Thousands of Americans plan to gather on Saturday for No Kings protests across the country. They have a simple message: People are tired of a government that protects the powerful and abandons ordinary Americans.
They are tired of fighting costly and illegal overseas wars while we face an affordability crisis at home. They are horrified by the Trump administration’s cover-up of the Epstein files and the lack of accountability for the rich and powerful who crossed lines. And they are sick of Immigration and Customs Enforcement terrorizing our communities.
The American people are uniting to demand accountability.
As more Americans are sent to fight abroad and the survivors of abuse are silenced at home, people increasingly feel dispensable.
But we are not disposable. We are not dispensable. The American people are uniting to demand accountability.
For too long, Americans have seen our leaders fight harder for the Epstein class than for the working class. They have watched our system shield elites instead of delivering fundamentals such as affordable health care, housing and education.
The fight to release the Epstein files exposed not only a broken justice system, but also a deep economic and moral divide.
Jeffrey Epstein built a network of elite and powerful individuals, some of whom believed they could abuse young girls and women — many from working-class backgrounds — without consequences. Many survivors of Epstein’s abuses have courageously spoken out, and over the past year, sparked a moral reckoning in our country. They have exposed a two-tier system of justice that protects the wealthy and powerful and fails those who have been abused.
The administration’s failure to hold accountable those involved in Epstein’s abuses has fueled deep distrust in our government and its ability to deliver for the public good.
Rebuilding faith in our system requires transparency and accountability.
That is why I led the fight with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., to release the files. The Epstein Files Transparency Act wasn’t about politics. It was about justice for the survivors and accountability for their abusers.
Since our bill was signed into law in November, the Justice Department has released some three million documents. These files expose the brazenness of the Epstein class. They show how extensive Epstein’s network was and that this wasn’t just one individual but a group of powerful people who operated within a culture of elite impunity.
While most of those powerful people aren’t accused of criminal involvement with Epstein, the emails, photos and other materials demonstrate the willingness of this well-connected group to associate with Epstein even after he was convicted of sex crimes involving minors.
While these files and survivors’ stories have shocked our national conscience, the work is far from over. Transparency is only the first step. Now we must deliver accountability for those involved in Epstein’s abuses.
That means, in part, holding the administration accountable for essentially perpetuating a cover-up. The Justice Department has failed to release millions of remaining documents, which is a flagrant violation of our law. Many of the documents that have been released are heavily redacted in some areas — including concealing the names of several powerful individuals — yet in other areas fail to redact the names of survivors.
Survivors and the public deserve answers.
When Attorney General Pam Bondi appears before the House Oversight Committee next month, I will demand an explanation under oath of why the remaining files have not been released and why the administration has not acted to hold those involved accountable. In other countries, we have started to see steps toward accountability. Peter Mandelson was fired as Britain’s ambassador to the United States and is being investigated over information he may have passed to Epstein while holding other government positions. The former prince known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office, also related to confidential information he may have passed to Epstein. The former prime minister of Norway was charged with aggravated corruption over his Epstein links. All of these individuals deny wrongdoing. But the arrests and investigations show that action is possible when governments have the courage to take on powerful individuals. So why hasn’t there been action until now? The truth is that no one has been willing to take on powerful interests. President Franklin D. Roosevelt warned of the “economic royalists” — wealthy and connected individuals who concentrated power and sought to rig the system against the working class. The emergence of the Epstein class is not so different. The arrests and investigations show that action is possible when governments have the courage to take on powerful individuals. For years, the wealthy have influenced our government and political system by pouring money into elections. That is how they secured tax breaks, dragged us into foreign wars and steered policies that benefit them over the working class. This is why I have stood for banning super PACs and getting money out of politics. I don’t take a dime of PAC money. We need to take our government back for the people. That means rooting out corruption, dismantling ICE and creating a government that is going to provide Medicare for all, universal child care and a living wage. It also means justice for the survivors of Epstein’s abuses, putting an end to elite impunity and prosecuting those who were involved in Epstein’s crimes. Ultimately, that is why it is so important that Americans are gathering this weekend. This show of unity should remind our country that the people, not just the wealthy few, hold the power.
Rep. Ro Khanna
Ro Khanna represents California's 17th congressional district in the House of Representatives. 
