Democratic U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi of California on Thursday called for the Trump administration to “release the files” on Jeffrey Epstein after saying the fallout surrounding the scandal is a “distraction” from the “major issues” before Congress.

Pelosi, former House speaker, initially told NBC anchor Chris Jansing, in part: “We have major issues right here with things we’re voting on today in the Congress” but that “instead, we’re talking about him.”

“Whether it’s Jeffrey Epstein or Alcatraz, it’s all off the subject of what they’re doing with this budget that is harmful to the kitchen table, meeting the kitchen-table needs of the American people.”

On Thursday afternoon, Pelosi posted on X, formerly Twitter, that “everyone on the Epstein list must be held accountable no matter who they are. Release the files.”

Why It Matters

Epstein, a sex offender, died in a New York City jail in 2019 while awaiting sex trafficking charges. The disgraced financier had well-documented connections to powerful figures, and his death has long prompted numerous conspiracy theories.

Rumors of a “client list” have long circulated online, and during President Donald Trump‘s successful bid for reelection in 2024, he suggested that if voters returned him to the White House, he would release a list of individuals associated with Epstein.

Trump’s FBI and Department of Justice last week released a memo that found “no incriminating ‘client list'” in relation to Epstein, and Trump has urged his supporters to move on and celebrate the many wins he scored in the first six months of his second administration.

What To Know

During Pelosi’s interview with Jansing on Thursday, the California Democrat expressed her frustration with the “Epstein issue,” saying: “This is a distraction. We have major issues right here with things we’re voting on today in the Congress, again, in terms of the rescission that the president and the Senate have sent back over to us to cut all of these resources out of helping poor people throughout the world, to be America and play its leadership role in soft power to keep us safe, and to keep us healthy.

“Instead, we’re talking about him, about this thing and his own base has its own views of what the president should do. I’ll leave it up to them to talk it out. But again, whether it’s Jeffrey Epstein or Alcatraz, it’s all off the subject of what they’re doing with this budget that is harmful to the kitchen table, meeting the kitchen-table needs of the American people,” she added.

Jansing pressed the former speaker and Pelosi added that she also viewed the media noise around the Florida immigration detention center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” as another distraction that’s keeping Americans “off the subject of what is happening,” including “changing the character and the culture of America.”

A few hours later, Pelosi posted to X: “For reasons known only to him, Donald Trump is now refusing to appoint a special prosecutor in the Epstein case after weeks of refusing to release the Epstein files.”

“This week, House Democrats voted unanimously to release the files. Republicans voted to keep them hidden,” she continued. “With deep respect for the victims, their trauma and their privacy, everyone on the Epstein list must be held accountable no matter who they are. Release the files.”

Democrats through Representative Ro Khanna of California tried to put forth an amendment that would have allowed Congress to vote on whether the Epstein files—the documents comprising the federal investigation into his crimes and related activities—should be made public.

Ultimately, Republican members of the House Rules Committee voted against the amendment, and many have interpreted this as voting against releasing the files overall.

Khanna’s amendment was in effect a procedural measure tacked on to the GENIUS Act, which relates to digital assets such as cryptocurrency. If the amendment had been passed, it would have forced Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish the Epstein documents on a “publicly accessible website.”

What People Are Saying

Khanna wrote on X: “Rules voted 5-7 to block the full House from voting on my amendment to have a FULL release of the Epstein file. People are fed up. They are fed up. Thanks Rep. Ralph Norman. Need to put the American people before party!”

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields was asked about the Epstein files, but told reporters on Friday: “Any attempt to sow division within this team is baseless and distracts from the real progress being made in restoring public safety and pursuing justice for all.”