy to smear Trump while ignoring their own entanglements during the Biden Era. He argued the discharge petition endangers victims by lacking safeguards, which contrasts with Republican calls for measured release. CNN commentator Scott Jennings echoed this, questioning selective outrage: "What Republicans was [Epstein] programming?" while noting there was no contact between Trump and Epstein after the Mar-a-Lago banning.
Comer dismissed Democrat probes as an "anti-Trump Hoax," urging focus on figures like Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, and Larry Summers -- Epstein confidants who are now under scrutiny. Summers, former Treasury Secretary, stepped back from public life, "deeply ashamed" of his links.
Surprisingly, there are some on the Left who frame the bill as long-overdue justice. Rep. Lee's July subpoena motion compelled initial DoJ disclosures, and legacy outlets like the Washington Post highlight the bipartisan votes as proof of consensus on transparency.
Yet why was there no outcry under Biden, when these files languished? The Guardian interprets Trump's U-turn as "bowing to reality," amid fears of embarrassing revelations. Columnist Derek Hunter bluntly stated to Democrats, "The only things standing in your way is you." He implores survivors to testify directly, dismissing NDA's and intimidation fears as excuses, given Maxwell's silence from prison and the ongoing lack of retribution against those survivors. Would a wealthy perpetrator actually enforce such an NDA? Would a wealthy perpetrator allow the risk of victims' testimonies to persist? Why not simply "eliminate" the threat?
The Epstein files saga encapsulates America's fractured trust in its elites. Disclosures could reshape narratives, ensnare Democrats like the Clintons while testing Republican vows of candor.
Will this yield justice, more division, or both?
As 2025 winds down, one certainty endures: Epstein's ghost will haunt far beyond the ballot box.
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Source: American Thinker
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