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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, announced on Wednesday that Democrats are using a century-old law to compel President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice and the FBI to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.
During a press conference, Schumer explained that he and his Democratic colleagues on the Senate Homeland Security Committee invoked the “Rule of Five,” a federal law that requires the executive branch to comply when five senators on the committee make a request.
Schumer stated that their request encompasses all documents, files, evidence, and other materials held by the DOJ and the FBI related to the case of the United States v. Jeffrey Epstein.
“While protecting the identities of the victims is crucial, the public also deserves to know who was involved, aware of, or participated in one of the most horrendous sex trafficking operations in history,” Schumer emphasized.
Referring to previous statements by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel promising transparency, Schumer criticized the lack of transparency and truthfulness from the administration.
He called on Senate Republicans to join in the effort for transparency and accountability regarding the Epstein files.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Schumer first made the announcement during a speech on the Senate floor, stressing that he and four other senators have the power to compel the Department of Justice to release the files to the public.
During his floor speech, Schumer also called on the FBI to conduct a counterintelligence threat assessment related to the Epstein case.
He outlined three objectives for the FBI assessment, including determining if foreign intelligence agencies could access information in the Epstein files that the president is reluctant to release, identifying vulnerabilities that could be exploited by foreign intelligence agencies, and developing strategies to safeguard national security.
