Who’s Afraid of the Epstein Files?

The fight to release Jeffrey Epstein’s unredacted files isn’t just about justice for victims; it’s a high-stakes showdown over whether America still believes in the rule of law.

Guest article by Michael Cohen. Follow him on Substack for more here.

Let me tell you something I’ve learned the hard way about Washington: the truth is radioactive. Everyone says they want it, swears they’ll fight for it, and then the second it gets close enough to burn, they run for the hills faster than Rudy Giuliani at a hair dye mishap.

Which brings me to the question I get every single time I do a Substack LIVE: “Michael, do you really think the Epstein files will ever be released?” My answer is always the same: yes. Or, at least, they damn well should be. And I don’t mean some sanitized, cherry-picked, CIA-scrubbed “executive summary.” I’m talking every page, every note, every flight log, every FBI interview—unredacted except for the names of the victims. Because this story isn’t just about one deceased predatory billionaire; it’s about a system so corrupt, so interconnected, that it will bend over backwards to protect the powerful while throwing the powerless to the wolves.

Now, you may think the idea of full transparency is some idealistic fantasy, but here’s where things get interesting. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s right flank is apparently as fed up as the rest of us—or at least they want to look like it. Next month, they are trying to bypass him completely with something called a “discharge petition” to force a vote to release the Epstein files.

If you’ve never heard of a discharge petition, here’s the quick and dirty: it’s basically a rebellion in procedural form. If 218 members—an outright majority—sign it, leadership can’t stop the bill from coming to the floor for a vote. That’s why the powers that be hate it; it takes away their ability to quietly kill things in back rooms.

Top Republicans have tried to scare their members into never using the maneuver, claiming it would “give control of the House to Democrats.” But lately, the populist wing of the GOP has decided they’re not taking orders from leadership anymore—and definitely not regarding the Epstein crimes. In other words, they’ve discovered that occasionally pretending to have a spine polls well.

So, here’s the breakdown:

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) are behind the Epstein files petition. By all accounts, it will get the 218 signatures it needs; most, if not all, Democrats will sign on, and a handful of right-wing Republicans will too.

Speaker Johnson knows the measure is political dynamite. If he tries to stop it, he looks like he’s protecting predators. If he lets it move forward, he risks actually exposing the kind of corruption most Americans already assume is business as usual.

And that’s the real problem. Because the Epstein story doesn’t just start and stop at Epstein. It’s a black hole of ugly connections: politicians, billionaires, royals, celebrities. Some of those names are allies. Some are donors. And some are the very same people currently writing our laws. The fear isn’t that the public will be shocked; it’s that they’ll recognize just how many “respectable” figures belong in the same moral gutter as the guy who died under “mysterious circumstances” in federal custody.

Trump has already dismissed his participation in the matter, which we all expected. Johnson has done his own dance—calling for “transparency” in theory, but shutting down actual attempts to make it happen. It’s the oldest trick in the book: promise sunlight, deliver shadows.

What’s remarkable here is that the Epstein petition may actually work. A House Republican involved in similar procedural fights admitted it’ll be “much harder” to kill this one, given the national attention. And make no mistake: if the names in those files include current or former members of Congress, or world leaders still in office, the political shockwaves will make Watergate look like a speeding ticket.

But here’s the part people don’t want to hear—the part that truly pisses me off. Even if the House forces the files out, the Senate still has to deal with it, and that’s where transparency usually goes to die. The Senate has a 60-vote threshold, a fondness for “deliberation,” and a deep institutional allergy to populist causes. Translation: don’t hold your breath.

Still, if this petition succeeds, it’ll prove something important: that even in the most corrupt environment imaginable, public pressure can pry open a few doors. That’s why I keep pushing for full disclosure—not because I think it’ll suddenly cure Washington of its rot, but because it forces the system to confront what it’s been hiding. Like you, I want to see the files. I want to see accountability for every victim, alive or gone.

In the end, releasing the Epstein files in full—every page, every detail—won’t just be about exposing predators. It will be a litmus test for whether this country still believes in the idea that no one, not even the rich and powerful, is above the law. And if we fail that test? Well, then we’re just proving what I’ve been saying for years: in Washington, the cover-up is the only truly bipartisan sport.

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