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- 'Get it all out': Senate GOP grapples with Epstein case amid reports on Trump ties</p>
<p>JAY O'BRIEN, ALLISON PECORIN, ISABELLA MURRAY and IVAN PEREIRAJuly 24, 2025 at 9:17 PM</p>
<p>While President Donald Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein have been public knowledge for years, recent reports highlighting their past friendship before a falling out have forced congressional Republicans to publicly confront Trump's Epstein connections like never before.</p>
<p>Several GOP senators spoke out Thursday, a day after the Wall Street Journal reported Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy Todd Blanche informed Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in the Epstein files that the Department of Justice and the FBI reviewed.</p>
<p>The officials told Trump of their plan not to release any additional documents, the report says, because the material contained child pornography and personal information of victims. President Trump, according to the Journal, said he would defer to the Justice Department's decision not to release additional files. According to the report, Trump was also informed that the names of many other high-profile individuals appeared in the documents, which the Journal reported was not evidence of wrongdoing.</p>
<p>Leon Neal/Getty Images - PHOTO: A photograph of President Donald Trump and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is displayed after being unofficially installed in a bus shelter, July 17, 2025 in London, England.</p>
<p>MORE: GOP Sen. Thom Tillis says Epstein files could impact midterm prospects</p>
<p>The president has received criticism from several Republicans and conservative pundits over the Justice Department's response to the probe. They have called for more details on the Epstein files.</p>
<p>Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime Trump ally, was asked Thursday about what advice he would give the president.</p>
<p>"Be as transparent as you can. Get it all out," the South Carolina Republican said. "... The idea that Trump did something nefarious and Biden sat on it for four years, It's hard to believe. Just put it out. Let people look at it."</p>
<p>Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images - PHOTO: Sen. Lindsay Graham speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 12, 2025 in Washington.</p>
<p>Republican Sen. Josh Hawley told ABC News he was not concerned Trump slow-walked the files' release because of potential embarrassment.</p>
<p>"I mean everybody knows that he knew Epstein at some point. There's a video of it. Now, he's said this for years, so I don't think any of that's a surprise that he's mentioned the documents," Hawley said.</p>
<p>"Anybody who ever met him is going to be mentioned, so I don't think that's a big deal … but nor is it a reason to withhold the documents," he added.</p>
<p>MORE: Why do Trump's MAGA followers care so much about the Epstein files?</p>
<p>Many senators, such as Republican Thom Tillis, aren't backing off on their calls for the records to be fully released.</p>
<p>"I'm where I've been every time you always ask me this question. Release the damn files," he said. "And I doubt seriously, in spite of the fact that the House went home, that you're going to forget about this between now and Labor Day."</p>
<p>Al Drago/Getty Images - PHOTO: Sen. Josh Hawley speaks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol, June 28, 2025 in Washington.</p>
<p>Hawley proposed partnering with the House Oversight Committee, which subpoenaed convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition in August.</p>
<p>"Do a joint House-Senate Committee on this, and have her testify, and assuming she has something real to say, but I think she would," Hawley proposed.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, despite their limited power, Democrats are pushing harder and demanding that Bondi testify about what she told the president.</p>
<p>"There should be no secret meetings, no secret deals with Maxwell or anyone else … There ought to be subpoenas, if necessary, and compulsory disclosure," Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal told ABC News. "The attorney general should volunteer to testify and bring with her all of the files."</p>
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