In an interview on MSNBC this week, U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, pointed to a document he says references 10 co-conspirators connected to convicted *** offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Why It Matters
Khanna has emerged as one of Congress’ loudest voices pushing for the full release of materials tied to Epstein. Alongside U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, he has backed legislation aimed at forcing disclosure. Lawmakers voted last month to make the files public, and the first batches have since been released.
President Donald Trump has also faced renewed scrutiny over his past association with Epstein. Trump has said he did not know about Epstein’s crimes, has denied wrongdoing, and has said he cut ties with Epstein and barred him from Mar-a-Lago after learning of allegations against him. There is no public evidence that Trump engaged in criminal conduct related to Epstein.
What To Know
A document included in the most recent tranche of released Epstein records says Epstein had 10 co-conspirators. So far, only Ghislaine Maxwell has been charged. Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 for helping Epstein traffic minors and is serving a 20-year prison term. It is not clear whether she is included among the 10 referenced in the document.
Khanna discussed the document Wednesday during an MSNBC interview with host and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
Khanna said that in conversations with survivors, he has been told there is a group of “rich and powerful men” who have been named and accused of abuse, but whose identities have not been publicly released. He argued those names could become public if the DOJ disclosed FBI “302” witness interview reports from Epstein survivor interviews.
He said survivors have told him the names appear in those interviews. Khanna added that while he has heard possible names “second or thirdhand,” he believes it would be “irresponsible” to speculate publicly.
“What I can tell you is they’re in those 302 FBI files. This is not that complicated. Everyone is saying redactions in this document and this document,” he said. “Just release the FBI files where survivors were interviewed. Some of the names, famous names—a lot of them are financial people in powerful positions.”
Khanna said releasing the full set of files would “settle” the issue and accused the DOJ of “hiding it.” He speculated that some of the individuals referenced may be “affiliates of Trump,” and argued the administration could be withholding names to avoid consequences for them.
What People Are Saying
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, on X: “In 2019, Trump’s DOJ had a list of 10 Epstein co-conspirators. Who are these 10 co-conspirators? Why haven’t we seen those memos? Where are the grand jury records? Where are the FBI records? What are they hiding? Tens of thousands of files released shed no light on who they are. More questions than answers.”
Massie, a Kentucky Republican, on X: “Today the DOJ claims the Epstein-Maxwell file exceeds 1.7 million documents. And they still expect you to believe this involves only two guilty people.”
U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat, on X: “Perjury. Contempt of Congress. Lying to the public. It’s all there in the files. Including documents from 2019 showing that federal investigators knew of at least 10 co-conspirators in Jeffrey Epstein’s case. Why were they never prosecuted? Why are Donald Trump and @AGPamBondi shielding their names? Why did @FBIDirectorKash lie to Congress? We will get to the bottom of this.”
What Happens Next
More Epstein-related records are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
