• White House officials met with GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert in Situation Room Wednesday
• Meeting addressed bipartisan House effort to force vote on Epstein file release
• Boebert not expected to remove name from discharge petition after meeting

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — Trump administration officials held a Situation Room meeting Wednesday with Representative Lauren Boebert to discuss bipartisan efforts in the House to force a vote on releasing Justice Department files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, multiple sources confirmed to CNN.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged the meeting during a briefing, defending the administration’s transparency while declining to provide details about discussions that took place in the underground Situation Room, typically reserved for classified national security matters.

Boebert stands firm on petition support

The Colorado Republican, who has publicly demanded the Justice Department release its Epstein files, met with administration officials including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel, according to sources familiar with the planning. Despite the high-level White House meeting, Boebert is not expected to remove her name from the discharge petition that would force a House vote, sources told CNN.

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10

President Trump has also been playing phone tag with Representative Nancy Mace, another Republican who signed the petition. The South Carolina lawmaker previously told CNN that rumors she planned to remove her name were untrue. Both the meeting and Trump’s outreach underscore the administration’s concerns about the Epstein controversy, which intensified Wednesday morning when House Democrats released new emails from Epstein’s estate referencing Trump.

Discharge petition reaches critical threshold

Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would require the Justice Department to release all unclassified documents related to its Epstein investigation. The bipartisan discharge petition needs 218 signatures to force a House floor vote bypassing Speaker Mike Johnson‘s opposition.

Representative Adelita Grijalva was sworn into Congress Wednesday afternoon, seven weeks after winning a special election in Arizona. Grijalva immediately provided the decisive 218th signature on the discharge petition, setting in motion a series of procedural steps that could lead to a House vote in early December.

All 212 House Democrats signed the petition, along with four Republicans: Massie, Boebert, Mace, and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Under House rules, seven legislative days must pass before the petition can advance, giving Johnson up to two additional legislative days to schedule a vote.

White House defends transparency record

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE THE DUPREE REPORT

Leavitt defended the administration’s handling of the Epstein matter during Wednesday’s press briefing. “Doesn’t that show the level of transparency when we are willing to sit down with members of Congress and address their concerns?” she said, refusing to detail what officials told Boebert or explain why the meeting occurred in the Situation Room rather than a standard office.

Trump has repeatedly dismissed calls for releasing the Epstein files as a “Democratic hoax,” despite bipartisan support from lawmakers and public pressure from his own political base. The administration reversed its earlier pledge to release the files after the DOJ announced in July it found no evidence of an “incriminating client list” or information warranting additional prosecutions.

Johnson has opposed the discharge petition as “reckless,” arguing the House Oversight Committee investigation already provides adequate transparency. The committee has released more than 33,000 pages of documents from both the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate, though critics note most material was previously public.

Should national security facilities be used for political meetings about congressional oversight efforts, or does this signal the gravity administration officials place on the Epstein matter?

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10