By Adam Pack
WASHINGTON, D.C. (CONVERSEER) – Some House Democrats are pushing back against their party’s messaging strategy focused on the Jeffrey Epstein files, describing it as politically misguided and unproductive.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has urged caucus members to keep the Epstein issue at the centre of their messaging during the August recess. However, several lawmakers privately told Axios they are growing weary of discussing the files after weeks of coordinated attacks on Republicans over the matter.
Internal Frustrations Emerge
“Candidly, this whole thing is just such bullshit,” one House Democrat, speaking anonymously, told Axios about the party’s campaign.
The frustration comes after Jeffries told reporters that House Democrats had not concentrated on the Epstein files until President Donald Trump’s second term. Despite demanding Attorney General Pam Bondi release Epstein-related records, Jeffries did not issue similar calls during former President Joe Biden’s four years in office.
“The far right, Donald Trump, right-wing conspiracy theorists and others are the ones who have put this Jeffrey Epstein thing in the public domain,” Jeffries said, adding that Democrats had never focused on it previously.
Push for Policy-Focused Messaging
House Democrats’ communications office recently urged members to amplify a Wall Street Journal report claiming Bondi told Trump his name appears in the Epstein files, a claim Trump denied.
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But some Democrats argue the messaging distracts from core policy issues such as health care and the economy. Representative Tom Suozzi of New York said health care should be a greater priority, while Texas Representative Henry Cuellar called for focusing on everyday cost-of-living issues.
“I think the big focus is going to be on health care, because that’s what people care about, and I don’t think this issue [the Epstein files] is big outside the Beltway,” Suozzi said.
Republican Response
Speaker Mike Johnson criticised Democrats for focusing on Epstein only after Trump’s re-election, saying they ignored the issue during Biden’s presidency. “They had four years,” Johnson told reporters. “Remember, the Biden administration held the Epstein files for four years and not a single one of these Democrats – or anyone in Congress – thought about that at all.”
The divide highlights growing tensions among Democrats over their mid-term communication priorities, with some calling for a return to policy-driven messaging rather than controversies.
