Democrats on Wednesday ramped up pressure on Republicans over the Jeffrey Epstein files, turning to an arcane rule to attempt to force the release of the documents that have become a significant pain point for the Trump administration and Republicans.

Led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), they are seeking the documents via the “rule of five,” which dates to a 1928 law and requires government agencies to hand over information if any five lawmakers on a Senate or House panel — in this case the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee — request them.

The rule is relatively untested in the courts, but that isn’t stopping Democrats from using it to turn the screws on an issue that has divided the GOP.

“This is not complicated,” Schumer said at a press conference on Wednesday. “Every single time Trump, his administration [and] Republican leaders have had a chance to be transparent about the Epstein files, they’ve chosen to hide.”

Schumer was not only flanked by Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.), the committee’s top Democrat, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), but also a sizable placard tying President Trump to Epstein, who died in federal prison six years ago while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.

The picture showed an image of Trump and Epstein at an event, with the president being quoted as saying the disgraced financier was a “terrific guy,” “a lot of fun to be with” and “likes beautiful women as much as I do.”

Schumer and all seven Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee signed on to a letter to the Department of Justice demanding the files.

“After missteps and failed promises by your Department regarding these files, it is essential that the Trump Administration provide full transparency,”

© The Hill