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Summer Lee: “In a normal time, we would have checks and balances.”

Featuring: Summer Lee, Democratic | U.S. House Pennsylvania, District 12

Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This

Published June 23, 2026 | Video Starts at 08:16

No. And we already know that he. Everything he's been doing has been a stress test on the system. And that is true. And the problem right now is, is that In a normal time, we would have checks and balances. Those checks and balances would be the legisl in the judicial branch. But we don't have those checks and balances right now. (08:16–08:20)

CLAIM

Asserts that the current political climate lacks the usual checks and balances.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Summer Lee

“We also have subpoenas to other institutions. So it's not just the doj. We have subpoenas out to Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan Chase and a couple…”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 06:08-06:18
“AIPAC is $98 million right now, crazy cash on hand.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 23:49-23:51
“The subpoena that we got actually goes a step farther in the sense that, yeah, it's not supposed to be redacted, but for any survivors…”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 01:23-01:32
“They [AIPAC] go to black and brown districts, they go to these urban centers.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 01:54-24:42
“This was the first time that we were able to nail Republicans on any sort of bipartisan effort.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 02:45-02:52
“I think we're actually up to half now.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 03:34-03:37
“But they're saying that they will give nothing else for that bill.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 03:37-03:41
“None of those are exempted in our subpoena.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 04:34-04:38
“I introduced the amendment. Right to hold Pam Bondi and the DOJ in contempt.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 04:44-04:49
“They are actively in contempt of our subpoena.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 04:48-04:53
“The Epstein Estate is actually where we got a lot of this information.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 06:17-06:22
“We still had depositions that are coming up with like, Ghislaine Maxwell with one of the people who the survivors have told us is just…”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 06:21-06:33
“There just is not enough acknowledgement of what Republicans have been handed and who they are.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 07:47-07:54
“Everything [Donald Trump] has been doing has been a stress test on the system.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 08:10-08:14
“DOJ is incredibly weaponized. This is Donald Trump's DOJ.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 11:03-11:09
“Donald Trump's DHS has deputized ICE as a largely Donald Trump army.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 11:06-11:18
“The Voting Rights Act is in the courts right now. There's every indication that it will not survive.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 13:55-14:02
“The gerrymandering efforts we're seeing today are going to be amplified by 2028.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 14:02-14:09
“Most of the districts that we're going to lose will be [black majority] districts.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 14:10-14:12
“Without the Voting Rights Act, there is nothing in our history that tells us that these people in these districts will be protected anymore.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 14:35-14:43
“Democrats have to stop running cover for ICE.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 17:13-17:16
“ICE has been an institution that has terrorized neighborhoods throughout our country.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 17:36-17:44
“The abuses that [ICE has] been able to get away with have been with a blank check next to it and supporting it.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 17:44-19:10
“ICE is already not following the law.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 19:07-19:10
“We need to reimagine what our immigration policy looks like from the ground up.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 19:21-19:27
“Crypto has millions and millions of dollars.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 23:51-23:54
“Pharma can maintain, big oil and gas.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 23:53-23:57
“Working class people are being crushed by everything from Republican tariffs to Democratic apathy.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 24:20-24:31
“We need to re up that effort [for the Affordable Care Act].”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 29:59-30:02
“Pittsburgh want affordable housing. They want to own housing in their neighborhoods.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 30:05-30:10
“It's money in politics. It is taking on ICE. It's calling out the authoritarianism.”
Forcing the Release of the Epstein Files | Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) | Let's Address This | Uploaded June 23, 2026 | 30:09-30:15