'Release the Epstein files': How Sen. Schumer aims to force vote on making them public

Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald on Sep 10, 2025

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer moved to force a vote on releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein — as the controversy surrounding the late sex offender continues to captivate national attention.

On Sept. 10, the Democratic New York senator proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would require Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish all the department’s files on Epstein.

“There’s been so much lying, obfuscation, coverups,” Schumer told reporters after filing the amendment. “The American people need to see everything ... ”

A spokesperson for Schumer’s office provided the text of the amendment to McClatchy News.

It appears identical to a recently filed House bill — put forward by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie — that would require the DOJ to release all its files on Epstein within 30 days of its passage.

This information includes flight logs, travel records, internal DOJ communications and documents related to Epstein’s death in a New York City jail cell in 2019.

The NDAA — an annual bill that authorizes defense spending — is widely seen as a must-pass piece of legislation, so Schumer’s amendment is guaranteed to be voted on, according to CNN.

“Republicans will HAVE TO vote on it,” Schumer wrote in a post on X. “We’re going to keep fighting until these files are released.”

Politico noted that Republicans could move to “table the amendment.”

“This will be viewed as a hostile act by our folks,” an anonymous source told The Hill, addressing the GOP reaction to the amendment. “We were engaged in bipartisan talks on amendments, and this could jeopardize that.”

Schumer was asked by reporters why Democrats did not push to release the Epstein files during former President Joe Biden’s term.

“The demands of the American people are so great,” he said. “The need is greater than ever now.”

A July YouGov poll found that 82% of Americans — including most Democrats and Republicans — think the government should publish all its files on Epstein.

Schumer’s amendment comes after the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, on Sept. 2, released more than 30,000 pages of Epstein-related files provided by the DOJ.

These files include a 2003 birthday letter allegedly written to Epstein by President Donald Trump, the existence of which was previously reported by the Wall Street Journal — leading to a lawsuit from Trump, who called it a “fake thing.”

The letter, written without the outline of a naked woman, includes the line: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

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