Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has called on the FBI to conduct a counterintelligence threat assessment on the Jeffrey Epstein files, citing concerns that foreign adversaries could exploit unreleased information. Schumer argued that the assessment must evaluate whether foreign intelligence agencies could gain access to the documentation ‘the president does not want to release’ through cyber intrusions, identify vulnerabilities that could allow such agents to exert influence over Trump, his family, or senior officials, and confirm that the FBI has developed strategies to counter these risks and protect national security.
At his weekly Democratic leadership press conference, Schumer condemned what he described as the Epstein ‘cover-up,’ directing criticism at President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. He accused Trump of reneging on his campaign promise to release the files and pointed out that Johnson had deliberately delayed the process, sending Congress home on an Epstein-related recess to avoid the topic. Schumer stated, ‘Americans are right to be angry over the lack of transparency, but there are also some very real questions about risks to national security.’ He warned that adversaries could use the files to blackmail Trump or others, particularly if the information fell into the hands of countries like Russia, North Korea, or China.
Schumer also highlighted recent cyberattacks on government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services, which had been hacked via a Microsoft SharePoint system. He noted that the breach was confirmed to be the work of Chinese actors, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance. ‘We don’t need this happening again,’ he said. ‘We have to ensure that it can’t happen. National security is not and should never be a partisan issue.’
Last week, Johnson ended the House legislative session a day early, thwarting a potential vote on a resolution that would have required the Justice Department and the FBI to release the Epstein files. Johnson argued that the resolution was ‘reckless’ and poorly drafted, as it disregarded federal rules protecting grand jury materials. He claimed the resolution would force the DOJ and FBI to disclose information that was not credible enough to be considered in court proceedings. Johnson supported the Trump administration’s position that ‘all credible evidence and information’ should be released but emphasized the need to protect victims’ identities.
During a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, Trump was asked why he had kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club in West Palm Beach, Florida, years ago. Trump recounted that Epstein had hired people to work for him, which he found ‘inappropriate’ and ordered him to ‘never do that again.’ When Epstein did it again, Trump said he ‘threw him out of the place, persona non grata.’ He also claimed he had declined an invitation to Epstein’s Caribbean island, noting that former President Bill Clinton and former Harvard University President Larry Summers had visited it. Trump said, ‘I never went to the island and Bill Clinton went there, supposedly 28 times. I never went to the island, but Larry Summers, I hear, went there.’ He framed his decision as a ‘very good moment’ to turn down the invitation.