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By Andrew Stanton
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In an interview with MSNBC this week, U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, discussed a document that states there were 10 co-conspirators of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for comment via press contact form.
Why It Matters
Khanna has been among the most vocal members of Congress on the Epstein files, leading a bill with U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, to compel their release. Congress voted last month to publicize the files, and the first few batches have been released.
Read More on Politics
President Donald Trump has faced questions about his friendship with Epstein. The president has said he was unaware of Epstein’s activities and has denied any involvement. Trump also said he cut ties with Epstein and threw him out of his Mar-a-Lago Club upon learning of allegations leveled against the disgraced financier. There is no public evidence that Trump engaged in any criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein.
What To Know
One document included in the latest release of Epstein files mentioned that the sex offender had 10 co-conspirators. Only Ghislaine Maxwell has been charged as one. Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 for aiding Epstein in the trafficking of minors and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. It's unclear whether she was among the 10 mentioned in the document.
Khanna on Wednesday discussed the document during an interview with host and former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on MSNBC.
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Khanna said that while speaking with survivors, he has learned there was a group of “rich and powerful men” who have been named and accused of abuse, but that none of those names have been made public. He said the names could be publicized if the Department of Justice (DOJ) released 302 witness interviews with Epstein survivors.
He knows the names are mentioned in the interviews because survivors have told him as much, he said, adding that he has heard potential names “second or thirdhand,” but that it would be “irresponsible to just be speculating” about their identities.
“What I can tell you is they’re in those 302 FBI files. This is not that complicated. Everyone is saying redactions in this document and this document,” he said. “Just release the FBI files where survivors were interviewed. Some of the names, famous names—a lot of them are financial people in powerful positions.”
Releasing the full files is the way “to settle” the matter, he said, accusing the DOJ of “hiding it.” He speculated that some of those individuals are “affiliates of Trump,” and that the administration is not releasing the names to avoid harming them.
What People Are Saying
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, on X: “In 2019, Trump’s DOJ had a list of 10 Epstein co-conspirators. Who are these 10 co-conspirators? Why haven’t we seen those memos? Where are the grand jury records? Where are the FBI records? What are they hiding? Tens of thousands of files released shed no light on who they are. More questions than answers.”
Massie, a Kentucky Republican, on X: “Today the DOJ claims the Epstein-Maxwell file exceeds 1.7 million documents. And they still expect you to believe this involves only two guilty people.”
U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat, on X: “Perjury. Contempt of Congress. Lying to the public. It’s all there in the files. Including documents from 2019 showing that federal investigators knew of at least 10 co-conspirators in Jeffrey Epstein’s case. Why were they never prosecuted? Why are Donald Trump and @AGPamBondi shielding their names? Why did @FBIDirectorKash lie to Congress? We will get to the bottom of this.”
What Happens Next
More files related to Epstein are expected to be released over the coming weeks.
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