Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told Newsmax on Wednesday that full transparency regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files is essential, emphasizing that victims deserve to know the truth about his connections and crimes.
“I think it’s long past time for the American public to know what is and isn’t in these Epstein files,” Coons told “The Record With Greta Van Susteren.”
“Earlier [Wednesday], a group of the victims of Epstein’s sex trafficking and sex abuse appeared here on Capitol Hill … along with a bipartisan call for the release of all the remaining Epstein files,” he said.
Coons acknowledged that legal carve-outs under the Freedom of Information Act might prevent some investigatory documents from being released. But Congress or President Donald Trump may need to act to ensure the public gets the transparency it has long demanded, he said.
“I’m not certain, though. I think the Freedom of Information Act has some carve-outs, and it may take legislative action by Congress, or an executive order by the president to actually get into and release all of those files,” he explained. “As much transparency as we can give to the American public is what we owe them in this case.”
The senator said the public’s suspicion that “rich and powerful folks were taking advantage of innocent children” underscores why transparency is necessary.
“We should be focused on the victims,” he said.
Coons also addressed the high-profile meeting in Beijing between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the image of the leaders smiling and showing unity should alarm Americans.
“These are three of the worst dictators in the world, aggressive authoritarians who’ve built up massive militaries,” Coons said. “To see the three of them, and the leader of India holding hands and smiling at a summit in Beijing, should be chilling to anyone who’s concerned about American leadership in the world.”
He warned that U.S. strength depends on unity with allies.
“When we stand together, we’re three-quarters of the world’s economy, and we have the vast majority of the military power in the world. But when we are divided … then we should be much more concerned about what we’re seeing on our television in Beijing,” he said.
Coons noted that he has partnered with Republican Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., on legislation requiring the Department of Defense to produce a strategy for countering the cooperation of authoritarian states. He urged Washington to recommit to treaty alliances and strengthen partnerships with countries such as Australia and Japan.
“I think this is a moment of great challenge for the U.S. It should be a wake-up call to us to respect our treaty obligations, to put some of the tariff tools down, and to work more closely with long-standing, trusted allies,” Coons said.
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