[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 195 (Wednesday, November 19, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H4778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1045
                        RELEASE OF EPSTEIN FILES

  (Mr. Keating of Massachusetts was recognized to address the House for 
5 minutes.)
  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, the House and now our Senate have finally 
acted to release the files and all the information regarding the 
criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and all who enabled, all who 
knew and did nothing, and all who participated in some of the worst 
sexual abuse and trafficking crimes our country has experienced.
  This will expose the rich, the powerful, and the self-entitled who 
were involved in these crimes and who did it for the worst possible 
reason, because they thought they could.
  This necessary legislation should not have been necessary because 
this White House, this administration, this President could have merely 
released these files. Instead, they withheld, dismissed, and covered 
up. They even had their Justice Department's two highest officials try 
to coerce a House Member to take their name off the discharge petition 
that finally triggered the approval of this legislation.
  It was only because of the actions of courageous survivors coming 
forward, coming to the Capitol, and speaking truth to power that we are 
able to advance this legislation.
  As a Massachusetts district attorney, I oversaw specialized sexual 
assault police units, specialized sexual assault prosecutors, and 
specialized sexual assault victim-witness assistance units. I founded a 
child advocacy center to treat and reduce trauma for child victims of 
sexual assault.
  I know from this one thing. The survivors want one thing and one 
thing only: that no child, no young girl, will ever have to go through 
the trauma that they went through, a trauma so great that one survivor 
took her own life.
  Now, a warning to this White House, this administration, and this 
President. Never again say these crimes did not occur. Never call them 
a hoax, and don't attempt to abuse and pervert what this legislation 
does by invoking a sham active investigation as a disingenuous excuse 
to withhold a complete release of the Epstein files. Don't do this 
because the brave survivors will not stand for it, and they will not 
stand alone. The majority of this House will stand with them. The 
majority of our Senate will stand with them. Most importantly, the 
American people will stand with them.

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