Rep. Ro Khanna thinks the Epstein files could help Democrats ‘fight Trump effectively’

Cleveland – Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who asserted himself as his party’s main voice for the publication of Jeffrey Epstein’s files, brought the noisy national fight to an unlikely audience on Friday: a gathering of democratic mayors focused on politics.

Khanna admitted that it was a departure from her usual accent on the economy.

“I am less in the news of the new economic patriotism and more in the news for Epstein files,” he said in his remarks during a conference by the Democratic Mayors Association in a skyscraper hotel overlooking Lake Érié. “I’m going to tell you why it’s important. This is important because before being able to ask people to support government initiatives, you need people to trust the government. ”

The appearance of Khanna here occurred after a week during which the Chamber broke for summer recess while the Democrats pushed the Epstein problem several times. He and the representative Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Joined to coparize a measure which aims to force the administration of President Donald Trump to publish “all the non-classified files” on Epstein, the deceased financial and the condemned sexual offender who died by the suicide awaiting trials on the accusations of sexual traffic in 2019. reception.

Epstein counted Trump and other powerful people as friends before being criminally charged, although the president disowned him a long time ago. The case exposed a flaw between Trump and key characters from its Maga movement which, for years, demanded more transparency in Epstein and are turned upside down by the fact that Trump and the Attorney General Pam Bondi did not provide it.

“People say,” Well, why did you wage this fight on Epstein files? ” And for me, it is confidence in government and transparency, “said Khanna in an interview with NBC News. “If you don’t have confidence and transparency, how are you going to get Medicare for everyone? How are you going to get a Marshall plan from the 21st century? It may be Kryptonite that makes Magi disentangle.”

Khanna’s speech was also remarkable for her narrow accent on the vice-president JD Vance, who was previously part of Maga leaders who are pushing for the release of Epstein files. Vance is a probable republican presidential candidate in 2028, when Trump was limited in the long term. Khanna, on the other hand, was opened on her interest in seeking democratic appointment that year – and visible in her attention to Vance.

“Because I am again in the hometown of the vice-president, I thought I would remind him of some of the things he said,” Khanna said, briefly confusing Cleveland with the Vance’s host base in Cincinnati before reading some of the vice-president of the Epstein’s social media.

Vance, for example, posted as a candidate in the Senate in December 2021: “If you are a journalist and you do not ask questions about this case, you should be ashamed of yourself. How much do you even use?

Khanna resumed on Friday: “Maybe you should do your job now. You were passionate about this question when you ask the people of this state for their votes. What happened?”

A vice-president spokesman refused to comment on Friday of Khanna’s remarks.

Vance has mentioned Epstein sparingly in recent weeks, the White House tightening its grip on the message on what has become a thorny subject. In an article Thursday on X, Vance criticized the recent cover of the Wall Street Journal of Trump’s relationship with Epstein.

Asked in the interview if he tried to position himself as the strongest Democratic rival in Vance in 2028, Khanna did not respond directly. Rather, he argued that he and Vance had different views of what it means to be an American, pointing to the recent speech of Vance at the Conservative Claremont Institute. Vance said that “the modern left seems devoted … to say that you do not belong to America unless you agree with progressive liberalism in 2025.”

Vance, “said Khanna,” tries to articulate a more parish vision of American identity. And I think it is a real foil in my conception of American identity. ”

Khanna also said he thought that a message focused on Epstein helps Democrats – and him.

“I have never obtained this kind of republican support on everything I have done before from Maga’s base,” said Khanna. “There have been many things on which the Democrats have shouted their heads, but they are still only the Democrats. Sometimes they are the democrats combined with republicans of the establishment such as Liz Cheney or Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan.

“But it is never the Democrats who are combined with the noisiest voices of the Maga world, and I think, the key not only to fight Trump, but to fight Trump effectively.”

When he was asked why he had not called for more transparency around Epstein files while President Joe Biden was president, Khanna underlined a 2019 social media position in which he expressed his support for the Democrats of the Congress investigating the circumstances of Epstein’s death.

Trump and his administration “have raised the challenges,” added Khanna, when he previously indicated the support for the publication of files and when Bondi previously said that a list of Epstein customers existed.

“He [was] When the Ministry of Justice published a memorandum saying that there was no list or need to disclose more information than Massie and I believe that the legislation was necessary, “he said.

Khanna was amazed at the attention that the problem has taken for him now, especially since the president of the Mike Johnson room, R-La., Called for early recreation while its members complained of the democrats offering on several occasions of the amendments linked to Epstein. Khanna said he and Massie should appear together on two Sunday information programs this weekend, notably “Meet the Press” from NBC.

Congress members have been friendly for years and have agreed to work together on the resolution after Khanna’s attempt to introduce an amendment to put pressure for the files to be published.

Massie “immediately sent me a text and said to me:” RO, why don’t we do this as a bipartisan? Do you agree with that? “”, Recalls Khanna. “And I said,” It would be great, but can we really make it work? “”

This remains a question because the members of the chamber return home to their districts for summer recess. When they return to Washington in September, Massie and Khanna will work to guarantee the 218 signatures necessary to deposit a so-called discharge petition and force a vote on their resolution.

Khanna said he was convinced that they would have the support they need. He also expressed little concern that the partnership with Les Républicains, notably the Hardcore supporters of Maga who, on many other questions, have opinions that most Democrats find reprehensible, will turn against the party.

“I think there are two ways to fight Trump and Maga,” he said. “One is the point of view, which has been the point of view of our party for almost 10 years, that is to say that they had to dissociate us, condemn them and not dirty their hands and fight them all, and not try to listen to why there is anger or what are their causes. I have never adopted this approach. I adopted the approach to respect the voters who voted for Trump, By being firm in my voters. “

Such collaboration could be a difficult sale. Khanna’s speech, heavy with Epstein to the Democratic mayors, received polished applause, but certain perplexed reactions from some participants who wondered in private if it was the appropriate place for such a message.

Friday, no other speaker approached as much Epstein as Khanna, although the president of the National Democratic Committee, Ken Martin, briefly mentioned it by the way.

“Nor is our work to protect Donald Trump and his rich, excuse my language, friends of the ass who are friends with Jeffrey Epstein, who seems to be a clear priority for the Republicans at the moment,” said Martin in his remarks.

Pennsylvania Lieutenant-Governor, Governor Austin Davis, a democrat who also addressed mayors on Friday, said in an interview after his speech that he had seen from Epstein in the party’s message.

“I think that in general, it is not necessarily a question of Jeffrey Epstein or Donald Trump. I think it is transparency and responsibility, and I think that is what the voters expect from their elected officials,” said Davis. “I think we can do several things at a time. I think we can talk about accessibility problems. I think we can talk about how we will improve our economic situation, while holding government leaders in Washington responsible for the things they have done. ”