Note: Five months ago we noted that our impeachment work focuses on Trump’s involvement with Epstein simply because Trump is the person in the Epstein Files currently occupying the presidency. Citizens’ Impeachment believes the files should be released in full and all participants, of any party, should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Our article of impeachment for Obstruction of Justice has been updated to include Pam Bondi for the DoJ’s willful violation of federal law, and continued tampering with the partial release of the Epstein files.
Fighting works.
Citizens’ Impeachment tied Trump’s relationship with Epstein to impeachment nearly six months ago.
The relationship was obviously disqualifying. A stream of stomach-turning evidence had demonstrated that Trump and Epstein’s decades-long friendship revolved around sex. Much of it was previously reported, like their shared affinity for young girls. Some of it was new and creepy: revelations like birthday cards celebrating secrets, and wedding photos showing that Trump had lied about the extent of their relationship. All of it was damning, including how Epstein pleaded the fifth when asked if he had ever spent time with Trump in the presence of underage girls.
Attempts by the administration to downplay the seriousness of the Epstein files were transparently pathetic. Attorney General Pam Bondi changed her story from “the files are on my desk” to “there is no client list” in a matter of months. Trump repeatedly called the files a “Democrat hoax.” In July, less than twenty percent of Americans were satisfied with the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
As the administration flailed, it slowly dawned on Congress that they could go on the attack. Congress learned how to fight, introducing multiple resolutions, adding Epstein-related amendments to bills, and voting to subpoena criminal associates of Epstein like Ghislaine Maxwell.
The shift in Congress from reactive hand-wringing to proactive pursuit of justice was dramatic. Representatives Massie and Khanna spearheaded the initial push to release the files on behalf of Epstein’s survivors, shaming their colleagues and spurring constituents into action. Then, the citizens told Congress in no uncertain terms that the Epstein files needed to be released, and Congress found a way to do it. The resulting grassroots movement demanded the release of the files with such fervor that Congress ended up making the release federal law with a vote of 427 to 1 in the House.
The nation learned that when individuals choose to exercise their power, things change. And Trump’s administration learned that they were vulnerable.
Proactive, not reactive.
Politics is the art of the possible and folks, it’s all possible. Generally, what’s holding us back is an unwillingness to exercise our power for fear of rocking the boat. The fight for impeachment – and full release of the Epstein files – highlights that inaction is a choice. Congress has powerful and flexible tools. They just have to use them.
Citizens’ impeachment has been out here demanding accountability for nearly a year. People on the internet have argued that it was impossible, that we shouldn’t bother trying, that no one was going to listen, that Trump would never allow it. Actually, that last one was Jeffries. He’s refused to pursue impeachment more than once this year.
People hesitant to act also wanted assurances about what we planned on doing with the rest of the administration. Turns out we didn’t even have to actually get rid of him to start the process of getting rid of his administration. By keeping impeachment front and center for the last year, Congress has taken the initiative to file articles of impeachment against both RFK, Jr. and Pete Hegseth. And in frankly astonishing news, Rep. Jim Clyburn (SC-06) has joined Rep. Massie (KY-04) and Rep. Khanna to pursue the impeachment of Pam Bondi for her utter failure to comply with federal law and release the Epstein files.
Clyburn is an establishment Dem through and through. His endorsement swung the 2020 campaign to Biden. He is as far from the “radical left” as you can get. And, his endorsement represents a massive shift in the thinking of the Democratic party at-large. In his statement to CNN he not only recognized that this administration is once again pursuing illegal action, but also acknowledged that Congress is literally the last line of defense available, saying that the only way to secure the release of the Epstein files will be to impeach Pam Bondi because “that’s one thing the Supreme Court has got nothing to do with.”
Jim Clyburn would not have advocated for impeachment without a full year of sustained, grassroots pressure from Citizens’ Impeachment, FLARE, the Removal Coalition, and every single one of the concerned citizens that showed up to fight for this democracy even when it felt impossible. You are the reason that Congress is fighting for justice. It is YOUR voice that made the difference in this fight. Thank you, for your patriotism and your perseverance.
Trump = Nixon. Epstein = Watergate.
We’re now on the other side of that historic vote to release the files. There have been months upon months of discussion about Epstein’s criminal enterprise and sustained media attention on “Don’s Best Friend,” and the Trump administration’s continued efforts to shield the President from accountability. Ninety-one percent of Americans want to see the files released in full. Federal law requires that the DoJ produce the files in searchable, downloadable form with minimal redactions that do not protect government or other public figures from “embarrassment, reputational harm or political sensitivity.”
Because this administration is, at its core, a corrupt enterprise focused solely on avoiding accountability for the president, it can’t stop making blatantly illegal efforts to tamper with the evidence it is supposed to be releasing.
On Dec 19, the DoJ released less than 1% of the total files in their possession, and all are heavily redacted to protect politically exposed individuals, violating both the spirit and the letter of the law. Furthermore, files released in the initial batch of documents have been withdrawn and re-introduced without explanation. Adding to the confusion, the DoJ is apparently also absurdly inept, uploading multiple file copies with varying levels of redaction.
Like Rep. Clybourn, we had effectively zero confidence that the White House would comply with federal law. This outcome was so predictable that Citizens’ impeachment already had an update to the article of impeachment ready to go the same day.
Richard Nixon’s failed cover-up of the Watergate break-ins, coordinated by the White House and financed with campaign money, made it impossible for him to stay in office. As this administration continues its desperate attempt to distract from evidence that the President was directly and personally involved with one of the most prolific child sex traffickers of our time, we can hear the same clock ticking for Trump. Trump’s relationship with Epstein is an automatic disqualification from the office of the President. His attempt to cover it up is what will bring his administration down.