President Donald Trump is making it clear that he is fed up with talking about about the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, which he dismisses as a "Democrat hoax." But the controversy is not going away, and both liberals and conservatives are calling for the release of the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) files on the late billionaire financier and convicted sex offender.
In an article published on September 15, The Hill's Alexander Bolton takes a look at GOP lawmakers who are frustrated with Trump's handling of the Epstein case.
A GOP senator, interviewed on condition of anonymity, told The Hill that "whole bunches of" Republicans in Congress "have been very vocal about this" and added, "Most of the Freedom Caucus has been. The problem for some of these folks is that this has been an issue for years."
READ MORE: 'This is a dark day': Missouri Republican slams GOP leaders
Bolton quotes Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Missouri) as saying, "Yeah, I think that the American people are sick and tired of being lied to by their government or…. the government holding these secrets that they deserve to know the truth on."
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee), Bolton notes, told ABC News he was "ticked off" by Trump calling the Epstein scandal "a hoax."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) didn't criticize Trump but told The Hill, "I believe that transparency is always best and you should get as much information out there as you possibly can in a way that protects the rights of the victims…. I'm all for transparency, disclosure."
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) told The Hill that regardless of what is in the Epstein files, they should be made public.
"People are losing faith in government, and people have this idea that rich people get treated differently,” Paul argued. "I feel this sense from the public that they think something untoward happened, that there was some kind of secret deal to let really wealthy people off the hook. It's difficult to have a legal system if people think they’re treated differently by Justice."
READ MORE: MAGA enraged at UT governor for claiming Charlie Kirk 'said some very inflammatory things'
Paul continued, "I think it's worth opening up (the Justice Department's Epstein files) to reassure people. I don't know, maybe nothing happened. Reveal the information so that people can feel more comfortable that justice is equal, impartial and blind."
READ MORE: 'Pray to God': How Republican rhetoric changed after Tyler Robinson was identified
Read Alexander Bolton's full article for The Hill at this link.