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Epstein files hit the campaign trail
Over the past 10 days, there has been an absolute news whirlwind around the Epstein files. From the House Oversight Committee’s latest release of documents from Epstein’s estate — in which Donald Trump’s name was mentioned more than anyone else — to the nearly unanimous votes to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act in the House and the Senate, it has all taken a turn Trump probably hates.
Given how the American public feels about both the importance of releasing the files and the Trump administration’s handling of this entirely gross cover-up — an October Reuters/Ipsos poll found Americans disapprove of Trump on this issue by a 57–19% margin) — it feels like it could be the kind of issue that would come up frequently on the campaign trail.
And if Republican members back off their support for the files’ release, maybe candidates will start talking about it in the future. But so far, the Epstein files have not made their way into many campaign ads this year.
Yet there is an interesting exception in the final special election of the year. In Tennessee’s 7th District, outside groups are infusing the campaign with ads putting Republican opposition to release the files on full display.
Aftyn Behn, the progressive grassroots organizer who became the Democratic nominee after a crowded primary, used her first campaign ad to feature a man riding a mechanical bull to symbolize the “rough ride” citizens face under Trump-era policies. The ad argues that Washington’s system is “rigged” to protect the wealthy and bury the Epstein files.
And according to Axios, a liberal group called Your Community PAC is spending more than $300,000 on a mailing ad blitz attacking Republican nominee Matt Van Epps for opposing the release of the documents. Van Epps, like Trump, flip-flopped on the files’ release this week. The ad also includes independent candidate Jon Thorp’s support for making the files public.
So why Tennessee?
Well, it’s a district Trump won by 22 points just a year ago, but internal polling for Behn’s campaign suggests she has cut that advantage in half. While she is spending most of her money and energy talking about issues such as affordability, the Epstein issue could juice the base in favor of her, and even suppress some who are angry with the Republican candidate.
Behn is still an underdog, but the special election is coming up right after Thanksgiving. If she somehow pulls this off, or even comes close, highlighting the Epstein files may be a strategy worth looking at down the road.
“Why didn’t previous administrations release the Epstein files?” — P. There is a long, disturbing and at times complicated history of the Epstein files. The best summary I have seen of this history is this one from Politifact. But there are two reasons it has taken on more relevance today: first, because the right wing pushed aggressively for the release of the files in the hope that they included damaging information about prominent Democrats; and second, because Trump himself is named in a range of documents released by the Epstein estate. The president’s unwillingness to release the broad range of documents the government has in their possession has raised a lot of questions about what he knows, and put a bigger spotlight on the scope of wealthy and powerful people who may be named in these documents. Every week, Jen selects a question to answer from a newsletter subscriber. If you have a question for Jen, submit it here and subscribe to the newsletter and for a chance to be featured in a future edition. In a bonus episode of “The Blueprint” podcast exclusively for Premium subscribers, I sat down with Democratic strategists Lis Smith and Rebecca Katz. They note that candidates in the 2026 Senate primaries are frustrated with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s leadership and the way the old guard seems to disregard the grassroots. Listen now.
Jen Psaki is the host of "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" airing Tuesdays through Fridays at 9 p.m. EST. She is the former White House press secretary for President Joe Biden. Recommended
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