Rep. Stansbury: Epstein cover-up goes ‘all the way to the top’

Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., accused government officials of orchestrating a massive cover-up in the Jeffrey Epstein case after meeting with victims who shared their stories publicly for the first time, as House Republicans face mounting pressure to release unredacted federal investigation files.

Stansbury said Tuesday that victims revealed “not only the trauma of hundreds (maybe thousands) of young women, but a cover-up of epic proportions involving the wealthy, the well-connected, and even our own government—all the way to the top.”

“Let me be clear: we will not stop,” Stansbury told reporters after a closed-door briefing with six Epstein victims that left some lawmakers in tears. “We will follow every thread, every document and every bank record until there is justice.”

The House Oversight Committee released more than 33,000 pages of Epstein-related documents Tuesday, including flight logs, jail surveillance footage, court filings and emails obtained through a Justice Department subpoena. But Democrats said 97% of the materials were already public and contained little new information.

The document release comes as Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., pushes forward with a bipartisan discharge petition to force the Justice Department to release all Epstein files without redactions. Massie needs 218 signatures to bypass House leadership and force a floor vote.

Stansbury criticized Republicans for supporting a symbolic resolution calling for continued Oversight Committee investigation while not signing Massie’s petition, which sits “right there at the clerk’s desk.”

“You don’t want the files released. You want it controlled by the Oversight Committee,” she said during floor remarks Tuesday.

President Trump issued a statement warning that signing the discharge petition would be considered “a hostile act,” according to Stansbury.

“The United States president is threatening members of his own party in this chamber from signing a petition that would release the full unredacted Epstein files,” she said. “So my question is, what are they hiding? Who are they protecting?”

Epstein, a financier with connections to powerful figures, died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Pressure for transparency has grown since the Justice Department said in July there was no “incriminating” client list.

Stansbury accused the Trump administration and Republican leadership of failing to support victims.

“For far too long, survivors of sexual violence have been silenced by systems built to protect the powerful,” she posted on social media after Tuesday’s briefing.