Senate Democrats Try to Force Release of Epstein Files

“Senate Democrats on Wednesday moved to compel the Trump administration to release material connected to the investigation into the accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, invoking a little-known law in a bid to force Republican leaders to confront the growing furor over the case,” the New York Times reports.

“Under a section of federal law commonly referred to in the Senate as the ‘rule of five,’ government agencies are required to provide relevant information if any five members of that committee, which is the chamber’s chief oversight panel, request it.”

“That provision — which became law in 1928 and sets a seven-member rule for the House’s oversight committee — effectively offers a way for members of the minority party to compel information from the executive branch because they cannot issue congressional subpoenas. But it has been infrequently used, and it has not faced significant tests in court, raising questions over whether it can be enforced.”