SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
ro khanna
It's a 'Cover-Up,' Says Khanna, If Official FBI Survivor Statements Not Included in Epstein File Dump
“Refusing to release these files only shields the powerful individuals who were involved," said Khanna, "and hurts the public’s trust in our institutions."
Jan 30, 2026
More than a month past the deadline set by legislation passed last year, the US Department of Justice on Friday released over 3 million more pages of files related to convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein, but one Democratic lawmaker who has led the push for the disclosure emphasized that the exact contents of the files must be determined to tell whether the release is simply another "cover-up."
"What are we looking for? The FBI statements," Khanna (D-Calif.) told MS NOW. "We need to see whether the 302 forms are being released. That's where the survivors mention who the other rich and powerful men are who abused or raped them... and second, are the prosecution memos being released? This is the document that shows why these rich and powerful men weren't prosecuted.
"If there's no cover-up," said the congressman, those files will be included.
The survivors want a transparent release. If there's no coverup this release should have the 302 statements and prosecution memos to show who these rich and powerful men were. pic.twitter.com/ZgjrHEKO3z
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) January 30, 2026
Files that were released and circulated on social media on Friday afternoon included multiple descriptions of sexual assault in which President Donald Trump was named. Those did not appear to be official 302 forms from an FBI interview with victims, which typically contain the name of the agent who conducted the interview, the date, and other information.
The New York Times noted that "a significant number of uncorroborated tips" were included in the release.
Prem Thakker of Zeteo said the descriptions of sexual assault allegations appeared to come from an FBI tip line and it was not clear whether they had ever been investigated.
Soon after the documents were released, journalists including CNN's Jake Tapper reported on social media that many of the links that had led to the files on the DOJ's website were no longer active.
MS NOW senior legal reporter Lisa Rubin reported that some of the documents had revealed "the names and other identifying details of known survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. In at least one case, MS NOW found a driver's license with an unredacted photo among the documents produced."
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said the release did not appear to comply with an earlier subpoena from the committee, which directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all of the Epstein files while protecting survivors.
"Donald Trump and his Justice Department have now made clear that they intend to withhold roughly 50% of the Epstein files, while claiming to have fully complied with the law," said Garcia. "This is outrageous and incredibly concerning."
"We are demanding the names of Epstein's co-conspirators and the men and pedophiles who abused women and girls," he said. "We will begin a thorough review of this latest limited production, but let's be clear: Our work and investigation are just getting started."
Khanna called on Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to meet with him and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to assess what files were released.
"If you are serious about engaging members, let us have this meeting," he said.
The congressman told the Times that a draft indictment prepared during the 2007 investigation into Epstein in Florida and "hundreds of thousands of emails and files from Epstein’s computers" must also be released.
“Refusing to release these files only shields the powerful individuals who were involved," said Khanna, "and hurts the public’s trust in our institutions."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Amid Funding Fight, Sanders Says Unmask ICE, Repeal $75 Billion Giveaway, and More
"ICE is out of control, ignoring the law and our Constitution. Congress must vote NO on any additional funding for DHS," the senator argued as House progressives issued similar demands.
Jan 26, 2026
As the killing of another US citizen by immigration agents in Minnesota increases pressure on senators to reject the Department of Homeland Security funding bill advanced last week by nearly all Republicans and seven Democrats in the House of Representatives, Sen. Bernie Sanders published a clear list of demands on Monday.
"ICE is out of control, ignoring the law and our Constitution," Sanders (I-Vt.) said of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has conducted President Donald Trump's anti-migrant operations with Customs and Border Protection (CBP). "Congress must vote NO on any additional funding for DHS."
Sanders' list targets not only DHS and its agencies, including CBP and ICE, but also the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which Trump has been widely accused of weaponizing against his opponents:
- Get ICE, CBP, and the rest of Trump's domestic army out of Minnesota and Maine NOW;
- No more warrantless arrests, no more stopping people based on race or because of the languages they speak;
- End qualified immunity for ICE and CBP agents to ensure Americans' constitutional rights are protected;
- Unmask ICE and CBP agents and require clear identification;
- End detentions and deportations of US citizens;
- Investigate and prosecute every single DHS officer who broke the law and require DOJ and DHS to cooperate with states and cities investigating immigration agents who broke the law;
- Repeal the $75 billion for ICE and the nearly $65 billion for CBP in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill and restore funding to healthcare; and
- Impose strict standards on all detention centers and hold them accountable for their human rights abuses.
The senator's demands largely align with the reported demands of Senate Democrats, with whom he caucuses, as well as those of House progressives.
"Senate Democrats will not allow the current DHS funding bill to move forward," the chamber's minority leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), said in a Monday statement. "Senate Republicans have seen the same horrific footage that all Americans have watched of the blatant abuses of Americans by ICE in Minnesota."
Schumer argued that "the appalling murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis must lead Republicans to join Democrats in overhauling ICE and CBP to protect the public. People should be safe from abuse by their own government."
"Senate Republicans must work with Democrats to advance the other five funding bills while we work to rewrite the DHS bill," he continued, as the January 30 deadline to avert another federal government shutdown looms. "This is best course of action, and the American people are on our side."
Robert Kuttner, co-founder and co-editor of the American Prospect, reported that at a gathering late Sunday, the Senate Democratic Caucus agreed to block the $64.4 billion in DHS funding—including $10 billion for ICE and $18 billion for CBP—unless several conditions are met:
- An independent federal-state investigation, which includes Minnesota officials, of ICE murders and tactics;
- A ban on ICE use of face masks;
- A requirement of body cameras (there was $20 million in funding for body cameras in the current appropriations bill, but they are not mandatory);
- A ban on roving ICE patrols;
- A ban on the invented category of "administrative warrants" that bypass judges in violation of the Fourth Amendment; and
- An end to arrest quotas.
While Republicans have slim majorities in both chambers of Congress, most bills must win some Democratic support in order to get through the Senate, unlike in the House, where the DHS legislation passed in a 220-207 vote shortly before Pretti's killing.
Since the legal observer and nurse was killed in a CBP shooting on Saturday, at least one of the seven House Democrats who backed the bill has suggested he may vote differently in the future. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) said Monday that "I failed to view the DHS funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis."
"I hear the anger from many of my constituents, and I take responsibility for that. I have long been critical of ICE's unlawful behavior, and I must do a better job demonstrating that," Suozzi added. "The senseless and tragic murder of Alex Pretti underscores what happens when untrained federal agents operate without accountability."
Meanwhile, expecting they will have another vote, progressive leaders in the House are also discussing their demands.
"Senate Democrats say they won't vote for ICE funding without reforms. Good. Now, we must negotiate hard," said Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), who chairs the nearly 100-member Congressional Progressive Caucus.
As Casar outlined on social media Sunday, his five "nonnegotiable" demands are:
- ICE and CBP leave Minneapolis and stops terrorizing American cities;
- We get a full, independent investigation into the killings;
- No more detaining and deporting US citizens;
- The masks come off; and
- The mass arrest quotas and warrantless arrests end.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), one of several Democrats expected to consider a 2028 presidential run, on Sunday issued a slightly longer list that included the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and US Attorney General Pam Bondi:
- Vote no on DHS funding bill;
- Repeal the multiyear $75 billion funding for ICE;
- End qualified immunity for ICE agents;
- Investigate and prosecute every single ICE agent who broke the law;
- Impeach Noem and Bondi;
- End the Kavanaugh stops with racial profiling and end the militarization of ICE;
- Codify a use of force standard so courts can enforce the law against rogue ICE agents; and
- Tear down and replace ICE with an agency that has oversight.
"Congress is not powerless. Democrats must unify around an actual agenda," Khanna argued. "Trump is engaged in the SYSTEMATIC destruction of the rule of law."
"Only if Congress fights with every legal tool at our disposal including lawsuits in the courts, like we are doing with the Epstein files, can we stop this madness," said the congressman, who's led the fight for unsealing federal documents related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein alongside the only Republican who opposed the DHS bill last week, Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.).
"We owe that to nurse Pretti," Khanna added, "and the hundreds of thousands on the streets risking their lives to stand up for our freedoms."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'ICE Has Gone Rogue': Khanna Demands Arrest, Prosecution of Jonathan Ross for Murder of Renee Good
"We need to hold ICE accountable and we need to uphold human rights in ICE facilities. This is the time for Americans to speak up."
Jan 13, 2026
Rep. Ro Khanna on Monday called for the arrest and prosecution of the federal immigration officer who killed Minneapolis resident Renee Good last week.
In a video posted on social media, Khanna (D-Calif.) made the case for arresting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Jonathan Ross, who has faced accusations of murder after he fatally shot the 37-year-old Good and left her 6-year-old son an orphan.
Khanna also said that the problems with ICE weren't merely from one trigger-happy agent.
"ICE has gone rogue," Khanna said. "We need accountability."
I am calling for the arrest and prosecution of the ICE agent that shot and killed Renee Good.
I am also calling on Congress to support my bill with @JasmineForUS to force ICE agents to wear body cameras, not wear masks, have visible identification, and ensure ICE has independent… pic.twitter.com/BmoufcF0fx
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) January 13, 2026
He then referenced legislation he had written with Rep. Jasmine Crocket (D-Texas) that would force ICE agents to wear body cameras and carry visible identification, and would also bar them from wearing masks to conceal their identities while conducting operations.
Khanna also described a recent trip he made to an immigration detention facility in California, where he said he witnessed deplorable treatment of detainees, including one man who reported having blood in his urine but who had not seen any medical professional for the past seven days.
"We need to hold ICE accountable and we need to uphold human rights in ICE facilities," he emphasized. "This is the time for Americans to speak up."
As Khanna called for greater ICE accountability, new videos emerged on Tuesday of chaos caused by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis.
In one video posted by extremism researcher Amanda Moore, federal agents can be seen smashing a woman's car windows, cutting her seat belt, and then dragging her out of the vehicle to be arrested.
Today at 34 & Park in Minneapolis, a woman tried to drive down the street where a protest had broken out in front of a home ICE was raiding, saying she had a doctor apt to get to. ICE agents busted out her windows, cut off her seatbelt, and pulled her out before arresting her. pic.twitter.com/Y9bDF1xfKW
— amanda moore 🐢 (@noturtlesoup17) January 13, 2026
Status Coup News reporter JT Cestkowski shared footage of federal agents lobbing tear gas canisters and firing pepper balls at demonstrators, which he described as "an everyday occurrence in America."
Immigration agents again fired tear gas and pepper balls at Twin Cities area residents today while out raiding neighborhoods. This is now an everyday occurrence in America.
Video by @StatusCoup’s @JonFarinaPhoto pic.twitter.com/SbwPUsMbIA
— JT Cestkowski (@JTCestkowski) January 13, 2026
NPR national correspondent Sergio Martínez-Beltrán posted a video of immigration agents walking around a Minneapolis parking lot and demanding shoppers offer proof that they were legally in the US.
"The drivers were people of color," Martínez-Beltrán observed.
In Minneapolis federal agents are asking people for the immigration status. In this video you can see agents at a parking lot asking people charging their cars to show proof of their immigration status. The drivers were people of color. pic.twitter.com/y8tuI3G88O
— Sergio Martínez-Beltrán (@SergioMarBel) January 12, 2026
Despite multiple videos showing Minneapolis residents angrily confronting federal immigration officials, President Donald Trump dismissed the demonstrations as "fake" during what was supposed to have been a speech on the US economy.
"One of the reasons they're doing these fake riots—I mean they're just terrible," Trump said, referring to largely peaceful demonstrations in Minneapolis. "It's so fake. 'Shame! Shame! Shame!' You see the woman. It's all practiced. They take hotel rooms and they all practice together. It's a whole scam. We're finding out who's funding all this stuff too."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular