The short answer is the Democrats were trying to tie the release to the annual defense authorization bill. It was dirty politics trick to force Republicans to either look bad or mess up the defense spending authorization.
Now, Dems can say, "So what are the Republicans hiding?" They aren't hiding anything, they had no choice but to vote no to keep defense spending authorization alive.
These Demonrats know no limits to their deceit and trickery.
The demon rat party has clearly been taken over by satan.
Does a cornered rat politely surrender?
They can and Trump already authorized its release, the Dems just wanted to tie it to a vote, which is not needed to release anything. This is all smoke and mirrors.
I'm not sure what all is left that can be released. They already released most of it, Bondi said under no circumstances will she release video that is just terabytes of child pornography. Both the Florda and New York courts refuse to unseal the trial evidence and testimony, so even the DOJ has no access to that stuff. All I know of that is out there that we have not seen are the recent Ghislaine Maxwell depositions from the last month or so. Bondi can release that anytime she wants unless those depositions lead to new open investigations.
If new investigations have opened because of the Maxwell depositions do not expect to see any of that until after prosecutions have taken place. So, as of right now, we have everything they can lawfully give us without tipping their hand on ongoing investigations.
One single person is in prison and/or implicated based on what has been released so far.
Saying nothing else can be released is like saying I guess it was just Jeffrey and Ghislaine after all.
34,000 pages have been released, everything the FBI has besides CP has been released. The only thing not released are Ghislane Maxell recent depositions, which may have triggered new investigations and that which "the Fucking Courts" sealed and will not unseal. The DOJ has no access, the FBI has no access and is ordered by the courts in Florida and New York to remain sealed, they denied petitions to have them unsealed.
So, what is left to released troll? You show me your smoking gun evidence of is being held back.
Republicans are currently the only ones in both the House and Senate that are voting against the release of the files every chance they are given.
This wasn't going to "mess up the defense spending authorization" because that is going to pass. The question here is do we get defense authorization and the release of the Epstein files or do we get defense authorization and not the release of the Epstein files.