[0:04]Okay. It's afternoon. Good afternoon everybody and [clears throat] thank you all for coming. I'm joined by Senators Durbin, Merkley, Gallego and
[0:15]that's it. Um we may have a few more coming. >> [clears throat] >> Well, it's been 99 days since Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency
[0:26]Act. The American people sent Donald Trump a clear and simple demand, release the Epstein files. Donald Trump said he wants to turn the
[0:38]page on the Epstein files. Democrats are not going to let Donald Trump turn the page.
[0:46]It was not a suggestion, not a request. The law requires the DOJ to release all the files, not just some of the files, not just the ones they pick and choose
[0:57]and want to do. Since then we've seen the Justice Department break the law and continue to hide the truth from the American people. Let me be blunt.
[1:07]There's a massive cover-up going on in the Justice Department to protect Donald Trump and people associated with Jeffrey Epstein. As we expected, Trump, Bondi and their
[1:18]missions and their minions have played games with the release of these files. They released some documents that they want to release and continue to hide others.
[1:29]The American people see right through it and they're all asking the obvious question, what is Bondi trying to hide? President Trump, what are you trying to hide?
[1:40]That's the question the American people are asking. Senate [snorts] Democrats Epstein working group, including my colleagues here with me, have been preparing for this very scenario. We saw what they
[1:51]were doing. And so we're working with victims attorneys, we're working with legal experts, we're working with people very familiar with this case to ensure full compliance of the law.
[2:02]We know the administration's withholding some documents unlawfully. Yesterday, news outlets reported that several memos detailing a woman's accusation against the president from
[2:12]when she was a minor have been withheld from the public. We know they're abusing redactions to hide the truth.
[2:22]Hundreds of pages are completely blacked out. Co-conspirator identities remain hidden while survivors have been exposed. We're here today to put a shot across the bow of the Department of Justice and
[2:34]the Trump administration that we are going to reveal this massive cover-up. We will not rest. It's an all-out oversight effort. We're going to pull on
[2:44]every thread. We're going to chase every lead. We'll talk with whistleblowers. We will get to the truth. Our working group Senate Democrats will
[2:54]go review the unredacted files in the coming days. Let me repeat that. Our working group Senate Democrats will go review review
[3:05]the unredacted files in the coming days. Pam Bondi should listen carefully. The truth will come out. The whole ugly ugly truth about what she's doing to protect
[3:16]people in the files will come out. The whole world is going to know exactly what she knew, when she knew it, and what she did to cover it up.
[3:27]Democrats are going to hold Pam Bondi and everyone involved at the DOJ accountable for this cover-up. Today, we are demanding the Department
[3:37]of Justice and the FBI preserve records on what transpired behind the scenes. We want to know who was involved in the decision to hide the truth. And a warning to the Trump cronies
[3:48]working on this, we will know if you who destroying documents and evidence. you will not outrun the law. You will not outrun the truth. This isn't political.
[3:59]The survivors deserve the truth, and the American people are demanding it. Democrats and Republicans agree the American people deserve the truth. So, Donald Trump, stop hiding, stop
[4:11]delaying, come clean with the American people. And if you don't, Democrats will make sure that the truth comes out.
[4:21]Our next speaker is Senator Durbin. >> Thank you, Senator Schumer.
[4:32]With the Epstein files, the Trump administration had an opportunity to secure a win for survivors, for accountability, and for transparency.
[4:42]But after mishandling the files for a year, it took an act of Congress to force Pam Bondi and Kash Patel to even consider providing justice.
[4:54]Even after the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the Trump administration decided to violate federal law to protect the rich and powerful.
[5:04]The law required DOJ to produce the files by December 19th. Yet the vast majority of those files were not produced until January 30th, 42
[5:15]days later. Department of Justice has violated the legislation's protection for victims by publishing records without redacting personally identifiable information of
[5:26]victims, including nude photos where their names and faces could be identified. In sharp contrast, other produced records heavily redacted information
[5:37]identifying powerful business and political figures who are alleged conspirators or material witnesses to Epstein's crimes. Violations of the Epstein files
[5:48]transparency act continue as the Department of Justice is yet to produce all Epstein related records required by law and has removed thousands of records
[5:58]from the website beyond those that it inappropriately identify victims. Keep in what mind, a whistleblower told my office that FBI agents reviewing the
[6:10]Epstein files were instructed to flag any records that mentioned President Donald Trump. This disclosure is even more damning in light of yesterday's bombshell.
[6:20]The New York Times report that the Justice Department failed to disclose documents related to a woman who alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her when she was a minor.
[6:30]Simply put, Pam Bondi and Cash Patel have mismanaged these records during their tenure in office. That is why as ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I'm joining
[6:40]our leadership Charles Schumer in a letter to the Justice Department and FBI requesting the preservation of records related to the management of the Epstein files over a course of the Trump
[6:52]administration. Preserving federal records and safeguarding information critical to congressional oversight is a legal obligation that all department employees are required to meet.
[7:03]As I told General Bondi during last year's Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, quote, "Eventually, you're going to have to answer for your conduct in this. You won't do it today, but eventually
[7:14]you will." The survivors deserve better. It's clear that Donald Trump and his Republican enablers are executing a cover-up and conceal strategy.
[7:24]Heads are rolling at the highest levels of the United Kingdom. Will heads roll in the United States? When will the Trump administration come clean with the survivors and the
[7:34]American people? The sooner, the better. Next, I believe Senator Blumenthal Blumenthal if he make it. >> He's not here yet. He's in another hearing. Senator Murphy. >> Senator Murphy. The Epstein Files Transparency Act that
[7:49]I introduced with Ben Ray Luján in the Senate was crystal clear. No record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of any of the following: embarrassment, reputational
[8:00]harm, political sensitivity, including any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary. Well, here we are. Those 99 days have passed.
[8:11]And what we have seen is the files have not been released according to the law. We have seen that victims' names and photos that were supposed to be redacted
[8:21]weren't redacted. And all kinds of redactions appear to have occurred for folks who are potential perpetrators. And we're seeing
[8:32]the Epstein files reverberate across the world. The Prime Minister of Norway, the former ambassador from Britain to
[8:43]the United States, uh King Charles' brother. But what about here in the United States of America? Why is there no accountability here in the United States of America for these atrocious crimes,
[8:53]the place where they occurred? We know that there were about 6 million pages, of which only somewhat over 3 million have been released.
[9:04]We want those other 3 million released. And among them are these 50 pages that entail as the New York Times said, claims made in 2019 by a woman who came
[9:15]forward after Mr. Epstein's arrest to say she'd been sexually assaulted by both Mr. Trump and Epstein when she was 13 to 15 years old. And it goes on to say that there were
[9:26]four interviews with this woman. And only one of those interviews was released. Where are the other three? Now, we know the other three exist because they are
[9:37]in the index. And yet, the pages are missing. How can anyone justify that these
[9:46]interviews have not been released? So, that is a massive cover-up by this administration. It's a massive and
[9:56]unacceptable cover-up. We also know from the Telegraph that there are six secret storage units rented across the country by Epstein
[10:07]that may have contained information that the Department of Justice hasn't apparently attempted to retrieve. By unanimous consent,
[10:17]the Senate said, "Yes, we pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act." Senator Schumer came forward and tried to strengthen that act with some real
[10:28]penalties, and the Republican whip objected. Well, if Republicans were with us on seeking full disclosure, why object
[10:38]to putting more teeth into this bill? We all together, Democrats and Republicans, should be saying, "Yes, on transparency for the public. Yes,
[10:50]on accountability for the perpetrators. And yes, for the closest thing we can get to justice for the victims." >> Senator Gaetz has been relentless on
[11:01]this issue. Senator Gaetz, thank >> Thank you. Um as we stated, princes, CEOs, the most powerful men in the world are being held accountable everywhere except the United States.
[11:12]Where we are supposed to be a country of equal justice uh under the law. Um we are actually proving quite uh the opposite. You know, what we're proving here right now, what the Republicans are proving right now with the help of
[11:24]Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, is that if you are part of the Epstein class, if you are rich enough, you are powerful enough, you can do some really horrific things. Raping children,
[11:36]raping women, engaging in sex trafficking, and this administration, the Republicans, will engage in an active cover-up for you. And even more so, now we're getting
[11:48]we're getting even more reports of some real serious allegations of this president from a minor, a woman who was a minor, uh that is accusing the president of some very serious serious
[11:58]crimes. The American public deserves to know what happened, who was involved, not just President Trump, but everyone else involved, all these powerful men that are still walking around the United States right now.
[12:09]We're only talking about a couple years removed, a a decade removed from a lot of these allegations. These men are still in power. These men are still potentially
[12:19]victimizing women, victimizing children. And the fact that this administration is actively covering up past crimes potentially means they're covering up current crimes. It's time for us to have
[12:31]full transparency. It's time for us to have accountability. It's time for us to throw some people in jail that did some really horrible stuff against kids in this country. And the fact that Donald
[12:42]Trump and the Republicans, after talking a big game for so many years about going after pedophiles, are actively covering up for pedophiles right now should tell you exactly what is wrong with this
[12:53]administration. I unfortunately am going to have to go read those redacted files uh next week. It's one of those things that you don't want to do. Uh the disgusting nature of what I'm
[13:04]going to find on there is going to, you know, probably make me a very ill. But because we have an administration that's actively covering up for pedophiles,
[13:15]uh we have to take this step, and we have to take this step to keep them accountable and to expose all these pedophiles that are still in power right now all over this country. Thank you.
[13:26]>> And just one more point which this um this article from the New York Times shows. More and more is keep More and more keeps coming out and the more we that
[13:37]comes out, the more we see how large their cover-up has been. Questions on this subject. What yes, in the back. Yeah, we're all going together. Yeah, I
[13:50]mentioned that in my remarks. Yes. Yeah. Yes, I I don't know if we're going to get We're all going and we have set up appointments to go. Yes. Well, the bottom line is the Republicans
[14:11]all voted for it, every single one and we're going to keep at it. We're going to use every strategy we can. Going to the Justice Department, seeking lawsuits as well as whatever legislative
[14:21]strategies will work. Yes. Look, all the truth should come out,
[14:32]period. Yes. As my colleagues well outlined, I agree.
[14:57]Yeah, all we want is the truth, the truth. Yes. Um uh there will be efforts to reach out to
[15:09]everyone who's willing to come forward and speak. And do you want to talk about that? Uh Yeah. Yeah, so we can get it. Yes.
[15:22]>> When you see the unredacted documents, what can the public expect from you to inform them? Will you do anything to inform them? >> Well, let's we we're not going to prejudge. Let's see what's in the documents. We want to protect people's
[15:33]identities, but we also want the truth to come out, and we will walk that line uh with with with great vigor. Yes. >> Um there are an additional 3 million
[15:43]files that have not been released, and many [snorts] it seems of the files that have been released remain redacted and have parts redacted. So, what steps are you taking to ensure that those redactions are unredacted?
[15:54]>> Yeah, we're going to demand justification for any redactions, and if the redactions are cover-ups as opposed to protecting identities, we're going to get to the bottom of it. >> Wow. >> We're going to get to the bottom of it.
[16:05]Okay? Thank you, everybody. >> Thank you.