Sen. Eric Schmitt on the Epstein files

Sen. Eric Schmitt: I think more needs to be done on transparency. There’s no doubt about that. Any credible information that can come out should come out.

I will also say that the Southern District of New York had those files. James Comey’s daughter was the lawyer handling this in the Southern District of New York. So it’s strange how that works.

Tucker Carlson: I don’t know what that means, but I do think that more transparency would be a good thing.

You often hear that now you’re in a position to receive classified information. I’m sure you have meetings in the famous SCIF from time to time.

We often hear: we can’t tell you that for reasons of national security, privacy, whatever — all these different reasons. We have more than a billion classified federal documents, like, why?

Sen. Eric Schmitt: Yes, there should be more transparency. I agree with you, and I’ve heard you talk about this before. There’s way too much material hidden under what’s called classified.

A lot of that material should never have been classified in the first place. It’s a great way to never have to be transparent with the American people and, by the way, it contributes to this lack of trust you’re talking about.

Senator Eric Schmitt has been clear in his stance on the need for greater transparency in the U.S. government, particularly regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files and the federal document classification system. Schmitt has stated that “any credible information that can come out, should come out,” further pointing out that it is suspicious that the Southern District of New York, under the supervision of the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, handled those files. “Americans are curious, I am too… I feel the government has lied to us a lot,” he recently declared, emphasizing that secrecy breeds distrust.

In the Senate, Schmitt introduced the Transparency in Bureaucratic Communications Act, an initiative that would require federal agencies to inform Congress of any coordination with major tech platforms on censorship. The goal is to stop what he considers covert collusion between agencies and social media, reinforcing accountability and freedom of expression.

His concern over excessive secrecy is also reflected in his support for the Classification Reform for Transparency Act, a bill aimed at reforming the U.S. classification system. Currently, it is estimated that more than 90% of classified federal documents could be made public without endangering national security, yet the government keeps them hidden. For Schmitt, much of this material should never have been classified in the first place, and excessive secrecy is used as a mechanism to avoid transparency with the American people.

Taken together, Senator Schmitt’s message is clear: transparency should not be the exception, but the rule. His proposals and statements are aimed at reducing censorship, limiting the abusive classification of documents, and ensuring that citizens have access to truthful information. According to him, only then can trust between the government and the people begin to be restored.