Ro Khanna on PBS's News Hour discussing the fight to release the FULL Epstein files

Rep. Ro Khanna

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Dec 19, 2025

Congressman for CA-17 in the Silicon Valley. Working to bring tech jobs in my district and across America. No contributions from PACs or lobbyists.

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RELEASE THESE IN THE COMING

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WEEKS.

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WE WILL BE COMING THROUGH THIS

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FOR POTENTIALLY WEEKS TO COME.

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GEOFF: AS YOU WELL KNOW, THE

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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION INITIALLY

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RESISTED RELEASING THESE

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DOCUMENTS.

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REMIND US THAT WE GOT HERE.

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LIZ: THIS COMES AFTER CONGRESS

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PASSED AND PRESIDENT TRUMP

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SIGNED A LAW LAST MONTH

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REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF

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JUSTICE TO DO SO.

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ONE OF THE CHIEF AUTHORS OF THAT

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LAW IS DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN RO

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KHANNA AND HE JOINS ME NOW FOR

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REACTION.

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CONGRESSMAN, WE JUST GOT THESE

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DOCUMENTS WITHIN THE LAST TWO

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HOURS.

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WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO WHAT

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YOU ARE SEEING IN THESE

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DOCUMENTS AND WHAT IS NOT IN

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THIS RELEASED TODAY?

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REP. KHANNA: WELL, THE SURVIVORS

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WERE APPROACHING TODAY WITH SUCH

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ANTICIPATION AND I'M GLAD THAT

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THEY ARE ACTUALLY RELEASING

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DOCUMENTS AND ABIDING IN THAT

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WAY WITH THE LAW, BUT I HAVE TO

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TELL YOU I'VE BEEN VERY THIS

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WAITED WITH THE PARTIAL NATURE

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OF THE RELEASE.

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ONE OF THE DOCUMENTS, 119 PAGES

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OF FEDERAL JUDGE WANTED RELEASED

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IS TOTALLY REDACTED AND THERE IS

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NO EXPLANATION FOR THE

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REDACTION.

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WE SO FAR HAVE NOT SEEN THE

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DRAFT INDICTMENT AND A LOT OF

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THE WITNESS INTERVIEW

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MEMORANDUMS THAT WOULD EXPLAIN

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WHO WERE THE RICH AND POWERFUL

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MEN WHO ABUSE THESE YOUNG GIRLS

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WHO ARE WHO WERE AT PARTIES

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COVERING UP THE ABUSE.

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THERE NEEDS TO BE A LOT MORE

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THAT COMES OUT.

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LIZ: YOUR CO-AUTHOR OF THE BILL

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CONGRESSMAN THOMAS MASSIE SAID

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THAT AT LEAST 20 MEN ACCUSED OF

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SEX CRIMES ARE IN THE FBI'S

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EPSTEIN FILES AND HE SAYS IF

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THIS RELEASE DOESN'T INCLUDE

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SOME OF THE NAMES THAT THAT IS

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AN INDICATION THAT NOT ALL OF

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THE DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN

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PRODUCED.

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DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT AND DO

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YOU KNOW WHEN AND IF THAT LIST

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WILL COME OUT?

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REP. KHANNA: HE IS RIGHT AND HE

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IS RIGHT BECAUSE HE HAS TALKED

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TO THE SURVIVORS AND THEIR

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LAWYERS.

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THEY HAVE SAID THAT THERE ARE

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OTHER RICH AND POWERFUL MAN WHO

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ENGAGED IN EITHER SEX

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TRAFFICKING, PAYING FOR SEX WITH

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YOUNG WOMEN, ENGAGED IN ABUSE OF

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UNDERAGED GIRLS OR WERE PRESENT

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AT PARTIES WHERE 16 AND

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15-YEAR-OLDS WERE PRORATED AND

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WATCHED AND DID NOTHING --

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PRORATED AND WATCHED AND DID

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NOTHING.

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THAT IS WHAT WE WANT TO COME SEE

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OUT.

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IT IS LESS ABOUT WHETHER IT IS A

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FULL RELEASE FOR THE QUALITY OF

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THE RELEASE.

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WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?

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WHY ARE THEY NOT HAVING THE

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DRAFT INDICTMENT COME OUT WHICH

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HAS SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT

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LEADS TO THIS INFORMATION?

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WHY ARE THEY NOT HAVING THE

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WITNESS INTERVIEWS COMING OUT?

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THAT IS WHAT THE SURVIVORS WANT

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AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE AFTER.

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LIZ: THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

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SAID THEY HAVE NOT FULLY

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RELEASED THIS.

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WE KNOW THAT AT THIS POINT.

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WHAT CAN YOU DO TO COMPEL THE

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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO RELEASE

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ALL OF THESE DOCUMENTS?

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WHAT ARE THE TOOLS AT YOUR

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DISPOSAL?

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REP. KHANNA: FIRST OF ALL, THE

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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SIX MONTHS

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AGO SAID THEY HAD RELEASED

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EVERYTHING SO OBVIOUSLY THEY

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WEREN'T BEING FULLY TRUTHFUL

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BACK THEN.

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WE CAN HAVE THE SURVIVORS COME

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BACK TO THE HILL TO DEMAND THE

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RELEASE.

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THAT IS ONE MOVE.

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THAT IS WHAT GOT MY BILL TO PASS

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THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE AND THE

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PRESIDENT TO SIGN IT.

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THERE ARE ALSO MORE PUNITIVE

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ACTIONS.

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THOMAS MASSIE AND I HAVE

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DISCUSSED POSSIBLE IMPEACHMENT,

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REFERRALS FOR CRIMINAL

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PROSECUTION OF PEOPLE ARE

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COMPLYING AND FOLK SAY HOW WAS

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THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT GOING TO

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PROSECUTE THEIR OWN PEOPLE?

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THERE IS NO STATUTE OF

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LIMITATIONS THAT RUNS OUT WHEN

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WE HAVE A NEW ADMINISTRATION.

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WE COULD HOLD THEM IN INHERENT

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CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS.

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THERE ARE MANY OPTIONS INCLUDING

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LAWSUITS AGAINST THE DEPARTMENT

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OF JUSTICE.

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BUT MY INTEREST IS NOT PUNITIVE

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AGAINST PAM BONDI OR THE DEPUTY

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ATTORNEY GENERAL OR TRUMP, IT IS

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TO FIND JUSTICE AND I WANT TO

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SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO GET MORE

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OF THESE DOCUMENTS RELEASED.

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LIZ: CONGRESSMAN, HAVE YOU

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SPOKEN WITH ANY OF THE SURVIVORS

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OR THE FAMILIES TODAY?

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AND HOW ARE THEY FEELING ABOUT

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THIS?

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REP. KHANNA: I HAVE SPOKEN WITH

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SOME OVER EMAIL AND TEXT.

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I HAVE SPOKEN WITH THE LAWYERS

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OF THE SURVIVORS.

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THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL.

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THEY FINALLY FELL SEEN AND HEARD

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WHEN CONGRESS PASSED THIS BILL.

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I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REACTION

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WAS OF THE SURVIVORS THEMSELVES,

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BUT THE SURVIVORS' LAWYERS

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BELIEVE THERE IS A LOT MORE THAT

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NEEDS TO BE RELEASED.

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A LOT OF THE KEY INFORMATION HAS

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STILL NOT BEEN RELEASED.

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AND WE EXPECT THAT WILL BE

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RELEASED IN THE COMING WEEKS.

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WHAT I HOPED WOULD HAPPEN IS

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THAT PAM BONDI OR THE DEPUTY

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ATTORNEY GENERAL WOULD STAND IN

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FRONT OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC,

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EXPLAIN WHAT THEY ARE REDACTING

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AND WHY, EXPLAIN THE TIMELINE

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FOR WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO

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RELEASE AND BE TRANSPARENT IN

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ANSWERING PEOPLE'S QUESTIONS.

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LIZ: WE JUST HAVE A FEW SECONDS

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LEFT.

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YOU AND YOUR DEMOCRATIC

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COLLEAGUES ON THE HOUSE

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OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE HAVE BEEN

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CHERRY PICKING AND RELEASING

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SOME OF THE IMAGES FROM THE

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EPSTEIN ESTATE.

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IS THAT FAIR TO THE SURVIVORS?

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REP. KHANNA: WELL I BELIEVE THEY

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ALL NEED TO COME OUT.

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NOW, I'M NOT INVOLVED IN THE

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DISCLOSURE OF THOSE.

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RANKING MEMBER GARCIA AND HE HAS

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DONE A GOOD JOB BUT MY

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RECOMMENDATION IS JUST RELEASE

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ALL OF THEM AS SOON AS THE

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LAWYERS GO THROUGH THEM.

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I DON'T THINK THEY SHOULD BE

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CHERRY PICKED.

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LIZ: CONGRESSMAN RO KHANNA,

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THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US

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TONIGHT.

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REP. KHANNA: THANK YOU.

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♪

 

Rep. Ro Khanna