Name: Congressman Ro Khanna speaks to BBC News about Epstein Files | BBC News
Uploaded: 2026-02-11T17:07:43.000Z
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Well, we are going to be speaking to Congressman Kana in just a few moments.

But first of all, let's get an initial thought from our panel.

We're joined tonight by Abel Maldonado, former Republican Lieutenant Governor of California, and

Stephanie Rawlings Blake, the former mayor of Baltimore.

It was initially the Republicans who were making the running on releasing these files and putting so much pressure on.

We saw that from President Trump himself in the election campaign in 2024.

Why, why does it now seem like it's the Democrats pushing for more information, for more unredacted files to be shared?

Well, first of all, let's start by saying that this is gross.

This is incredible, what we're witnessing.

Every day, something new comes out, a new story.

And to have these elite people abusing voiceless and vulnerable people in our country and obviously throughout the world is just unacceptable.

I think we're past the debate of who's holding back or who's not.

A law has been signed, and it's to disclose and release all of the documents.

There's been some redactions, obviously, that I would like to see for young individuals to not hurt them anymore.

But the law states release the documents, and I think that's where we're at.

Let's move forward and let's get justice for these vulnerable people.

And, Stephanie, it was only a few days ago that President Trump was talking about it was time to move on from the Epstein files.

But actually, what we're seeing is the opposite.

We are seeing that push by the survivors, by their lawyers, by members of Congress.

And this is really building in momentum, it feels.

I think people see very clearly that this administration was forced with one arm, you know, dragged behind its back, forced into signing the Epstein Transparency Act.

And Trump and the DOJ has done everything since to slow walk this process.

That is not transparency, that is not justice.

And the public is overwhelmingly siding with the survivors, and

they want to see people pay for this horrific behavior.

Okay, Stephanie, Abel, we will be back with you very shortly.

Well, let's speak now to Congressman Ro Khanna.

He sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency act with his Republican colleague, Congressman Thomas Massie, and

they have both been reviewing some of those unredacted documents.

So let's speak to Congressman Ro Khanna now, who joins us live from the Hill.

Now, I know you viewed these files yesterday and you have named six individuals on the floor of the House today.

For the purposes of this live interview, I'm going to ask you not to repeat those names in this form.

We don't enjoy the same privilege that you do on the floor of the House.

But can you speak to us broadly about what you saw in those files yesterday at the Department of Justice?

Katrina, those names that I said on the floor have actually now been acknowledged by the Justice Department.

Then Massey and I said there's no reason for those to be redacted.

The Justice Department acknowledged that.

But there are many more such names in the files that need to be made public.

And the biggest problem is that the FBI redacted files back in March at Trump's direction, and

those files still are redacted even in what they're showing members of Congress.

And how can you force that, given what's in the act that is law.

It's been signed into law by the president now.

Well, Katrina, that's a pretty remarkable question.

You're saying, how can I force the Department of Justice and the FBI to follow the law because they're breaking the law.

And one of the things we need to do is go to a judge and say, look, the FBI is supposed to unscrub those files.

The second thing we can do is to make it clear that people who are not complying with the law will have prosecution in a future administration.

But the third and most important thing is the public pressure.

That's how we've gotten the largest release of these Epstein files in American history.

That's how this has created a scandal that is toppling foreign governments and created a enormous amount of pressure here.

So I think the American public will demand the release.

Now, given that inclusion in these files doesn't automatically equate with wrongdoing, there are many people whose names are mentioned there who are completely innocent.

Did you get any explanation as to how the redaction policy was applied?

Some of the Department of Justice redactions were reasonable.

I think they over redacted any female name because they said, well, this person, even if they were conspiring with Epstein, may have been a survivor.

The problem is they also protected some of these men who were named as coconspirators or who were doing things that were allegedly illegal.

And the biggest issue is that Trump's FBI scrubbed these documents back in March, and

those scrubbed documents are what was sent to doj.

In terms of the UK interest in much of this and the relationship that Andrew Mountbatten Windsor had with Jeffrey Epstein, the King has said that the Royal family will cooperate with Thames Valley Police, one of the police forces in the uk, on this.

Do you have a message for King Charles for what he should advise his brother to do, or as head of the Royal Family, what he should perhaps instruct him to do?

I think the King has already been paying attention to what Thomas Massey and I said.

I gave an interview saying that this may put the British monarchy in jeopardy.

And the next thing I know, King Charles said, well, we should have a political prosecution, or, I mean, independent prosecution, investigation of his brother.

My advice would be to come clean, to do a, a press conference with the British people, the American people, of what the Royal family knew, what their action they're going to, going to take.

They should probably be compensating some of these survivors for the horrors they've, that have taken place.

And we should just say that Andrew has completely denied any, any wrongdoing there, Congressman.

So if you're talking about compensation, so on, there has been a historic settlement with one individual, but

But I' take your point there about sharing that information.

And aside from a press conference, would you like to see Andrew Mountbatten Windsor come to the US and speak to yourself and your colleagues?

And it's not just the compensation in terms of.

It's clear that the Royal Family, from all I've seen, have not been transparent there.

They finally are now saying there should be an investigation.

These women have been denied justice and they've been denied justice by the powers that be in our country and in Britain and around the world.

And I think there has to be a reckoning with that of the global elite.

And equally in relation to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer and Peter Mandelson, we saw the Prime Minister on very shaky ground just yesterday.

He has recovered from that at this point.