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'What are you afraid of?': Booker slams Senate GOP over Epstein cover-up [1]
['Daily Kos Staff']
Date: 2025-07-24
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey criticized Senate Republicans on Thursday as they worked to block his amendment to create government transparency on the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Booker introduced his amendment while the Senate Judiciary Committee discussed a bill relating to opioid overdoses. In response, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, introduced a measure seeking to nullify Booker’s request. And Booker noted that requests for transparency on Epstein have come from both Republicans and Democrats
“We want transparency and accountability on a matter of public safety. Sen. Cornyn said that Jeffrey Epstein is dead. But his victims are not,” Booker said. “There are women who have horrific stories of vile violence that was committed against them.”
Booker also noted that Attorney General Pam Bondi previously said there were “truckloads” of evidence about possible co-conspirators and others involved.
Slamming Cornyn’s amendment, Booker concluded, “The real effort was just to not have accountability and transparency—what are you afraid of?”
Ultimately, the committee, led by Republican Chuck Grassley, rejected Booker’s amendment and sided with Cornyn. The move echoes ongoing efforts by House Republicans to block legislation from Democrats pushing for openness on the Epstein case and the release of related files, including a rumored client list.
The Senate confrontation occurred the same week that House Speaker Mike Johnson chose to shut down his chamber’s legislative activity rather than face additional votes on Epstein-related issues.
Republicans have stuck to their guns in obstructing Epstein inquiries, even after the Wall Street Journal reported that Bondi told Trump in May that his name was included multiple times in Epstein files. Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor for sex and was charged with sex trafficking minors before his death in federal custody in 2019.
Attempting to blunt fallout from the Trump administration’s reluctance to release information on the Epstein case, Trump and his team—led by National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard—have sought to divert attention to an absurd election-related conspiracy theory involving former President Barack Obama. And the administration is getting an assist from Fox News, which has downplayed the story—even when news was broken by another outlet in owner Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
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