‘We want him under OATH, on camera’: Dem Rep. demands Todd Blanche testimony on Epstein files

[0:00] And joining me now is Virginia Congressman Suha Subramani, a member of the House Oversight and Ethics Committees. [0:05] Congressman, thank you for being in here. [0:07] This primary season, we're seeing many highly competitive races for Democrats. [0:10] Some would even say divisive, as we just heard. [0:13] What do you think the best way is to unify voters like the ones in Michigan who may be feeling a little less enthusiastic about their candidate not being chosen for November? [0:23] Well, we are united more than people think. [0:25] In our caucus alone in Congress, we have DSA members and we have people who are very moderate or centrist like blue dogs. [0:36] So what we've done is talked about what our concerns are and what we plan to do and not just be against Donald Trump, but what we're for. [0:45] And we come up with some of the same issues like health care, like affordability, like making sure that people have access to the American dream. [0:53] So I think there is more unity in the Democratic Party than people think. [0:56] But certainly in these primaries, that's where we hash out our inter-party arguments. [1:02] And so that's what you're seeing in all these primaries. [1:05] And changing the subject just a tiny bit, your colleague, Congressman Max Miller, who is currently up for reelection, has been embroiled in controversy involving claims of domestic abuse. [1:15] But it looks like the GOP might be stuck with him, Miller refusing to step down after letting a crucial Saturday withdrawal cutoff date pass. [1:25] So as a member of the Ethics Committee, what is your reaction to this? [1:29] Well, the Ethics Committee, we have launched an investigation into Max Miller. [1:33] So I can't say anything specific about that case. [1:36] But I can say generally that, you know, there's a lot of information out there and the voters will have a decision to make in November about him and about anyone else who's under investigation by our committee. [1:47] Another thing, just generally, when people are investigated by our committee, even if they win their reelection, the investigation continues. [1:57] And no one will be able to skirt accountability for any of our investigations just because they were reelected or it's a new Congress. [2:06] Now, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is officially confirmed after a very narrow Senate vote. [2:11] In a post on X yesterday, you wrote, quote, Blanche said the Epstein investigation is done and refused to legally guarantee that Trump's $1.8 billion sledge fund is dead. [2:21] Democrats on the House Oversight Committee will hold him accountable. [2:25] What's the plan? [2:26] Well, we want him to come before the Oversight Committee to testify, and we want him under oath on camera for the public to see. [2:36] The reality is Todd Blanche is the mastermind of the Epstein cover-up. [2:41] He has been orchestrating it from the beginning. [2:44] Even Pam Bondi said so herself when she came before our committee. [2:47] And he's the one that met with Ghislaine Maxwell for six hours, and then miraculously she is transferred to a minimum security country club, essentially. [2:55] And so he has been behind all of that. [2:58] And then he is the president's former personal attorney and plans to make the Department of Justice his own personal law firm. [3:04] So I don't understand what's going through the minds of these Republican senators who are retiring, who Trump endorsed against. [3:11] I don't know what they're getting out of this about going along with Trump's agenda and his appointees. [3:17] But I do know that Todd Blanche is going to be bad for the Department of Justice and for every American. [3:23] Now, because the dissatisfaction with the handling of the Epstein files has become a bit of a bipartisan sentiment, and just like you said, you're not sure what was going through those minds of those Republicans. [3:34] Are you surprised that only two Republican senators rejected Blanche's nomination? [3:37] I'm very surprised, and I have questions about what they're getting out of this. [3:43] Do they have giant jobs lined up after they retire? [3:47] Do they have business that they want in the Republican Party that they would be shut out of if they vote against Todd Blanche? [3:54] This is a very transactional, corrupt administration. [3:57] And so I am curious about what they're getting out of this, because I know they clearly had concerns about Todd Blanche at the beginning of these hearings and somehow have backtracked on those very quickly. [4:08] But in the end, I mean, Republicans, not just the retiring ones, but the ones currently in office that are coming back, have rubber-stamped this Trump administration from the very beginning. [4:18] And that's why voters have a chance for change this November and going into next year. [4:22] In 86 days. [4:24] Aside from dealing with Blanche, what's next for the Epstein investigation itself? [4:28] Are you looking into any new findings, or who do you want to hear from next? [4:34] We're going to have Leon Black, a well-known financial titan, who's going to be—he actually was not cooperative with our investigation and with our questions this summer. [4:47] And so Republicans finally agreed to slap him with a subpoena. [4:52] So he's going to come back and have to testify under oath and turn over some documents. [4:58] We have a lot of other people we want to question. [5:01] In the end, though, the best way to move this investigation forward is two things. [5:05] One, get this Department of Justice to release all the files. [5:09] It's very clear with the Todd Blanche pick that President Trump does not want those files out. [5:13] So we're very curious as to what's in them. [5:15] They will come out eventually at some point. [5:17] And then second, we want to make sure that people are coming before our committee under oath and testifying on camera and not having to skirt around questions like they have been. [5:26] Let's talk about data centers now, because you have been ringing the alarm on some of the issues that they could cause and that they have been causing, like jacking up utility bills for surrounding communities. [5:36] This is a very polarizing topic. [5:38] Many people are trying to put a stop to them. [5:40] But you do say that sensible policy is needed here. [5:43] What could that look like? [5:44] You know, when I five or six years ago, my first start in politics, an elected office, I was criticized for being, quote, anti data center. [5:54] And now it's flipped. [5:55] And now people are all on board with criticizing data centers. [5:59] And the reason is because they're starting to see the impact of this data center bonanza and the development leading to higher utility costs, impact on the environment and water. [6:09] People are being saddled with what the burden of having these power lines and data centers in their communities. [6:16] And so we need to change everything about the way we are rolling out data centers. [6:21] We need the industry to start listening. [6:22] We need local, state and federal government to start listening. [6:25] And when President Trump says that data centers are liquid gold, he's clearly not in touch with what's going on with the American people. [6:32] We appreciate your time today, Congressman. [6:35] A slew of very important topics, all of which we want to continue to see updates from you on and encourage you continuing that fight, especially for the upstate and survivors. [6:45] Thank you so much for your time. [6:47] Thank you.