Democrat Ro Khanna warns Trump’s push for new DOJ probes may block Epstein file release
.@kwelkernbc. The Epstein class needs to go.@RepThomasMassie and @mtgreenee are standing on Tuesday with survivors.
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) November 16, 2025
The vote is standing with forgotten Americans or the Epstein class. pic.twitter.com/NNVhiRfhGw
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Ro Khanna expressed alarm on Sunday, November 16, that President Donald Trump’s demand for sweeping Justice Department investigations into prominent figures including political rivals could be used to justify withholding additional Jeffrey Epstein case files from the public.
“My concern is that he is doing this to prevent a release of the files,” Khanna said on NBC’s 'Meet the Press'. “When you can say there’s an active investigation, you don’t have to release the file.”
Khanna, a co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation to force the release of the remaining documents, said transparency must come first.
“Release the files and then have accountability for anyone, regardless of their party,” he stated.
Ro Khanna claims Trump is orchestrating his own downfall
Khanna said he expects around 40 Republican lawmakers to join Democrats in voting to release all the Epstein files this week.
He argued that Trump’s attacks on House Republicans supporting the effort, including Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, are alienating his own supporters.
“He’s out of touch with his own base,” Khanna claimed. “People who once rallied behind him are now asking what happened. He ran against the swamp, and now he’s defending it.”
Ro Khanna: "He's sowing the seeds for his own lame duck presidency. He's out of touch with his own base. Don't ask me, just look at Rasmussen, People's Pundit. All these people that were on his side are saying, 'Mr President, what happened to you?'" pic.twitter.com/wSOuXUhNWY
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 16, 2025
Trump, for his part, has dismissed the effort as a “hoax,” accusing Democrats of using the Epstein case to distract from their failures.
The White House echoed that message on Sunday, also calling the push a “distraction.”
Ro Khanna emphasizes ‘this is not about Donald Trump’
Khanna stressed that the push for transparency is about justice for Epstein’s victims, not political scoring.
“It’s not about Donald Trump. I don’t even know how involved Trump was,” he said, urging the president to meet with survivors who will be in Washington on Tuesday.
Khanna, along with Rep Thomas Massie, successfully triggered a House floor vote with a discharge petition that crossed the 218-signature threshold last week.
Massie echoed Khanna in a separate ABC interview, claiming that he does not believe the files implicate Trump.
Their comments came days after the House Oversight Committee released 20,000 pages of new emails from Epstein’s estate.
The bipartisan drive has reportedly exposed divisions inside the GOP.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso accused Democrats of trying to weaken Trump politically, calling the push “an attempt to make Trump a lame duck president.” He declined to commit to bringing the measure up for a Senate vote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, appearing on Fox News, said the House will “get this done and move it on,” insisting, “There’s nothing to hide.”
