Don't Think It's Cool To Diminish Today

This is about the Epstein survivors, nothing else.

The Epstein bill is headed to Trump’s desk as we speak.

So, what now? Well, a lot of panic, it seems. I have seen every single possible worst case scenario all over social media in the last hour, so let’s go through this step by step. My only request, read the whole thing before commenting.

So, let’s start at the beginning. The bill is The Epstein Transparency Act. It will require the DOJ to make the files public, with any redactions necessary to protect the victims or personal information. They have 30 days to release the files once Trump signs to bill into law.

Now I know your first question “Ariella, couldn’t they just redact everything they don’t want us to see and we’d be none the wiser?”

Valid question, but the good news is, not exactly.

First off, the other part of the bill is that all those redactions must be reported to Congress. So there is accountability baked into the bill. But, obviously no one trusts the DOJ to give all the real reasons. That’s where we thank our Dems for their tireless work on this process. Senators like Ron Wyden (OR), who has been at the helm of the financial piece of this entire saga has a very good idea of what the files should contain. He knows exactly what to look for and what is a red flag if it’s not there. And he’s not the only one, we have to give massive props to our House Oversight Dems, specifically Robert Garcia and Summer Lee.

So that’s the bill. When Ro Khanna introduced it in July it quickly became clear Johnson would never let it come to the floor, so in September (basically a week later when you remember August recess), Thomas Massie created a discharge petition, which is literally just a petition that if it gets 218 signatures it comes to the floor. This is not a tactic that is often used. But it’s a tactic Dems are using more and more this session.

Once Rep Adelita Grijalva was FINALLY sworn in and the discharge petition got it’s 218th signature, and Republicans started announcing they would vote for it, it quickly became clear to Trump that this was happening and it wouldn’t end well for him to veto the bill (this ONLY happened because of the power and strength of Epstein survivors to keep pushing and not give up).

Once he gave his okay, the floodgates opened. of the 428 members of the House who voted, 1, Clay Higgins (LA-03), voted no (Hopefully this can help us oust him).

And then, the Senate happened.

I was in a meeting with Senate staff this morning because, even though it was expected to pass overwhelmingly, as of 9am west coast time, we were still expecting Thune to need to be pushed to bring this to the floor.

Instead, Chuck Schumer said fuck it. Why go through the whole song and dance when the momentum is here TODAY? When Trump could change his mind tomorrow? Why have it in Thune’s hands at all? So, he asked for the bill, which isn’t even in the Senate yet, to be agreed to with unanimous consent, and, he made the right calculation, cause it fucking was.

If Schumer hadn’t done this, we don’t know if Thune would have brought it to a vote. We don’t know when Thune would have brought it to a vote, we don’t know if Trump might have changed his mind and tried to get Senators to back down.

And I don’t care if you wanted a real vote so there was more of a song and dance.

Remember, this is not just about sticking it to Trump or seeing how Republicans voted. This about real people. I was in a meeting with Rep Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) today and she said the survivors told her “we are the Epstein Files and we want to be released.” THAT’S what this is about.

I’m sure Trump is going to try to pull something, but it’s not just about him, it’s about THEM. Any justice THEY can get matters. Every single name in there, every single bank involved, however far this goes, that’s all justice. Justice doesn’t stop or start at Trump. This will be justice, maybe not the compete justice we hope for, but it matters nonetheless.

So let’s keep the pressure up, make sure the DOJ and Trump can’t just sweep this under the rug, and remember what this actually about, the survivors, and not just these incredible strong women, but ALL survivors.

Don’t diminish this to look cool.

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I know I already posted this as a note, but I wanted the video and text in one place, plus something a bit easier to send around.

Hope this was helpful!