Mounting unease is spreading within the Republican Party as new information from the Department of Justice suggests the unreleased Jeffrey Epstein files may contain evidence more damaging to President Donald Trump than previously feared.
Veteran journalist David Shuster, who has worked with MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, reported that several House Republicans have been warned by DOJ contacts about the files’ “especially compromising” nature. Shuster shared on X that “speculation/rumors [are] sweeping through [the] GOP caucus,” fueling anxiety about potential fallout.
He cited accounts from GOP lawmakers claiming FBI and DOJ insiders hinted the files could surpass Michael Wolff’s prior revelations. Wolff, Trump’s biographer, had told The Daily Beast he saw “about a dozen Polaroid snapshots” of Trump and Epstein with “several topless young women on his lap.”
Adding to the unease, Attorney General Pam Bondi sidestepped questions from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) about whether she had viewed any photos from Epstein’s seized materials. Shuster noted, “She didn’t give a denial,” a moment that reportedly “spooked” GOP members aware of Bondi’s close ties to Trump.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan discharge petition spearheaded by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) aims to force a vote to publicly release the Epstein files. The measure is now one signature shy of advancing, with Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) pledging to complete it once sworn in.
