What Iowa’s federal delegation says about efforts to compel ‘Epstein list’ release

Members of Iowa’s all-Republican federal delegation say they were supportive of releasing information related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — but said the push in Congress to compel the U.S. Department of Justice to publicize files and surrounding uproar was being used for political gain by Democrats.

There is a bipartisan effort in Congress calling for the release of government investigative documents on Epstein, the Florida financier whose 2019 death in his New York City jail cell was ruled a suicide by authorities as he awaited federal sex trafficking charges.

Trump had committed on the 2024 presidential campaign trail to declassifying documents related to Epstein if elected for a second term. But some of his supporters, as well as Democrats, were critical of the lack of new information in the U.S. Department of Justice’s February release on Epstein. Backlash reached a high after the DOJ published a memo July 7 denying the existence of a “client list,” confirmation that Epstein committed suicide, and statement that the Justice Department would not publish further files.

Though Trump later ordered the DOJ to release grand jury testimony in the case, the response prompted a bipartisan push in Congress to compel the public release of more information.

The House Rules Committee, led by Republicans, recessed Monday before Democrats could force votes on amendments related to Epstein files to legislation being discussed. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, working with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, has also discussed plans to use a discharge petition — a procedural move — to force the House to vote on releasing the “Epstein files.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson and other House Republican leaders have said congressional action is not necessary, as the Trump administration is already “in the process” of releasing Epstein-related materials and needs “space” to do this work. Johnson announced Tuesday House members would go home earlier than expected for their recess until September to avoid “political games” related to Epstein.

Tumult over Epstein files dogs Trump in both DC and Florida

This is a position supported by members of Iowa’s delegation, who said they believe the Trump administration is working to make more information on the case public.

In a weekly press call earlier in July, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson said she thought Massie “is approaching this in the wrong way, and he’s doing it in a way that we give the floor to Democrats, which is not how we should be doing business,” the Gazette reported.

““I do trust President Trump here and (Attorney General) Pam Bondi to do the right thing, and (FBI Director) Kash Patel to do the right thing at the FBI,” she said.

A spokesperson for Hinson said in a statement Thursday that the Iowa congresswoman believes Epstein was a pedophile and that she supports Americans who have questions and demand justice for her actions, while also trusting “this administration’s continued commitment to the truth and transparency.”

U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks also stated she supports the Trump administration in efforts to publicize information on the case.

“We deserve transparency and honesty from our government,” Miller-Meeks said in a statement Thursday. “For four years, Joe Biden and Democrats ignored the opportunity to deliver truth. I stand with President Trump in his efforts to ensure transparency into Jeffrey Epstein’s heinous crimes while protecting the victims who endured so much abuse.”

A spokesperson for the House Democrats’ campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, pointed to Hinson, Miller-Meeks and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn voting down attempts by Democrats to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files as proof that the Iowa Republicans are not committed to ensuring these documents are publicly accessible.

“Whether it’s blocking the release of the Epstein files or gutting health care in order to bankroll tax breaks for billionaires, it’s clear Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson, and Zach Nunn will always put the interests of the elite and powerful above Iowans,” DCCC Spokesperson Katie Smith said.

In the Senate, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said on a weekly press call Wednesday he believes the Trump administration seeking the release of grand jury testimony was a “step in the right direction.” He said he has been asking for information related to Epstein for more than five years, and that he hopes to get “follow ups on the things that I have asked for.”

“I’ve consistently called for transparency surrounding the Department of Justice investigation into Jeffrey Epstein,” Grassley said. “I think true accountability, especially for people that have been victimized by the Epstein episode, requires full transparency. People have a right to know the details behind this investigation, and I know that Bondi and Patel are working together to answer questions about this investigation … and I hope that results in bringing perpetrators to justice.”

CNN reported that Grassley said he does not plan to investigate the Epstein case as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, but that he expects the issue will come up when Bondi testifies before the committee at an upcoming oversight hearing.

As the committee met Thursday, Democrats accused Republicans on the committee of “concealing the Epstein files” after they did not support an amendment related to releasing Epstein case material proposed for an opioid data collection bill.

Democrats have heavily criticized Republicans in Congress for not taking further action on releasing documents, highlighting the Wednesday Wall Street Journal report that Bondi had told Trump his name appeared multiple times in DOJ documents related to Epstein.

“As new reporting reveals that Donald Trump’s name is in the Epstein files ‘multiple times,’ House Republicans are fleeing Washington as fast as they can, capping off a devastating legislative session where they made the largest cuts to health care and food assistance in American history, took an axe to construction jobs, raised energy prices, and put thousands of nursing homes at risk of closure,” Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in a Thursday statement. “When they return to their districts, House Republicans should prepare for a rude awakening after putting billionaires and an infamous sex-trafficker before the hardworking Americans that elected them.”

Some Democratic challengers to Iowa’s GOP lawmakers have also highlighted their incumbent opponent’s approach to Epstein in campaign materials. Clint Twedt-Ball, a Democrat who announced his campaign for Iowa’s 2nd District Tuesday, listed Hinson’s lack of action on releasing Epstein documents in a news release Thursday.

“Hinson has reversed course on all of her campaign promises: to lower costs for working families, to protect Medicaid and Social Security for our seniors, and to release the Epstein files,” Twedt-Ball said. “The idea that Hinson would fly home to Iowa without even attempting to find solutions to these problems is a slap in the face to every voter that trusted her.”

Many Republicans, including members of Iowa’s federal delegation, have decried Democrats’ focus on the Epstein issue, saying that they are using the financier’s sex crimes and victims for political purposes.

“Transparency and accountability from our government isn’t optional, it’s a duty,” Nunn said in a statement. “Jeffrey Epstein is a disgusting human being who committed horrific crimes. Victims deserve justice, not DC politicians who want to use them to score political points.”