U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo. 1st District, is pushing for U.S. House members to vote to release the files on Jeffrey Epstein, the multimillionaire and sex offender who died in jail in 2019.
“Even if my mother was in the Epstein files, I would be supporting releasing those files,” Bell told Missourinet. “Because it is the crux of our justice system to ensure that those that commit these kinds of crimes, these types of serious violent crimes, that they’re held accountable.”
Bell said that his stance on releasing the files is rooted in his experience as a prosecutor.
“This isn’t even about Trump,” he said. “This is about protecting victims, and that’s what, you know, they call us prosecutors, but really, we’re more victim advocates, and we need to be protecting these women who were victimized for years.”
Bell also said he believes President Trump knew about Epstein’s reported sex trafficking of underage girls.
“It is impossible to ignore the fact that in some manner the President is involved in this scandal,” Bell said. “We’re just talking about what some have described as the largest sex trafficking ring that we’ve ever seen.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo. 4th District, voiced support on social media for releasing the Epstein files, saying that Republicans “have always been in favor of full transparency,” and that “the truth shall set you free.”
After months of pushing back against releasing the Epstein files, President Trump is now voicing support for releasing them. He posted on Truth Social that he has “nothing to hide.”
President Trump, meanwhile, has also come out in favor of releasing the files after opposing their release.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell six years ago after being charged with sex trafficking underage girls.
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