Pennsylvania lawmaker calls for Epstein files

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(The Center Square) - The ongoing national debate about Jeffrey Epstein has hit the Pennsylvania statehouse.

Demands to release the details of Justice Department investigations into the deceased child sex trafficker's operations and associates have come from both sides of the aisle. This time, the call comes from Rep. Nate Davidson, D-Lemoyne.

The issue has demonstrated staying power as wave after wave of headlines fail to distract both legislators and the public. While campaigning, President Donald Trump made uncovering the Epstein scandal a key issue, promising to reveal details about the case if elected.

Since his election, the administration has waffled on the subject. Attorney General Pam Bondi said at one point that a “client list” was on her desk and at another that it didn’t exist.

As the press continues to uncover details about the president’s close friendship with Epstein, including a note Trump allegedly penned for a 50th birthday collection, Democrats have seized on the issue.

Trump denied writing the note and sued the Wall Street Journal for reporting on it. The president maintains that he ended his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein because the financier was poaching employees from the spa at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Palm Beach, Fla. resort.

“Survivors of sexual abuse by some of the world’s most powerful people have been denied justice and silenced for too long,” said Davidson. “Despite public pressure from across the political spectrum, thousands of pages in legal documents filed against disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein remain concealed, allowing the truth to stay hidden.”

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse have accused the administration of “a cover-up” and called for transparency. They gathered with lawmakers from both parties on Capitol Hill earlier this month to be heard.

"The truth is, Epstein had a free pass. He bragged about his powerful friends, including our current president, Donald Trump. It was his biggest brag, actually," said Chauntae Davies, a survivor.

Republicans who had long called for documents to be released were ultimately responsible for blocking those very measures in Congress when Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., shut down the House over the issue.

The files, along with disagreement about U.S. support for Israel, has caused public fractures in a party that has otherwise been able to maintain a unified front holding both a legislative majority and the executive office.

In rallying support of Pennsylvania’s legislators, Davidson recalled the state’s work to hold accountable “predator priests” in the Catholic church as well as subsequent laws meant to protect victims of sexual abuse.

“By demanding the release of the Epstein Files, we can continue working toward eradicating sexual violence and show that no one is above the law,” said Davidson. “The continued concealment of these files erodes public trust in government, a point of agreement for people across the country and on both sides of the aisle.”