San Diego Republicans rarely respond on Jeffrey Epstein issue, potential ’26 fallout

Jeffrey Epstein in March who died in jail two years later awaiting sex-trafficking trial New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP File Should the Justice Department make populace the Jeffrey Epstein files unredacted redacted or not all How might the Epstein issue affect GOP polling prospects in Times of San Diego email to leading county Republicans PDF Those were among seven questions Times of San Diego sent Saturday to more than prominent San Diego County Republicans including all members of the GOP Central Committee Only two replied La Mesa Councilwoman Laura Lothian entirely see below and El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells In my opinion all of the Epstein matters should be disclosed to the populace Wells disclosed Thursday via email I m a big believer in transparency Wells disclosed he didn t know enough about the Ghislaine Maxwell situation to have concerns that President Trump might pardon or commute the sentence of the imprisoned sex-trafficker But the two-time candidate for Congress added I would just say that for the sake of the nation it would be good to get to the truth Wells declined specific comment on House Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly calling an early House of Representatives recess saying I don t know what all the reasoning is So far I have seen nothing to distrust in regard to Johnson so I m inclined to believe he has our best interest in mind Given the documented residents interest in the situation I sought comment from local GOP chair Paula Whitsell Rep Darrell Issa state Sen Brian Jones Assembly members Carl DeMaio and Laurie Davies Chula Vista Mayor John McCann former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and county Supervisors Jim Desmond and Joel Anderson None got back to me But East County Congressman Issa spoke to The Hill and Fresno Bee On July Issa stated the Washington newspaper that he was confident that the Justice Department had looked at questions swirling around the so-called Epstein files before making quite frankly a fairly controversial assessment that there isn t a there there What Do Leading San Diego Republicans Think of Trump s Acts Most of Won t Say Issa commented on the FBI DOJ s July conclusion that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted He conceded that the memo came in spite of a great number of of the things that are held by my own base that weren t true I trust the people who announced it to us and who looked at the Epstein development On July the Bee shared that Issa saw a need for transparency but was concerned about releasing grand jury testimony We ve established that Epstein provided an audience of people on the left and the right who had nothing to do with his nefarious activity in addition to those who did Issa informed the Bee I have no objections to those who are criminally charged or in several other way fully implicated He added Opening up grand jury testimony in files that would have collateral damage to people who were innocent doesn t make any sense I think people in both parties know better than that I also wrote the four Democrats in San Diego s congressional delegation asking how the Epstein issue would affect San Diego County GOP electoral contest prospects and how Democrats should leverage the Epstein debate Reps Scott Peters and Juan Vargas responded Reps Sara Jacobs and Mike Levin didn t but have commented via social media and in TV interviews Peters Release the files In a message Peters reported Times of San Diego President Trump has made his political bones on conspiracy theories from New York City Central Park crime to Obama s birth certificate to the Epstein files Now he s being called to account by his own voters for not being transparent and not keeping his promises It s now clear either that he was lying about a conspiracy or that he s covering up for his own involvement He should release the files and put this behind him He added I hope Democrats will continue to focus on what really concerns majority Americans which is the cost of living and the effect of the big bill the Republicans just passed As several as million people will lose healthcare Ability supply will be restricted driving prices skyward The increased budget deficit and national debt will drive up interest rates and the cost of expenditure for business and buying a home for families That s what Democrats should be talking about and that s what Americans care about Vargas disclosed via email Trump and Republicans promised the release of the Epstein Files After six months in power they are now doing everything they can to keep the truth about Epstein and his associates secret The casualties deserve justice and people deserve transparency At the federal level we are keeping up the pressure to release the files Republican leadership literally shut down the House because they sought to avoid this issue There s so much to do Costs are climbing people are struggling to make ends meet and Republicans just ripped away vitality care from millions with their Big Ugly Bill To send Members of Congress home early to avoid our calls to release the files is unacceptable Dem leaders comment Ross Pike acting chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party reported late Thursday that Democratic leaders have clearly and consistently pushed for the release of files related to the Epstein development We believe the populace deserves transparency and the casualties deserve accountability He added via email Despite the serious matter Donald Trump continues to flip-flop and ignore the plight of the casualties and survivors only exploiting this issue for political gain Meanwhile his Republican enablers in Congress who do his bidding scurry and scramble to block the release of information Voters and the inhabitants will draw their own conclusions as to why We stand with the casualties and will work as we inevitably have to uplift and endorsement them Party chair candidate Sara Ochoa also took a stab at my questions On whether the Epstein issue might affect local GOP balloting prospects It s too soon to tell Ochoa noted Every single day the Trump administration has been working to dismantle our democracy transfer wealth to Trump s billionaire buddies latest campaign promises increasing the costs of goods and services and engaging in fundamentally unethical and illegal actions As of right now the Epstein cover-up is only the latest egregious action on a long list On how Democrats might take exploit the Epstein issue We are going to make sure that every voter in San Diego County represented by a Republican is reminded how their elected official voted on this issue I ll bet that the voters who voted for Trump did not expect him to cover up his and his friends involvement with Epstein and we are already hearing from selected registered Republicans that they are switching to No Party Preference and plan to vote anti-MAGA next year because of it Ochoa accepted my invitation for further thoughts As somebody who experienced sexual assault from a high-profile San Diego elected official and felt terrified at the prospect of publicly speaking out about it it is galling that the Trump Justice Department is not trying to get to the truth from Epstein s casualties she commented but instead trying to negotiate a deal with a convicted sex-trafficker and perpetrator who is presently serving a -year sentence She added As Democrats we have been holding our own accountable on these issues not only our opponents when it s politically convenient Transparency and justice are nonpartisan issues and they are critical to our safety and conscience as a nation I stand with the plenty of survivors who not only experienced atrocities from Jeffrey Epstein and his friends presumably including President Trump but those who have been retraumatized by this very citizens miscarriage of justice Nobody deserves to experience or relive such violations and I wish for collective healing and justice for the casualties North County Congressman Levin described MSNBC s Ana Cabrera that Mike Johnson who avoided a vote on the Epstein matter by calling an early recess is the weakest speaker in the modern history of the House He does whatever Donald Trump wants him to do Levin commented He is basically an extension of the Trump administration who no longer sees Congress as a co-equal branch of establishment But on the Epstein issue Levin noted Johnson and Trump may be a little bit sideways because Johnson is also about self-preservation And he knows that all it will take is a handful of those who want the facts want to work with Democrats on a bipartisan search for the truth with all of this And so he s stuck Johnson is stuck Congresswoman Jacobs at her town hall Wednesday in Clairemont stated she was very very happy to be home from Washington but let s be clear Speaker Johnson canceled Congress because he was so afraid of having us vote on the Epstein files A week ago Jacobs on X commented on a Wall Street Journal story headlined Justice Department Informed Trump in May That His Name Is Among Multiple in the Epstein Files Bulk unsurprising news of the week https t co xc sVyMD v Sara Jacobs SaraJacobsCA July Declared Jacobs Majority of unsurprising news of the week I asled two local professors both expert on San Diego politics about prospective Epstein fallout Local impact unlikely The Epstein debacle won t have any direct impact on local congressional elections in as the five local districts are pretty much set Democrat versus Republican reported Carl Luna a visiting professor at the University of San Diego Levin has won four straight races winning to over Matt Gunderson last year making it a relatively safe seat Cook Review lists it as Likely Democrat and Issa keeps winning in the th by margins It s unlikely anything to do with Epstein would change any of this But at the national level Luna explained the Epstein embarrassment might have a marginal impact on a half dozen or dozen Republican congressional districts that might be in play come next fall But November is a long way off he announced and it s problematic as to whether the Epstein embarrassment will have legs that last that long especially with the possibility Trump will pardon Epstein s co-conspirator in exchange for her testifying Trump wasn t involved in the outrage at all In normal times Luna explained the state of the business sector next spring summer would have a bigger impact on the midterms outcomes than a outrage like Epstein And in normal times the party in the White House would look forward to losing - seats plus to the opposition which would put Democrats back in control of the House he disclosed But these are far from normal times Luna observed The bigger story for will be just how fair and free the ballot will in fact be he declared The last thing Donald Trump wants to see are Democrats controlling the House for his last two years if they are in fact his last two years He wrote me via email A Democratic House would mean an end to any legislative gains for him and the GOP far more developing oversight by Democrats of the administration and a great likelihood of further impeachment proceedings aimed to hamstring and distract him As such you can expect Trump and the GOP to ratchet up efforts to skew the referendum to their favor Luna declared Early administration efforts to require proof of citizenship for voter registration is one example Luna cites Red state efforts to gerrymander more House districts to benefit the GOP As we get closer to the voting if polling shows Democrats with a good chance of flipping the House you can expect the Trump Administration to take even more dramatic unprecedented strategies to guarantee domination he announced It is no hyperbole to state that the future of the U S as a functioning democracy may well depend on what those moves might be Also commenting was UC San Diego political science professor Thad Kousser Since we now seem to live a year s worth of political events every month it s hard to predict what will still resonate with voters more than a year from now Kousser disclosed via email But there is the possible that the Epstein saga crystalizes a sense of disillusionment among Trump s MAGA base that leads to lower Republican turnout in just as we saw in It may depend on what any release of the files exposes and who is exposed La Mesan favors redaction La Mesa Councilwoman Lothian replied to all our queries TIMES OF SAN DIEGO Should the DOJ make population the Epstein files unredacted or redacted or not all LAURA LOTHIAN Redacted Long before Epstein became a household name and synonymous with a sleazy lifestyle numerous businesspeople celebrities socialites and politicians socialized with him as fellow wealthy movers and shakers Why should people innocent of criminal behavior be guilty by association The population is on standby with pitchforks and torches ready to destroy everyone and anyone who may have crossed paths with Epstein Too much prospective for collateral damage Did you help Speaker Johnson s decision to call an early summer recess Last year s summer recess was from July th until September th This year s summer recess is July th to Sept st Started same time as last year and they return earlier this year than last year Do you agree with the FBI s July memo that it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Inquiry that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted No There is considerable population interest Do you have any concerns that President Trump may pardon or commute the sentence of Ghislaine Maxwell I have not followed Epstein news closely enough to know Maxwell s exact role with Epstein her charges or her sentencing but if there is as much criminal activity as frequently suggested it is odd she s the only one being punished If she turns state s evidence against powerful people who committed crimes then she like multiple before her and a great number of in the future should be able to strike a deal for immunity or a pardon What have you heard from your constituents on the Epstein issue Nothing How might the Epstein issue affect GOP poll prospects in I don t think it will at all If the financial sector is rocking and rolling for everyone peace descends upon the world crime falls and villains like Brennan Comey Clapper and Fauci face real consequences for lying and betraying the American people the GOP should do very well in Anything else readers should know about this matter No one has been more investigated examined and spied on than Donald Trump People who hate the president and fervently wish for Epstein-Trump dirt will have their hopes dashed If evidence existed of Trump doing anything sexually deviant with underage girls no matter how scant or unverified that evidence the Obama and Biden Admin would have published it and the media would have had wall-to-wall coverage