by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports
Idaho’s First District Rep. Russ Fulcher is open to supporting a congressional move to force the release of files related to investigations of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.
Fulcher sent out a press release Thursday morning supporting the leadership-sanctioned investigation by the House Oversight Committee – a move that aligns with most House Republicans. Idaho Reports asked Fulcher’s office whether he would sign on to the discharge petition.
“While I also support the good efforts of Rep. Thomas Massie’s discharge petition, and the urgency to release all files, I believe additional victim privacy protections are needed in this approach. For this reason, I fully support the actions being led by House Oversight Chairman James Comer to do just that. This should deliver the discharge petition’s objective of transparency while protecting the identity of the innocent young victims involved,” Fulcher said in a statement to Idaho Reports. “In the case that the Oversight Committee’s approach does not achieve this, I would support Rep. Massie’s petition. Let me be clear – every single file should be released.”
Sexual abuse survivors of Jeffrey Epstien are lobbying in Washington D.C. this week alongside a bipartisan group of lawmakers calling for the release of files from the federal government’s past sex trafficking investigation into the now-deceased financier.
U.S. House Republicans passed a resolution included in a procedural vote Wednesday that expressed support for the existing House investigation into the matter. Meanwhile, the Democrats and four Republicans as of Friday morning have signed on to the competing effort to compel release of the files, which needs two additional supporters to advance.
“The Epstein files must be released, and those who abused vulnerable young people must be held accountable. I fully support the actions being led by House Oversight Chairman James Comer to do just that. Just this week, 33,295 pages of Epstein-related records were made public, with more information to come soon,” Fulcher said in his press release.
Idaho Democratic Party Communications Director Avery Roberts released a statement Thursday afternoon criticizing Fulcher’s press release.
“Russ Fulcher thinks he can con the people of Idaho. If he truly cared about exposing Jeffrey Epstein’s network of predators and their enablers, he’d join the bipartisan effort led by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie to force a full House vote on releasing every last file. Only two more Republicans are needed. Until he proves us otherwise by signing on, don’t believe a word he says,” Roberts said in the statement. “Instead, Fulcher is taking his orders from Donald Trump and backing a sham House Oversight process that delivered almost no new information to the American people. The truth? Russ Fulcher would rather protect powerful pedophiles than risk angering Trump.”
Some GOP House members from other states have publicly stated their opposition to Massie’s discharge petition, which would bypass the regular committee process for bringing legislation to a floor vote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday called the discharge petition effort “superfluous” and predicted it would be unsuccessful, as reported by Politico.
Idaho Reports has reached out to Second District Rep. Mike Simpson’s office for comment.
Logan Finney | Producer
Logan Finney is a North Idaho native with a passion for media production and boring government meetings. He grew up skiing, hunting and hiking in the mountains of Bonner County and has maintained a lifelong interest in the state’s geography, history and politics. Logan joined the Idaho Reports team in 2020 as a legislative session intern and stayed to cover the COVID-19 pandemic. He was hired as an associate producer in 2021 and they haven’t been able to get rid of him since.