TLDR
Rep. Ro Khanna authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, read six redacted co-conspirator names on the House floor, and continues to push for full DOJ compliance with the law he wrote — making him the single member of Congress most identified with the transparency effort.
The Author of the Law
Rep. Ro Khanna represents California's 17th Congressional District — the heart of Silicon Valley — and is the primary author of H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The bill passed the House 427-1, cleared the Senate by unanimous consent, and was signed into law as P.L. 119-38 on November 19, 2025 (Epstein Files Transparency Act, Pub. L. No. 119-38, 2025). Khanna holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, has lectured at Stanford, and served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce under President Obama. He has represented CA-17 since 2017, with his office at 306 Cannon House Office Building, phone (202) 225-2631 (U.S. House of Representatives, 2026).
Khanna serves on both the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the Armed Services Committee, giving him oversight jurisdiction over DOJ compliance and national security dimensions of the Epstein corpus (PAPER TRAIL Project, 2026).
Six Names on the House Floor
In February 2026, Khanna took the extraordinary step of reading six redacted co-conspirator names on the House floor. These names appeared in unredacted files available at the DOJ annex but had been blacked out in public releases. By reading them into the congressional record, Khanna invoked the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution, which protects members of Congress from legal liability for statements made during legislative proceedings (PAPER TRAIL Project, 2026).
In a PBS NewsHour interview, Khanna stated that the files had been "scrubbed to protect elite, powerful men" (PBS NewsHour, 2026). This was not vague accusation — it was an assertion based on his direct comparison of redacted and unredacted versions of the same documents at the DOJ annex review station.
Legal Action Threats and Coalition Building
Khanna did not act alone. He joined with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Rep. Jamie Raskin, and Rep. Robert Garcia in threatening legal action against DOJ for noncompliance with P.L. 119-38 (PAPER TRAIL Project, 2026). The coalition represented both chambers and both the author of the law and the ranking members of the committees with enforcement jurisdiction.
DOJ had released approximately 3.5 million of 6 million-plus identified pages — roughly 58% compliance — and declared its January 30, 2026 release "fifth and final." The 42% gap represents approximately 2.5 million pages that DOJ identified as responsive but has not made public. Khanna's position is that the law he wrote contains no exception for embarrassment, political sensitivity, or institutional convenience (PAPER TRAIL Project, 2026).
What Silicon Valley Constituents Should Know
CA-17 voters sent Ro Khanna to Congress as a representative of one of the most educated and technologically sophisticated districts in the country. His constituents include engineers, lawyers, and entrepreneurs who understand document management, data integrity, and compliance frameworks. Khanna authored the law that requires full Epstein file disclosure, personally reviewed the unredacted files, identified names DOJ is concealing, read those names into the congressional record, and has threatened legal action to compel the remaining 42%. Whether that legal action materializes — and whether the law he wrote ultimately produces full compliance — is a question his constituents in San Jose, Fremont, and Sunnyvale are positioned to evaluate with particular sophistication.
The law Khanna authored compelled release of the 419 MCC surveillance videos that revealed 278 guard gaps, a 34% peak absence rate, and a phase-driven staffing failure — evidence that exists in the public record only because of P.L. 119-38. Rep. Massie filed the discharge petition that made it possible.
References
Epstein Files Transparency Act, Pub. L. No. 119-38 (2025). https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4405
PBS NewsHour. (2026). Interview with Rep. Ro Khanna on Epstein file redactions.
PAPER TRAIL Project. (2026). Congressional oversight actions, March 2026 [Data set].
PAPER TRAIL Project. (2026). DOJ compliance status [Data set].
U.S. House of Representatives. (2026). Member directory [Data set].
This investigation is part of the SubThesis accountability journalism network.