Democrat senator brushed off Epstein files in 2020
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who has criticized the lack of release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein by the Trump administration, previously mentioned in 2020 that the issue was not a top priority for her. (Credit: Firing Line)
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., finds it strange that the Trump administration has not made public the documents concerning Jeffrey Epstein, but she herself had not given it much thought in the past.
Democrats are eager to use this issue to criticize Republicans and have been urging the administration and their colleagues to release the documents. However, Republicans are questioning why Democrats did not show the same enthusiasm when Joe Biden was in office.
In a recent interview on PBS’ “Firing Line,” Slotkin, a prominent figure in the Democratic Party, expressed surprise that President Donald Trump and his administration have not yet released the documents.
“The president and his allies have built up so much anticipation around these files that it’s strange they haven’t been released yet, right? The president created this situation,” she stated.
However, back in 2020, before Biden’s victory and the Democratic control of Washington, Slotkin, who was then in her first term in the House, did not consider the Epstein issue a priority.
In a video from 2020 acquired by Fox News Digital, Slotkin mentioned that investigating the connections between Bill Clinton and Epstein was not a major concern for her at that time.
She explained that there were more pressing matters at the time, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, which needed her attention.
“In the face of those challenges, I have to admit, I didn’t spend a lot of time delving into connections between Bill Clinton and others, because that wasn’t helping my constituents on a daily basis, right? My focus was on issues that affected people directly,” she said.
Fox News Digital attempted to reach out to Slotkin for comment but received no response.
Congressional Democrats, along with some Republicans, have been demanding more transparency from the Trump administration regarding the release of the Epstein files, creating turmoil on Capitol Hill throughout July.
The uproar in Congress began with a Justice Department memo earlier in the month declaring the Epstein case closed, and the momentum has not subsided since.
The Epstein controversy led to disruptions in the House, prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to dismiss lawmakers early as bipartisan calls increased to reveal the documents.
The Senate, on the other hand, has been less tumultuous. While Senate Democrats have intensified their criticism of the administration, many Senate Republicans prefer to shift their focus elsewhere.
