Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is among President Donald Trump‘s most vocal critics in Congress, and his calls for transparency around the so-called Epstein files — perhaps the only issue on which Swalwell is aligned with hard-right MAGA Republicans — have been growing in volume.
The California Congressman joined a chorus of voices alarmed by Trump’s former personal lawyer and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche meeting with Epstein’s child trafficking accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for Epstein-related crimes.
According to Swalwell, Trump, whose former relationship with both Maxwell and Epstein is under scrutiny, is “dangling” a pardon for Maxwell “if she lies to try to save” him from being exposed as an Epstein client — or worse — during the time the late disgraced former Trump friend ran the underage prostitution service for which he was prosecuted.
The WH is a mafia operation. They got in contact w/ Maxwell & now Trump is publicly dangling a pardon for her, IF she lies to try to save Trump. If you’re facing life in prison, what would you do? We need ALL records of ALL contact with her and transcripts of ALL meetings.
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) July 26, 2025
Having issued more than 1,600 pardons so far in his second term, including clemency for the majority of January 6 convicts, Trump has already been accused of using pardons “mafia” style.
Describing Trump’s Jan. 6 actions as “patronage pardoning,” University of Texas Law professor Lee Kovarsky explained to the Louisiana Illuminator: “It’s mafia stuff. They won’t break your legs, but they’ll publicly pardon the person who does.”
Trump, who had called for Epstein “transparency” before trying to get the story to die down, has been unable to quiet the outrage over the administration’s failure to produce the materials publicly.
This week Trump again called the Epstein case a “hoax,” even though his Attorney General Pam Bondi has said she had seen thousands of videos and photos that were damning evidence in the case, and also despite the fact that a jury convicted Maxwell on only a small fraction of that evidence.
BREAKING: Trump starts to lay the groundwork in case the Epstein files ever see the light of day:
“The files were run by the worst scum on earth,” naming Comey, Garland, Biden, Kamala, and the autopen, saying, “They can put things in the file that are fake.” pic.twitter.com/0G4t6du7Tc
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) July 28, 2025
The use of “hoax” by Trump is a “tell” according to another vocal Trump critic, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Whitehouse asserts that Trump reverts to calling something a hoax when it is both true and damaging to his own standing, using the Trump-Russia “hoax” and the Epstein “hoax” as two examples. (He also cites Trump calling climate change a hoax.)
Need to find out if something’s true? Just see if Donald Trump has called it a “hoax.” pic.twitter.com/9mmQkd4Kl1
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) July 18, 2025
[NOTE: As goes the Trump-Russia “hoax,” making the social media rounds currently are statements then Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) made concerning the Russia election interference investigation, where Rubio — far from calling it a hoax — said: “I don’t think there is any doubt that Russian intelligence tried to divide us against each other and play an influence in the direction of our elections.” He elsewhere said: “I don’t just believe it, I know it.”
Marco Rubio on Russian interference in the 2016 election: “Russia most certainly tried to interfere in our election…They may have had a preference for Donald Trump, but I don’t think they thought he was going to win.” pic.twitter.com/UfDiKGrdx7
— Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) July 26, 2025
Swalwell wants to “follow the facts” and aligns with such political opposites as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Rep. Thomas Massie on the issue.
After House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) truncated the House legislative session to forestall a vote on a bipartisan measure to release the files, Massie asked how the Speaker could “run cover” for sex traffickers.
.@SpeakerJohnson, why are you running cover for an underage sex trafficking ring and pretending this is a partisan issue? MAGA voted for this. pic.twitter.com/P5Q9RZLYYn
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) July 23, 2025
Swalwell insinuates that Johnson’s actions were to help downplay recent revelations.
So we just found out the WH buried the Epstein files b/c it had 2 things in it:
1) Donald Trump’s name &
2) Child PornographyThis is why we want the files. To see who knew what & who did what.
I don’t care what party you’re in, we follow the facts.
Without fear or favor. https://t.co/pxc9vJqba9
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) July 23, 2025