GOP senator who downplayed Epstein files now concedes they're a 'big deal'

Footage of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein at a party at Mar-a-Lago in the 1990s (Image: Screengrab via NBC News)

One of the biggest Republican skeptics about the Department of Justice's (DOJ) mountain of evidence pertaining to convicted child predator Jeffrey Epstein is now admitting she understated their importance.

The Daily Beast reported Tuesday that Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) recently told journalist Pablo Manriquez that she has since come around to the fact that seeking justice for Epstein's victims through publishing the Epstein files is a worthy cause. She observed that her attitude changed after hearing that some of the victims were as young as nine years old.

"I’ve not been one of the members who has glommed on to this as an issue," said Lummis, who is not running for reelection in 2026. "I’ve sort of intentionally deferred to others to find out about it. But 9-year-old victims … wow."

"Initially, my reaction to all this was, ‘I don’t care. I don’t see what the big deal is.’ But now I see what the big deal is," Lummis continued. "The members of Congress who were pushing this were not wrong."

The Wyoming senator's comments come the day after members of Congress were allowed to view unredacted Epstein evidence. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said President Donald Trump is mentioned in the latest batch of Epstein files "more than a million times."

Epstein's Palm Beach, Florida mansion was roughly a mile away from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, and the two were frequently seen together at parties. Miami Herald journalist Julie K. Brown reported this week that in 2005, Trump told then-Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter that "everyone" knew about Epstein preying on young girls. Trump also reportedly told Reiter to keep tabs on Epstein's chief accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, calling her "evil."

In a recent hearing at her minimum security Texas federal prison, Maxwell – who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein assault multiple girls – repeatedly invoked her Fifth Amendment right when asked to name Epstein's co-conspirators. She argued that she would be willing to name names if Trump freed her from prison. The president has not ruled out a pardon or commutation for Maxwell.

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