Khanna says Democrats have pushed for Epstein files' release since 2019

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Sunday that there have been Democrats pushing for the release of files related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein since 2019.

In an interview on ABC News’s “This Week,” Khanna pushed back on the suggestion that his party only began calling for the documents to be released recently — now that the issue is politically fraught for President Trump.

“Why are Democrats suddenly interested in the Epstein case?” ABC News’s Jonathan Karl asked the California Democrat. “I mean, did you ask the Biden Justice Department to release these files?”

“It's not a sudden interest. Actually, the former chair, Elijah Cummings, had an investigation starting in 2019,” Khanna said, referring to the late civil rights activist and Maryland Democratic House member, who chaired the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee at the time.

“And I have tweeted out supporting that, back in 2019,” Khanna added. “We have been pushing for transparency. During the Biden administration, both in 2021 and 2024, the court ordered release of documents.”

Khanna acknowledged the heightened scrutiny on the case in recent months.

“But Donald Trump raised the stakes,” Khanna said. “And he did it in a way in the campaign that was justified. He said, 'Look, when I get there, I'm going to release the files.' Pam Bondi says there's a client list. Then she says, 'No, it’s just a file.' She's going to release them.”

“I didn't criticize them at all those first few months,” Khanna continued. “But when they refused to release the files — when they said there's nothing more to see — that’s when we said transparency demands the full release of the files.”

Khanna has been a leading Democrat in Congress calling for the Epstein files to be released, and he is co-sponsoring a bill with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would force the release of the files.