Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) expressed support Wednesday for the “full disclosure” of government files related to notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“At some point, there is going to have to be a resolution,” Thune said of the outcry from President Trump’s base over the administration’s handling of documents pertaining to the Epstein case.
“We’re all interested in making sure that justice is served and that there is full disclosure and there’s transparency around this,” the top Republican senator told Fox News “Special Report” host Bret Baier.
The FBI and Justice Department announced the conclusion of a “systematic review” of the Epstein case last week in a controversial, unsigned memo, which indicated that no further disclosures in the case were coming.
The review found “no credible evidence” that Epstein, who died in his Manhattan jail cell on Aug. 10, 2019, “blackmailed prominent individuals” or that investigations against “uncharged third parties” were warranted.
The memo included a link to surveillance video from the Manhattan prison where Epstein died, suggesting that no one entered the convicted pedophile’s cell the night he committed suicide.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump accused his “past supporters” of buying into the “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax,” arguing that it’s all a “scam” involving documents cooked up by previous Democratic presidential administrations.
The president described those demanding more information about the case as “weaklings” and declared that he doesn’t “want their support anymore.”
“The president and Attorney General Pam Bondi will make the right decisions, but I’m always a believer in transparency,” Thune said Wednesday. “I think more is always better.”
The Senate majority leader argued that from “get go, maybe there were unrealistic expectations” about what the Trump administration would be able to release about the government’s investigation into Epstein.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has similarly expressed support for “transparency” regarding the government’s Epstein probe.
“It’s a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide,” the House speaker told conservative podcast host Benny Johnson on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, polls show that most Americans disapprove of the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
Just 17% of voters approve of the administration’s approach in the Epstein matter, while 63% disapprove, according to a Quinnipiac University national survey released Wednesday.
Among GOP voters, 40% approve of Trump’s handling of Epstein disclosures while 36% disapprove, the survey found.
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