Democratic Sen. Fetterman and Republican Rep. Dan Meuser both criticized Democrats for not releasing the Epstein files during the Biden administration.
While the House vote in support of releasing Department of Justice documents related to investigations of infamous sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein was bipartisan, the reaction to the vote differed sharply between Democrats and Republicans. The House passed the measure 427-1, and the Senate quickly approved it. Supporters say transparency is vital for victims, while some Republicans warn of privacy risks.
Focusing on the need for transparency, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1) said he “always have, and always will, Vote Yes” for “100% transparency and 100% disclosure” of Epstein files. Fitzpatrick is a former FBI agent and leaned on that experience, saying he stands “unequivocally behind the victims” and “law enforcement officers across American who need every tool” to protect children from human trafficking.
Fellow Republican Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA-7) echoed the need for transparency, saying he supported “full transparency in the Epstein Case” and that the vote “continues us in the direction of providing the transparency and accountability that everyone deserves.
GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan (PA-8) also voted for the bill, saying “Epstein was a horrible person who committed atrocities against our most vulnerable people” in a Facebook video after the vote.
Rep. Dan Meuser, a Republican representing the state’s 9th Congressional District, said Democrats were creating a “political spectacle” by failing to release documents during the Biden administration and when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress and only doing so now “for political gain against President Trump.”
Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican representing the Harrisburg-based 10th District, supported the bill despite “the lack of victim protections.”
Democratic Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) criticized months of delays before Congress voted to require the release of Jeffrey Epstein investigative files, noting the Justice Department had been obligated since August to comply with a subpoena she helped secure. Despite partial document releases, lawmakers advanced a bipartisan bill mandating public disclosure within 30 days, with limited exceptions. Lee urged immediate release of the full, unredacted files.
Lee’s fellow Democrat Madeleine Dean (PA-4) said the vote to release the Epstein files was “the first step toward accountability”, saying “for too long, children and young women have been abused by the rich and elite who have the resources to buy their way out.”
Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon posted a video around the same time as the House vote of a committee hearing on the Epstein files in which she said not allowing the files to be released will be part of a “coverup.”
In a post on X, Rep. Dwight Evans, a Democrat from the Philadelphia area, criticized “months of Republican delay” and called upon the Senate to vote on the bill immediately. The Senate ultimately approved the bill quickly.
On the Senate side, both of Pennsylvania’s senators, Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dave McCormick both voted to order the DOJ release files related to the Epstein case. However, in an increasingly frequent trend, Sen. Fetterman took the opportunity to criticize fellow Democrats, saying they had four years to release the files and the fact that they didn’t raises “a lot of questions.”
Despite voting for the bill to release the Epstein files, Sen. Dave McCormick does not appear to have released any statement or social media post on the issue.
