Murkowski, Sullivan defend blocking vote on full Epstein disclosure, claiming Trump’s AG should issue a report instead

Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan claim the Jeffrey Epstein amendment they helped kill Wednesday was a Democratic stunt and they prefer the Republican plan to have the attorney general prepare a report for Congress.

The Democratic effort they opposed matches the proposal in the U.S. House that would require the Department to Justice to release all unclassified records, documents and communications about the convicted sex offender.

Murkowski and Sullivan oppose that idea.

Here is good coverage by the Alaska Beacon about their opposition to the Democratic amendment and their support for a report on Epstein.

“Murkowski said the amendment disrupted normal work on the defense bill and ‘threw a real wrench into the whole negotiated process that had really been moving along in a positive way,’” she said.

She and Sullivan support a GOP plan to require Attorney General Pam Bondi to issue a detailed report on Epstein to Congress. This would be “full transparency,” according to Sullivan.

But another report from Bondi, crafted for Trump’s approval, would be no substitute for real disclosure. It would never delve into the relationship between Trump and Epstein or what Trump meant on the birthday drawing when he said, “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.”

Sullivan, who is running for reelection, had his office release an overheated prepared statement to the Alaska Beacon that sidestepped the real issue—President Trump wants to keep the Epstein files secret and the Republicans in Congress don’t dare cross him.

The key records in question are not the court documents highlighted by Republicans, but the Department of Justice files the Trump administration is holding onto.

Here is what Sullivan’s office said on his behalf to the Alaska Beacon: