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Charleston, WV - West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin and Vice-Chair Teresa Toriseva today demanded answers from Republican U.S. House Representatives Riley Moore and Carol Miller after they voted against the release of the Epstein files-records that could shed light on one of the most disturbing sex trafficking operations in modern American history.
“West Virginians deserve to know why their representatives are helping keep secrets for the rich and powerful,” said Chairman Mike Pushkin. “These are records that may include the names of individuals who participated in the sexual exploitation of underage girls-yet Riley Moore and Carol Miller decided to vote against transparency. The public has a right to know who these people are, and why they’ve been protected for so long.”
This comes amid growing contradictions and bizarre claims from Trump officials and the president himself. Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino- all handpicked by President Trump-have in the past made repeated public assertions that:
Jeffrey Epstein did not commit suicide; and
There exists a client list of powerful individuals who Epstein allegedly set up with underage girls.
Patel and Deputy Director Bongino basically monetized the idea of a massive cover-up by Democrats in the Epstein case on their social media platforms prior to their appointments as Director and Deputy Director of the FBI. Now, they have done an abrupt 180 and are saying there's “nothing to see here.” “If there's evidence that former or current members of the government, Democrat or Republican, were involved in the sexual exploitation of children or a cover-up of those crimes, that information should be released,” said Pushkin.
“If the narrative previously advanced by Bondi, Patel and Bongino isn't supported by compelling evidence, then the American people have a right to know” said Vice-Chair Teresa Toriseva. “These are serious allegations that either point to a systemic cover-up at the highest levels of our our government, including the President, or evidence of a false scheme that sought political advantage at the expense of the child victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.”
Adding to the confusion, President Trump is now claiming that the Epstein files themselves are a hoax, allegedly created by Democrats - specifically Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden-as part of a plot to damage him politically.
“That’s not just irresponsible-it’s delusional,” said Pushkin. “If the president truly believes these bizarre accusations, then he should release the evidence. Otherwise, he’s just exploiting the pain of victims for political gain. As Kash Patel said in 2023, 'Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are.'”
The West Virginia Democratic Party is calling for the immediate release of all remaining Epstein-related records, with only the names and identities of underage victims redacted to protect their privacy. Pushkin and Toriseva are also demanding that Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice support the appointment of an independent Special Prosecutor, not beholden to Attorney General Pam Bondi, to conduct a full and transparent investigation to get to the bottom of this.
“It’s a matter of justice, not politics,” Toriseva said. “There was enough evidence to convict Ghislaine Maxwell and sentence her to 20 years for sex trafficking. If there were others involved, the public deserves to know who they were and why they weren't prosecuted.”
“The American people are tired of one system of justice for the powerful and another for everyone else,” concluded Pushkin. “We want the truth. We want accountability. And we’re not going to stop demanding it.”