News conference with Epstein's victims will be 'explosive,' lawmaker predicts

WASHINGTON − An upcoming news conference with victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could be “explosive,” one of the congressmen pushing for full release of the files on Epstein predicts.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, said the victims’ accounts will force lawmakers to vote on a bill requiring the Justice Department to release its files.

Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky – who are co-leading the effort − need 218 signatures to make that happen.

With all 212 Democrats backing the effort, only six Republicans need to sign on, Khanna said on NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker."

“What will be explosive is the September 3rd press conference that both of us are having with 10 Epstein victims, many who have never spoken out before,” Khanna said in remarks that aired Aug. 31.

At the news conference, planned for the steps of the Capitol, Epstein’s victims “will be saying clearly to the American public that they want the release of the Epstein files for full closure on this matter,” he said.

The Epstein controversy has created a schism between President Donald Trump and 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.

The House Oversight Committee is subpoenaing the late financier's estate to explore a possible mismanagement of a federal government investigation involving Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Epstein died by suicide in a New York federal prison in 2019 while awaiting federal charges related to sex trafficking, sparking outrage and theories about who else might have known or were involved with the sex ring he allegedly operated with Maxwell's assistance. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison.