Transcription
Coauthors of the petition that the president and speaker are not calling for its passage. Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California and Repu Congressman Thomas Massie of Ken. And thank you both for for being here, Congressman. Nancy, let me start with you, because obviously, you've been the focus of the White House's ire as you as you are well aware. But when you hear those women today on Capitol Hill and then you hear what the president has to say, who do you think has more sway with your Republican colleagues, those women or or the president?
Well, with my Republican constit, those women have the most credib. And I think it's disrespectful to call it a hoax. This is not a hoax. Not at all. And it's not going to go away. If the president wants to highli the things that he's trying to do in the white House, then he should just call for the and release all of these files, and then he can move on. But they want to drag this out.
Congressman Khanna, just on those women for a moment. I mean, that was such a striking show of force from all of them. t What was it like for you to hear from them?
You know, I was just moved on a human leve. It really, for me was totally not about politics. I was standing a few feet away from them while they were speaking out. Almost half of them were in tear. They were talking about being raped at the age of 13 or. They were talking about being fo to get other high school and junior high school friends o knowing that they were going to sexual assault. It was heartbreaking. And frankly, they are bringing this country t. They are bringing people, whether they're progressive inde, moderates, MAGA supporters toget to say, we need to release these. We need justice for the rich and powerful men who abuse them. And this is not about politics. This is about morality.
Congressman Massie, why do you think those stories? I mean, they don't seem to be, but but why do you think that they're not resonating with with the white House?
Well, they're resonating with th in my district and all across the country. And in fact, they were resonating in the whit nine months ago when the attorney general said they would release the files, when the vice president said they would release the files, when the FBI director said they would release the files, when Trump's own children said that these files needed to be re. Why the 180 degree turn here from the administration? I think there are rich and powerful people who've always been beyond the reach of the law or thought that they were, who wanted to remain there, and their donors. They are donors to Republicans and Democrats, and we need to tell them, I'm sorry, you are going to be accountable to the law.
Well, actually, Congressman Mass, can I ask you about that? Because you're talking about peo who don't maybe want their names out there associated with Jeffrey Epstein. These women today. One thing that they said that they are willing to do if these documents don't get rel is compile their own, basically list of people around Jeffrey Ep and release that. You actually said tonight that that you have a plan to potentially help them with th.
Yeah. Yeah. So this survivor said that they had decided to compile their own list. But the reality is, if they try to release that list, they're going to be sued into homelessness. they will be attacked. They will have death threats. And so what my colleague Marjorie Taylor Greene volunteer and I've volunteered to do as we is to read that list on the floo of the House of Representatives, because our founders put into the Constitution speech or debate immunity, which says that we can't be prosecuted for we say on the floor of the House. So we're willing to help those s get those names out there. And as my colleague Roxana has s, we trust the public to determine who were donors to the Epstein Scholarship Fund and who were users of the women who were exposed to sexual abuse to differentiate between those two groups of peop.
Congressman Connor, do you support that reading reading the names from these women on on the House?
I do, but I don't think it needs to come to. I mean, there shouldn't be burden to have to come up with the list. You know, one of the things that struck me as some of the survivors said that they themselves had not seen the files. One person pleaded with America, saying she wants to try to understand her own memories, and she wants to see these files to be able to piece that togethe.
Well, this was such an emotional momen that after I spoke, after the survivors, Marjorie Ta Greene came over and gave me a h. I mean, people should have seen the humanity there. And I don't know, after hearing those women, why we just don't release the fi. I mean, it it actually would make the presi look good. He could come out and say, no other president has released the. I'm releasing the files. my focus right now. And I think anyone who was at that press conference, how do we get justice and closur for those survivors?
Well, and Speaker Johnson met with some of these survivors, yes, and an hours long meeting, some of their family members as. He still does not support your your discharge petition. He's saying that actually, Congressman Markey called it in artfully written, I believe was his in artfully dr. And Chairman Comber said that it would basically that that their investigation they're is 4 to 5 steps ahead of where this would put you. What is your response to that?
Well, I support everything that Chairman Comber is doing. The problem is the DOJ is curating everything that they send to the oversight committee. So if you drill down into those that the oversight committee put on the website, you can see that they've been re. All of the flight logs have been redacted, and they're running the risk of seeing what they saw with Pam Bondi binders, that everything that's been released is the same thing that's already been released. And in response to the speaker's accusation that our resolution was in artfully drafted. Well, his placebo resolution, which has no teeth to it, lifted entirely three pages from our own resolution. I mean, my staff wrote that, and they were very honored to see that the speaker used their exact language in this res.
Caitlin isn't the only thing that should matte. Also, what the survivors think they were asked, what did they support? And they said they supported the oversight investigation, but they support the messy kind. And they were asked point blank about that. And all of them raised their han. And that should be what the coun listens to. I mean, their lawyers have read, they have read it, and they're saying that's what t.
Have you heard if if what those survivors said today changed any other House Republicans minds, as anyone else said, that they are willing to sign on?
Well, I've talked to a few of them, and they were compelled in our d. But there's an immense pressure from the white House on Republican members right now. So I really think you got to, give some credit to the three Republican women, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace, who in spite of all the threats from the white House, which are still continuing, went and did the right thing. They're standing up for women by standing up for this resoluti.
What are those threats look like? What kind of pressure campaign are we talking about here?
Well, I'm feeling it myself in my own district. There's been $2.5 million of ads run against me by three billionaires who are mega-donors to the Republican Party, and one of them is actually, I'm not going to say on Epstein' but he's in Epstein's black book. So I've been taking the brunt of that myself. I think what's being run against is a threat to other Republicans to try to keep them from doing what I'm doing.
And are you worried that it's going to be successful?
Well, you know, I've opposed the president befor, and he said I should be thrown out of the GO. And in that race, I got 81% of t. So in some sense, I have the Trump antibodies. But I'm definitely going to get a booster shot here.
well, the white House obviously has been pushing back and pushing on that very strongl. But can I just ask both of you, when Trump's calling it a hoax, one thing he said today, Congressman Carney, he said that no matter what is released, nothing will ever be enough, bas for sufficient for for people like the two of you. What do you say to that?
Again, this is not about the two. This is about the survivors. And I think they made clear what they want. They want the files released with the financial information, with the witness memos, with an understanding of who covered up for Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell. I mean, they were rich and powerful people who knew that Epstein was raping and abusing young girls and said. And they were rich and powerful people who prevente from being prosecuted. And then they were rich and powerful people who were, got some of these survivors formed out to them. That's what they said. They want that exposed and they want accountability. And I just want to say about Thomas Massie, look, he's a profile in courage. I hope I don't hurt him in his p by saying that. But this is about big money. It's about big money that denied for the survivors. It's about big money that's stop these Epstein files to be releas. And it's big money that's threatening people like Thomas Massie or any person or any Republican was willing to sign that discharge petition.
Can I ask you, Congressman, do you believe that this effort steam as as some people have suggested tonig?
No, we I'm actually confident we're going to get to to 18. I don't want to go into all the because, when we've been more tr about it, it's just led to a Trump response. But we have a plan. I'm very, very confident that we're going to get there.
Yeah. Congressman, I'm asking you to yeah, I'm very confident what I to one of the white House indivi who's working against me right n. I said, you know, my mistake was getting 12 Republican co-sponsor on this bill before we were eligible to get signatur because I just telegraphed to yo the 12 people that you needed to. And he kind of laughed and he sa, but we're going to get to 218. This is going to happen, within a few weeks. And, I think they're going to pa. There's going to be a lot of pressure again, on the three women who have co-s this on the Republican side to take their names off, but I think they're going to sta.