Epstein Theater: Trump Calls for the Vote but the Real Curtain Never Rises on Bondi’s Release of Files
President Trump’s recent call for Congress to vote on releasing the Epstein files has generated headlines, applause, and a renewed surge of public pressure. On the surface, it appears to be a bold move toward long-delayed transparency. Yet, as Pete Shinn, Associate Director of Epstein Justice, stresses, the real issue is not whether transparency is being discussed, but whether transparency is actually being taken.
The critical detail that most media and lawmakers are missing is that the President does not need Congress to authorize the release of these files. The President already has full executive authority to direct the Department of Justice, the intelligence community, and most importantly, Attorney General Pam Bondi to begin that process immediately. No congressional vote is required.
Visit Epstein Justice Home – Epstein Justice
That raises the central question: why call for a vote you don’t need? Why stage a political event when decisive executive action is already available? Survivors and advocates notice not just what is said, but when it is said, and timing has always been a signal in the Epstein saga. Earlier this year, when Epstein survivors stood on Capitol Hill pleading for federal action and demanding the release of the files, there was no corresponding presidential call. Instead, Epstein-related advocacy was dismissed as a “hoax.” Now, months later, Trump has shifted to demanding congressional involvement.
The public deserves clarity, not performance. A congressional vote creates time, debate, delay, negotiation, jurisdictional confusion, committee involvement, and the possibility of a partial or redacted release engineered through political compromise. A presidential directive, however, is immediate, unilateral, and historic. Survivors do not need symbolic momentum. They need the files, the names, and the chain of accountability.
Pete Shinn welcomes every expression of support for disclosure, including the President’s recent statement, but he emphasizes that momentum without action risks becoming another chapter of stalled justice. The victims have waited through sealed indictments, sealed agreements, sealed immunity deals, sealed testimony, sealed logs, sealed surveillance evidence, and sealed cause-of-death questions. The government should not be adding a sealed political process to that list.
Shinn urges the media to ask one simple, unavoidable question: If the President truly wants the Epstein files released, and believes transparency is necessary for justice, why wait for Congress when he can authorize it today with a single order?
If the goal is truth, he doesn’t need Congress. He needs the courage to sign.
Relevant Article(s):
Trump says House GOP should vote to release Epstein files: ‘We have nothing to hide’
The Alpha & Omega of Jeffrey Epstein
The Epstein Scandal Explained – Epstein Justice
Optional Q&A:
- What authority does the President currently hold to release the Epstein files without congressional involvement?
- Why call for a congressional vote now when no such vote is legally required to begin disclosure?
- What changed between the earlier Capitol Hill survivor press conference and today that prompted a shift from calling it a “hoax” to demanding transparency?
- Is the congressional vote a symbolic gesture for political optics or a strategic move to diffuse responsibility?
- What risks arise if the release process becomes legislative rather than executive, including delays, negotiations, or selective redaction?
- Why has Attorney General Pam Bondi not been directed to initiate release procedures if the President is serious about immediate transparency?
- Does the timing suggest pressure, leverage, or external factors affecting when and how the files can be released?
- What should survivors and the public demand to ensure a full, unedited, and nonpolitical disclosure of the Epstein records?
ABOUT PETER SHINN…
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Pete Shinn is the Associate Director of www.EpsteinJustice.com and has an extensive background in the U.S. Air Force as a trainer, journalist, and adult educator. He also served as an executive officer for the Continental NORAD Region Air Operations Center, and as a liaison between the Secretary of the Air Force and U.S. Senate Appropriators.
Beginning in 1989, Shinn began providing interactive diversity and inclusion training to Air Force audiences. In 2008, Shinn was selected to provide leadership, communications, problem solving, and critical thinking skills training at the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School. In 2010, he deployed with the Iowa National Guard to provide agricultural training to farmers in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province.
After returning from Afghanistan, he provided interactive training on the intersection between agriculture and national defense to a variety of organizations, including the National Agri-Marketing Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Pork Board, and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, among others. Pete retired from the Air Force in October 2020 after 36 years of service. He is currently a co-creator at Shinnfluence LLC, a family media and training business.
Pete’s major military awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and the U.S. Army Combat Action Badge. His major civilian awards include the 1998 Nebraska Broadcaster’s Association Gold Service to Agriculture Award, the National Association of Farm Broadcasting President’s Award in 2004 and 2005, and an Emmy Award in 2012 for Best Military Program.
To Schedule an interview with Nick, send an email to Bookings@SpecialGuests.com or call 512-966-0983
