Rep. Becca Balint, Dems “very worried” Trump buries Epstein files he signed into law

Visit Ask a Pol ~ interactive political journalism ~ what should we ask Congress next? Let us know!Who?Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) — Member, Judiciary CommitteeAsk a Pol asks:After pulling out all stops to try and quash the bipartisan effort to release the Epstein files, both President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson changed their tunes at the end and said they were fine releasing the files. Does that signal that your work isn’t done and GOP leaders have something up their sleeves, even after the House of Representatives approved the bill 427 to 1 before the Senate unanimously passed the measure President Trump signed into law earlier this week?Key Balint:“We’re very, very worried,” Rep. Becca Balint exclusively told Ask a Pol Politics. “If that f*cking happens to them, they’re going to be so devastated, because they feel like every single step of the way, they thought they were getting to action.“And it was so moving and so powerful what these women had to say. And yeah, they’re worried they’re going to be dragged through all of this only to have it snatched at the last minute. Yes, that is my concern, that this is what [Speaker Mike] Johnson is sort of teeing up for, ‘Yeah, fine, we’ll do this because it’s not going to happen.’”*Discharge Petition explainer: The Speaker has godlike control of everything that happens in the US House of Representatives, but if more than half the members of the 435 person chamber — typically 218, though the number fluctuates based on vacant seats — sign off on a discharge petition, House rules mandate the measure come before the full chamber for debate and a vote.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites!Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe