WASHINGTON - Though lawmakersare on their annualone-month summer break, the controversy surrounding convicted late sex offenderJeffrey Epsteinhasn't left their minds. Democrats and Republicans alike have been pushing for the release of all the Epstein files after a Justice Department report foundthat Epstein died by suicideand did not have a "client list,"despite previous suggestionsbyAttorney General Pam Bondi. Members of Congress from both parties say they'll force more public debate on the issue when their recess ends after Labor Day. "The Epstein case will not be buried for decades," Missouri Republican Rep. Eric Burlison wrotein an Aug. 10 post on X."We are demanding records, taking depositions, and putting officials under oath. The American people need to get the truth." More:How Trump and 'terrific guy' Jeffrey Epstein's party boy friendship ended badly The Epstein controversy hascreated a schismbetweenPresident Donald Trumpand his MAGA base. His supporters have pushed back on the Republican administration's attempt to close the book on Epstein after Trump and his backers helped to heighten expectations of blockbuster revelations. Kentucky Rep. James Comer, who heads the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, subpoenaed longtime Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell tosit for a deposition at theFederal Correctional Institution Tallahassee on Aug. 11. But Comer ended up postponing the testimony,writing in a letterto Maxwell's attorney that the House panel will wait until afterthe Supreme Court considers her requestto overturn a sex-trafficking conviction and 20-year prison sentence. Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, D-California, have also beenleading effortsthat could force a House floor vote on a bill requiring the government to release all the Epstein files. They need 218 signatures to make that happen and plan to hold a press conference on Sept. 3 with victims of Maxwell and Epstein to drum up more support for their efforts. "The survivors deserve justice and the public deserves transparency,"Khanna wrote on X. Trump's longtime friendship with Epstein has been under scrutiny for years.Last month, the Wall Street Journal reportedthat the future president sent a lewd letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday as part of a leather-bound book with dozens of other messages, the Journal reported. Khanna and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-California,requested the bookin a letter sent to lawyers of Epstein's estate on July 25. More:She's inmate No. 02879-509 in Florida. But once again, Ghislaine Maxwell is holding court The New York Times also reportedthat former Epstein employee Maria Farmer told law enforcement in 1996 that she encountered Trump in Epstein's office and Epstein told Trump "No, no. She's not here for you." Some Democrats have claimed that Trump's recent actiondeploying the National Guardin D.C. to crack down on crime are an attempt to distract from the Epstein controversy. "He needs to get his base talking and thinking about something besides his refusal to open up the Epstein files because he's mixed up in them," former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigiegsaid in a videoclip shared on X. But Vice President JD Vance has defended Trump in multiple interviews, arguing that the president wants full transparency on the issue. "President Trumphas demanded full transparency from this. And yet somehow the Democrats are attacking him and not the Biden administration, which did nothing for four years," Vance told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" in an interview aired Aug. 10. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Lawmakers 'need to get the truth,' continue to push for Epstein files
