House Democrats are reportedly clashing behind the scenes over what some are calling a desperate and distracting attempt to link President Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.
According to Axios, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is aggressively pushing his caucus to focus on the Epstein case, not because of new evidence, but as a political tool to damage Trump ahead of the midterm elections.
The report says Jeffries has urged members to “lean into” the Epstein story and make it a central messaging point, even though many Democrats had little interest in the case when they were in power.
Several Democratic governors and media figures have joined the effort, raising eyebrows inside the party. But not everyone is on board.
Multiple House Democrats told Axios they’re frustrated with the strategy and want to focus on real policy issues. “Candidly, this whole thing is just such bulls**t,” one unnamed lawmaker told the outlet.
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, downplayed the Epstein effort as well.
“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 is big outside the Beltway,” Suozzi said.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who often breaks with his party on immigration, said he plans to focus on Medicaid and the impact of tariffs, not Epstein.
Others defended the Epstein focus. Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), a co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, argued the issue ties into broader themes.
“Trump is willing to lie and betray his own people, and he’s willing to take away your health care to give it to his rich friends,” Casar told Axios without offering any further evidence or data to support his wild claims. “I think it’s all part of one story.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who faced criticism for her abrupt pivot on Epstein during a CNN interview, stood by the messaging.
“I’m talking about Medicaid, I’m talking about tax breaks to billionaires — and I’m talking about Epstein, because he fits right in there,” she told Axios.
One Democrat, speaking anonymously, said the controversy is more about watching Republicans turn on each other than making a serious case.
“This is a great opportunity for [Republicans] to kill each other,” the lawmaker said. “MAGA attacking MAGA equals a win for us.”
Jeffries has reportedly “surprised” colleagues with how aggressively he’s pushed the narrative. His messaging team has circulated internal memos seeking feedback on how to keep the story alive, according to Politico.
“We’ve encouraged members to lean into this, to talk to their constituents about it,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), who co-chairs the messaging committee. “It’s an opportunity to speak with people who might usually disagree with you.”
When asked whether the Epstein messaging undercuts opposition to Trump’s policies, Jeffries shrugged it off. “It’s all connected,” he said.
“Donald Trump, his administration, and House Republicans have delivered nothing more than a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires,” he added.
Of note, no House Democrats supported the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which made permanent the 2017 tax cuts for around 87 percent of American earners. If the bill had failed, Democrats would have been mostly responsible for imposing massive tax increases on those earners by year’s end.
Meanwhile, Trump stunned reporters Friday by offering to hand over “a list” of alleged Epstein associates while brushing aside a question about pardoning his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The president spoke briefly on the matter as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche continued a second day of interviews with Maxwell in Tallahassee, The New York Post reported.
“You should focus on Clinton. You should focus on the president of Harvard, the former president of Harvard, you should focus on some of the hedge fund guys. I’ll give you a list,” Trump told reporters as he was leaving the White House for Scotland.
“These guys lived with Jeffrey Epstein. I sure as hell didn’t,” Trump added.