U.S. lawmaker Ro Khanna names 6 'powerful men' originally redacted from Epstein files

U.S. Attorney superior general Pam Bondi testament seem before a domiciliate of Representatives citizens committee today, where lawmakers are expected to press her on the Justice Department's ‌handling of files involving the late financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Bondi's testimony before the House's judiciary committee comes as lawmakers, including some Republicans, have expressed frustration with the amount of Epstein material the department has redacted and withheld despite a federal law requiring the release ​of nearly all files.

Democratic lawmaker Ro Khanna, of California, who, along with Republican Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, helped spearhead the legislation in late 2025 that forced the Justice Department to release files related to Epstein investigations, vocalized those frustrations from the House floor on Tuesday.

Khanna took the extraordinary step of naming six "powerful men" in the chamber who he said had their names improperly redacted, after visiting the Justice Department with Massie on Monday — the first day lawmakers were allowed to view unredacted files.

The presence of one's name in the files related to Epstein does not by itself indicate criminal wrongdoing, but Khanna is likely protected from legal consequence or defamation claims by the "speech or debate" clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The names were later unredacted after the queries from Khanna and Massie, Khanna said.

The Justice Department released what it called ​a final tranche of more than three million pages of documents late last month, drawing renewed attention to wealthy and powerful individuals who maintained ties with Epstein even after ​his conviction on state charges in Florida in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Lawmakers have complained that redactions in ⁠the files appear to go ⁠beyond the limited exemptions allowed for in a ‌law that Congress passed nearly unanimously in November. The department has also declined to publish a large volume of material, citing legal privileges.

"If we found six men they were hiding in two hours, imagine how many men they were covering up for in those three million files?" asked Khanna.

Khanna, who represents a congressional district that includes the headquarters of several Silicon Valley companies, said people who visited Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands or did business with him after his conviction should be investigated or brought before Congress.

"We have to ask ourselves: Are we in America going to have elite accountability?" said Khanna, pointing to consequences that have befallen politicians and royals in Britain and Norway over associations with Epstein.

Lutnick defended himself during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, telling lawmakers that the two men had exchanged only about 10 emails and met three times ⁠over 14 years. Lutnick said a lunch with Epstein took place only because he was on ‍a boat near the island. Lutnick ⁠said his family was present for the lunch.

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Lutnick "remains a very important member of President Trump's team, and the president ⁠fully supports the secretary."

Lutnick is one of a host of powerful men in politics, business and entertainment, including Trump himself, who are under fire for their ties with Epstein, in a reflection of the elite circles Epstein inhabited. Lutnick, a former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO in New York City, lived close to Epstein's Manhattan townhouse.

Lutnick previously claimed he vowed never to "be in a room" with Epstein following a 2005 incident in which the financier showed Lutnick a massage table at ⁠his townhouse and made a sexually suggestive comment.

Massie told CNN on Sunday that Lutnick should "make life easier on the president, frankly, and just resign."

The Lutnick appearance came a day after Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer questions at a deposition before a U.S. House of Representatives panel, according to lawmakers, drawing criticism from Republican and Democratic members of the committee.

The Epstein files have dogged Bondi throughout her tenure as President Donald Trump's attorney general, after she appeared to promise aggressive action in her first weeks on the job. The Justice Department's decision last summer to initially not release further material sparked ⁠a furious reaction from some of Trump's online supporters and drew new scrutiny to Trump's past friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in a prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial federal charges out of New York on sex trafficking charges.

The Justice Department has argued that it has been transparent ‌in its review of documents and redactions have been necessary to protect Epstein's victims, though some victims' names were made public as part of the release.

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Bondi could also face questions from Democrats over what appears to be the breaking of the department's tradition of independence in criminal investigations. The department has sought to prosecute a number of individuals who have angered Trump in the past, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney ⁠General Letitia James.

Bondi is also likely to face ​questions about the Justice Department's involvement ⁠in Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota that has had deadly consequences, with the fatal shootings of U.S. Citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents last month.

The operation in Minnesota has put the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minneapolis under apparent strain as it defends scores of immigration cases and prosecutes people accused of interfering with federal agents.

Several officials from the office have resigned, including one attorney who, according to a court transcript, said she "stupidly" volunteered to work in the office to address the cases from the government's Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.

"The system sucks. The job sucks," she told a judge in court. She was reportedly removed from her position days later.

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