The furor over the Justice Department’s claims about sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has yet to subside as people continue demanding answers.
Many high-profile Republicans have expressed doubts over the DOJ’s insistence that the disgraced billionaire did not keep a list of clients for his sex trafficking operation and that he committed suicide in his prison cell in 2019.
However, others on the right, including President Donald Trump, have suggested that people should move on from the controversy. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) expressed this view during an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”
Host Chris Stirewalt asked Lawler about the issue and Trump’s claim that the allegations about the Epstein files were fabricated by Democrats. “But there are a lot of people in his movement—like Steve Bannon—who say no dice. They want a special counsel. They want everything to come out,” Stirewalt said. “What should happen in this Jeffrey Epstein morass?”
Lawler responded by arguing that Epstein should no longer be an issue and that we should simply “move on” from the debate.
“Listen, I’m probably not the person to ask, ’cause I don’t speak in conspiracy theory. But at the end of the day, there’s a lot bigger issues facing this country than Jeffrey Epstein. The guy is dead and buried. Let’s move on, okay?” Lawler said.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler says the nation should "move on" from the Epstein Files.
— Jeff Charles, The Nullifier🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) July 13, 2025
"At the end of the day, there’s a lot of bigger issues facing this country than Jeffrey Epstein." pic.twitter.com/xM185ZuoJu
Other Republican leaders have expressed different sentiments. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) questioned the DOJ’s narrative, asking about Epstein’s black book, which is believed to contain the names of his clients.
Some have speculated that the Epstein list was destroyed or concealed under the Biden administration. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) floated this theory during a recent interview.
“I think the files existed at one time. I think they were destroyed in the previous administration,” Burchett said. “I think if they'd ever had anything on Trump, it would have been out day one under the Biden administration. I think there's some very prominent people. There's Hollywood people, but I think there's world leaders, too.”
After four long years of silence on the Epstein controversy, Democrats have suddenly become interested in the matter. Several Democratic politicians and media figures are now demanding the release of the Epstein files. Of course, this isn’t because they care about the crimes Epstein committed; it’s because they think they can use it as a weapon against the Trump administration.
Still, I don’t believe for a second that the nation is ready to “move on” from Jeffrey Epstein. His case has been shrouded in mystery since even before he died. President Trump repeatedly promised to release the rest of the information on the campaign trail.
Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed to have the files on her desk during a February interview, which has ignited frustration among the Republican base. The issue reportedy caused some internal drama at the Justice Department between Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino.
The issue became so heated that reports suggest Bongino is considering stepping down from his position. Despite Trump’s wishes, it seems clear that the Epstein issue isn’t going away anytime soon.