Avoiding Further Chaos Demands Full Transparency on Epstein Files
A potential commutation or pardon for Maxwell would be an absolutely terrible look
Yet again, there’s been even more drama regarding the Epstein files since last week’s update. Despite bipartisan momentum to unseal these documents, Republican leadership appears increasingly disorganized in its response, and the cost of that mismanagement is rising.
Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department privately informed former President Trump that his name appears in the sealed Epstein files. In the same breath, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and DOJ officials are now claiming that disclosure could endanger victims. This is untrue.1
The text of the Epstein Files Transparency Act that would be substituted into H.R. 185 through H.Res. 581 includes careful redaction provisions to protect victims and sensitive personal information. Section 2(c) of the legislation allows for the Attorney General to withhold or redact portions of records that include personally identifiable information of victims; depict or contain CSAM or images of death, abuse, or injury; or include classified national defense or foreign policy information.
These safeguards aren’t theoretical; instead, they follow the same framework that courts have used in previous document releases. Victims would be protected. Only those potentially involved in crimes or public corruption would be exposed. The Massie-Khanna discharge petition, which would force a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, remains the most effective and accountable path forward.
Despite poll after poll showing that Americans, regardless of political affiliation, want the names in the Epstein files publicly released, GOP leadership is still entertaining symbolic gestures and half-measures that only reinforce public distrust. Republican leadership has leaned in on the symbolic resolution—H.Res. 589—that expresses support for transparency without actually doing anything. Additionally, Johnson sent the House into recess early to avoid a vote on the Massie-Khanna resolution, a move that has been criticized.
Unfortunately for them, the Republican base notices, as do independents. As Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) put it, “The public’s not going to let this die, and rightfully so.” Over the weekend, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R‑OK) went viral after a combative CNN appearance where he tried—and failed—to deflect questions about Trump’s connection to Epstein, attempting to place the blame on Democrats, when his party holds both chambers.
This disjointedness isn’t helping the Republican brand. It only reinforces a narrative that the party is more interested in protecting its own than in the truth. Whether or not the president was involved in criminal conduct, his presence in the files poses a political problem that can only be neutralized by total transparency. The longer Republicans stall, the more they look like they’re hiding something.
If the past few weeks have told us anything, it is that this is not a fringe issue, nor is it going away. This is an overwhelming demand for transparency by the people from whom the government derives its power—and Congress is trailing the public, not leading it. Recent polling shows that 89 percent of Americans believe that the DOJ should release all documents. A survey conducted by YouGov and The Economist shows that 86 percent of registered voters believe the government should release the documents.
At risk of further ostracizing a voter base that is already expressing uncertainties about Trump’s leadership, the administration should cooperate with those in Congress working to uncover the truth. Just last week, three Republicans joined Democrats on the House Oversight Committee to vote to subpoena records from the DOJ and demand testimony from a number of different key public figures, including Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently imprisoned.
Another risk is a potential commutation or pardon for Maxwell. The meeting arranged between Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Maxwell over two days has been described as “unorthodox” by former federal prosecutors. Although Maxwell’s attorney claims that she answered questions and “didn’t hold anything back,” she also has a history of perjuring herself.2 It’s also clear that Maxwell wants out of prison and is currently appealing her conviction to the Supreme Court.
As a reminder of how heinous Maxwell’s crimes were, she was convicted on five counts—conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts under 18 U.S.C. §371, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity under 18 U.S.C. §2422, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity under 18 U.S.C. §2423(a), conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors under 18 U.S.C. §1591, and sex trafficking of a minor under 18 U.S.C. §1591. Four victims testified against Maxwell. Each of them was under the age of 18 at the time of the grooming and abuse. Two of them were 14 years old.
The maximum Maxwell could’ve faced was 65 years in prison. Prosecutors requested 30 to 55 years. Maxwell’s attorneys asked for 4.25 to 5.25 years. The judge sentenced her to 20 years, followed by five years of supervised release, and imposed a $750,000 fine.3 Needless to say, a commutation or pardon wouldn’t look good, regardless of whether or not all the files are released.
Only time will tell how it shakes out—when the House committee will subpoena the DOJ itself, if the rumors of a Maxwell pardon will come to fruition—but in the meantime, the voters deserve their answers, and now.
Since Johnson takes the Bible literally, I would note the following passages that condemn lying or falsehoods: Exodus 20:16, Leviticus 19:11, Proverbs 6:16-19, and Proverbs 12:22. Another good one is Proverbs 25:18, which states, “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eye.” Granted, the author of this passage is supposedly David and aren’t the words of YHWH. Since these come from the Hebrew Bible, Ephesians 4:25 and Colossians 3:9-10 speak directly to followers of Jesus of Nazareth.
Maxwell has been charged with perjury, but that trial hasn’t been held. The charges, which stem from lying under oath in a deposition in a civil case, haven’t been dropped. The civil case was brought by Virginia Giuffre in 2015 for defamation. Giuffre, who died in April 2025, alleged that Epstein trafficked her. Her initial connection to Epstein allegedly came through Maxwell. The civil suit against Maxwell was settled in June 2017.
Rarely will I point to the government’s sentencing memo, but I strongly encourage you to read it, in this case.