89S10369 BPG-D     By: González of Dallas H.C.R. No. 4       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, Prior to the 2024 presidential election, many public   figures now holding high office in the executive branch called for   the release of Federal Bureau of Investigation files on deceased   sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; and          WHEREAS, Current FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy FBI Director   Dan Bongino, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, and Vice President   J. D. Vance were among the many who have long sought the release of   files from the FBI investigation of Mr. Epstein; he was federally   charged in 2019 with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to   commit sex trafficking of minors in a case involving dozens of   victims; later that year, he died in custody while awaiting trial;   his associate and confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell, was subsequently   convicted on federal charges related to her role in recruiting and   grooming underage girls on his behalf; and          WHEREAS, In 2008, Mr. Epstein had pleaded guilty in Florida   to state charges of soliciting prostitution and soliciting   prostitution from someone under the age of 18; his light sentence   caused a scandal when The Miami Herald revealed that despite reams   of evidence against him, he had secured a non-prosecution agreement   from the office of then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, who was   later appointed U.S. secretary of labor by President Donald J.   Trump; Mr. Acosta resigned from the cabinet when the federal   indictment against Mr. Epstein was unsealed; and          WHEREAS, Since President Trump returned to the White House in   January 2025, he and senior members of his administration have   repeatedly stated that the government would release a full   accounting of the Epstein case, including names of associates,   thousands of pages of evidence, and potential criminal referrals;   in February, after indicating to Fox News that she had on her desk a   long-rumored list of Mr. Epstein's clients, Attorney General Bondi   distributed binders of "declassified" records that proved to be   nothing more than a collection of already public information; in   response to the resulting furor, she ordered a comprehensive report   from the FBI director; according to media accounts, the New York   field office then delayed other investigations in order for   hundreds of FBI agents to work around the clock reviewing the   Epstein files; nevertheless, no more information was forthcoming,   and on July 7, the Justice Department abruptly posted a memo   asserting that the much-anticipated "client list" did not exist and   the agency did not intend to release any new information on the   matter; and          WHEREAS, The Trump administration has purported to be the   most transparent in the history of the country, but officials who   once clamored for the release of the Epstein files are now asserting   they contain nothing of interest; today, there are more questions   than ever about Mr. Epstein's criminal activity and his associates,   and the ongoing lack of candor is causing the American public to   question the honesty and integrity of the administration; now,   therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas,   1st Called Session, hereby call for the U.S. Department of Justice   and the Trump administration to release the complete Epstein files;   and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official   copies of this resolution to President Donald Trump and to U.S.   Attorney General Pamela Bondi.