It is a controversial subject that has grabbed headlines this month and pitted President Donald Trump against his own supporters, but Maine Republicans are not saying much on the release of records tied to convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Scrutiny over the case against Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan prison while the 66-year-old was awaiting trial in 2019, ramped back up earlier in July when Trump’s Justice Department and FBI concluded they have no evidence that Epstein kept a “client list,” blackmailed well-known people or was murdered in prison.
That contradicted conspiracies that Epstein’s crimes implicated government officials and celebrities and that he was killed to conceal powerful individuals.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino had promoted some of those theories before they joined the Trump administration, but they’ve since walked back that talk and agreed with the government’s findings.
That has not sat well with Trump’s MAGA base, which has accused the administration of covering up Epstein-related details and called for the firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump called his supporters “stupid” Wednesday for falling for what he called an Epstein “hoax.”
Republicans in Maine were largely quiet this week on the ongoing Epstein disagreements, a sign of how volatile and politically uncomfortable the matter is for officials at different levels.
“I don’t think we are going to have a comment for you on this,” Maine Republican Party Executive Director Jason Savage said Thursday. “We’re focused on electing Republicans at the state and federal levels and out today working hard on that.”
David Jones, a Falmouth real estate firm leader who is among the Republicans running for governor in 2026, started a political committee to help Trump during his 2016 election. Jones said he supported Trump’s directive to Bondi on Thursday to release relevant grand jury transcripts from Epstein’s case.
“Transparency is important to ensure the trust of the people in our government. Human trafficking is not just a national issue, but one that affects us right here at home in Maine,” Jones said of the case. “My administration will root out what’s going on with international organized crime in our state. All victims deserve justice.”
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, the state’s lone Republican in Congress, and the Senate Appropriations Committee she chairs approved by voice vote Thursday an Epstein-related amendment from Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Dick Durbin of Illinois to a commerce and science-related funding bill. The amendment directs Bondi to retain and compile any records or evidence tied to the Epstein investigation and eventually submit a report back to senators on the findings.
Collins spokesperson Phoebe Ferraiolo only referred to the amendment Thursday when asked if Collins had any comment on the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein matter.
Various other Republicans in Maine did not respond to requests for comment or said the Epstein case is not top of mind. Jon Reisman, a retired University of Maine at Machias economics and public policy professor who lives in the Washington County town of Cooper, said he wants “additional clarity and transparency” from Bondi but added in an email “the whole Epstein saga/debacle/political theatre piece is pretty far down my list, after climate/energy policy, anti-semitism, division within the country, and declining media credibility.”
“The evil that Epstein did lives after him,” Reisman said.
The Epstein controversy is not going away yet, with U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, D-California, sponsoring a bill to force a House vote on the “complete release” of government files related to Epstein.
Last year, dozens of previously sealed documents were publicized as part of a lawsuit from Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was forced into having sex with men in Epstein’s social orbit, including former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, a Democrat from Maine, and Prince Andrew of the British royal family. (Mitchell previously denied the allegations.)
Rep. Gary Drinkwater, R-Milford, said he would want to see more names released if any additional records exist.
“We have bigger issues to deal with than the Epstein files, but I would side with the people that want the list if there is a list of names released,” Drinkwater said.