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

Should the Justice Department make public the Jeffrey Epstein files unredacted, redacted or not all? How might the Epstein issue affect GOP election prospects in 2026?

Those were among seven questions Times of San Diego sent Saturday to more than 50 prominent San Diego County Republicans, including all members of the GOP Central Committee.

Only two replied — La Mesa Councilwoman Laura Lothian (completely, see below) and El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells.

“In my opinion, all of the Epstein matters should be disclosed to the public,” Wells said Thursday via email. “I’m a big believer in transparency.”

Wells said 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 public interest in the case, 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 Paul 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 15, Issa told 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.”

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 many of the things that are believed by my own base [that] weren’t true. I trust the people who reported it to us and who looked at [the Epstein case].”

On July 23, the Bee reported 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 told the Bee. “I have no objections to those who are criminally charged or in some 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 election 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 statement, Peters told 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 most Americans, which is the cost of living and the effect of the big bill the Republicans just passed. As many as 17 million people will lose healthcare. Energy supply will be restricted, driving prices skyward. The increased budget deficit and national debt will drive up interest rates and the cost of investment for business and buying a home for families. That’s what Democrats should be talking about – and that’s what Americans care about.”

Vargas said 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 victims 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 wanted 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 health 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.”

Most Dem leaders mum

San Diego’s Democratic Party leadership didn’t respond to my questions, but party chair candidate Sara Ochoa took a stab at my questions.

On whether the Epstein issue might affect local GOP election prospects:

“It’s too soon to tell,” Ochoa said. “Every single day the Trump administration has been working to dismantle our democracy; transfer wealth to Trump’s billionaire buddies; breaking 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 some 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 victims,” she said, “but instead trying to negotiate a deal with a convicted sex-trafficker and perpetrator who is currently serving a 20-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 many 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 public miscarriage of justice.

“Nobody deserves to experience or relive such violations, and I wish for collective healing and justice for the victims.”

North County Congressman Levin told 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 said. “He is basically an extension of the Trump administration [who] no longer sees Congress as a co-equal branch of government.”

But on the Epstein issue, Levin said, 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, said 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 Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files.”

Most unsurprising news of the week: t.co/xc7sVyMD9v

Said Jacobs: “Most unsurprising news of the week.”

I asled two local professors — both expert on San Diego politics — about potential Epstein fallout.

Local impact ‘unlikely’

“The Epstein debacle won’t have any direct impact on local congressional elections in 2026 as the five local districts are pretty much set (4 Democrat versus 1 Republican),” said Carl Luna, a visiting professor at the University of San Diego.

“Levin has won four straight races (winning 52% to 48% over Matt Gunderson last year) making it a relatively safe seat (Cook Report lists it as Likely Democrat) and Issa keeps winning in the 48th by +20% margins. It’s unlikely anything to do with Epstein would change any of this.”

But at the national level, Luna said, the Epstein scandal might have a marginal impact on a half dozen or dozen Republican congressional districts that might be in play come next fall.

“But November 2026 is a long way off,” he said, “and it’s problematic as to whether the Epstein scandal 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 scandal at all.”

In normal times, Luna said, the state of the economy next spring/summer would have a bigger impact on the midterms outcomes than a scandal like Epstein.

“And in normal times, the party in the White House would look forward to losing 20-40 seats plus to the opposition, which would put Democrats back in control of the House,” he said.

But these are far from normal times, Luna observed.

“The bigger story for 2026 will be just how fair and free the election will actually be,” he said. “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 active 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 2026 election to their favor,” Luna said. “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 election, if polling shows Democrats with a good chance of flipping the House, you can expect the Trump Administration to take even more dramatic, unprecedented steps to guarantee victory,” he said. “It is no hyperbole to state that the future of the U.S. as a functioning democracy may well depend on what those steps 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 said via email.

“But there is the potential that the Epstein saga crystalizes a sense of disillusionment among Trump’s MAGA base that leads to lower Republican turnout in 2026, just as we saw in 2018. 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 public 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, many 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 public is on standby with pitchforks and torches ready to destroy everyone and anyone who may have crossed paths with Epstein. Too much potential for collateral damage.

Did you support Speaker Johnson’s decision to call an early summer recess?

Last year’s summer recess was from July 25th until September 9th. This year’s summer recess is July 24th to Sept 1st. 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 Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted”?

No. There is significant public 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 many before her and many 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 election prospects in 2026?

I don’t think it will at all. If the economy 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 2026.

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 released it, and the media would have had wall-to-wall coverage 24/7.

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