Division between Republican lawmakers over the Jeffrey Epstein files continued to intensify even as President Donald Trump and his administration seeks to redirect scrutiny toward the president’s political foes and the 2016 election.

During Mr. Trump's first term, his labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, resigned following criticism of his handling of Epstein's 2008 plea deal when he was a federal prosecutor in Florida. Epstein served 13 months in a jail work-release program after he was originally accused of sexually abusing dozens of girls and young women.

Reps. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) are readying a petition to force a floor vote on legislation that would give Attorney General Pam Bondi 30 days to release files related to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Tom Barrett is the only Michigan GOP lawmaker in Congress who signed onto an effort to force a vote on releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Sunday said that the current controversy over convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is “going to hurt Republicans in the midterms.” “This is going to hurt Republicans in the midterms,

The case of Jeffrey Epstein, sex offender and former friend of the president, has blown up into a major headache for the White House.

“He told me he has like 15 or 16 hours of videotape of Jeff,” said Epstein’s brother Mark in an interview with NBC earlier this month, adding he had met with Bannon after Epstein’s death and asked to see the tapes. “He was trying to help Jeff rehabilitate his reputation.”