Yesterday was a busy and important day.  I wrote to you in the afternoon about the breaking news that a court case enjoined the use of Texas’ new, discriminatory congressional map.  Not long after that, I voted to force the Trump administration to release the Justice Department files related to the sex-trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.  

Survivors deserve justice and the American people deserve the truth.  

I signed a discharge petition to force this vote back in September because accountability should not depend on who holds power.  Releasing the Epstein Files is essential—not only for the survivors who deserve justice for the crimes they endured, but for addressing the failures in institutions that failed to protect them and ensuring we do all we can to prevent crimes like these.  

In the end, the vote was bipartisan, and that is a good thing.  But for months, President Trump and his enablers in Congress have delayed, obstructed, and worked to prevent this vote from happening.  They even stalled the swearing-in of a new Democratic member of Congress for 50 days—to keep us from reaching the 218 signatures needed on the discharge petition to force a vote on this bill.  But they failed.  People across the political spectrum demanded the truth.  Once it was clear the bill would pass, President Trump told Republican members to vote for it.  

To be clear: if Donald Trump actually wanted these files released, he could do it today—no congressional action required.  Instead, he has fought transparency at every turn.

And even now, the Trump administration is laying the groundwork to keep these files hidden.  Trump’s new “investigation” targeting Democrats could give the DOJ an excuse to withhold key documents, since the bill protects ongoing inquiries.  Legal experts warn that the DOJ could use this as justification to keep nearly anything secret—even if the legislation becomes law.

Meanwhile, new documents released this week raise even more questions about Donald Trump’s relationship with Epstein and what he may have known.  If the president and his allies have nothing to hide, they should welcome transparency—not attack it as a “Democratic hoax,” which, quite clearly, it is not.

Any unwillingness to pursue transparency around the Epstein investigation only reinforces how essential it is that we elect a House and Senate majority that will put victims, transparency, and accountability first.  The American people deserve nothing less.

I will keep fighting with you for honesty, accountability, and a government worthy of the people in TX-07 and across the country.  And for free and fair elections and fair maps to ensure that can happen.

Together we can do anything,