Hinson missed multiple votes on Epstein investigation

Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson has come under fire for accepting $90,000 from billionaire donors tied to sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. Now it appears she also missed multiple House votes aimed at exposing Epstein and holding his coconspirators accountable.

All of the missed votes occurred in the House Appropriations Committee, which Hinson serves on. While her absences likely did not affect any vote outcomes, they do raise questions about her commitment to protecting sexual assault survivors.

Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail shortly after being arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in August 2019. Most of Hinson’s missed votes were in September 2025, when Congress was debating compelling the release of Justice Department files related to the Epstein investigation. Many of Epstein’s victims were young girls.

On Sept. 3, 2025, she missed two votes: one intended to speed up the release of the files and another to block public funds from being used to prevent the release of visitor logs for Epstein’s residences and private jet.

Hinson missed votes again on Sept. 10, 2025, when the committee was considering multiple Epstein-related amendments to a federal funding bill. One of the amendments would have pressured the Justice Department to release records related to the prison transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s friend and romantic partner.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for aiding and abetting Epstein’s crimes. She was controversially transferred to a minimum-security prison in August 2025 after meeting with Trump administration officials, including future Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Hinson said she was “glad” when Blanche became attorney general.

Hinson was present for other amendment votes on Sept. 10, 2025, suggesting that she was in Washington D.C., despite missing the Epstein-related votes. 

The other amendments considered included one that would have prohibited the Justice Department from using funds to withhold or redact the Epstein files and another that would have required the attorney general to compile a report of all materials related to the investigation.

That same day, Hinson received two donations from billionaire Stephen A. Schwarzman, whose name appears in the Epstein files more than 20 times. Schwarzman gave $7,000 to Hinson’s U.S. Senate campaign and $5,000 to her leadership PAC.

Hinson initially declined to sign a petition forcing a House vote on the release of the Epstein files. She ultimately voted to release the files, however, when it came up in a floor vote.

In August, Hinson missed another committee vote on an amendment preventing public funds from being used to lift or bypass sanctions on alleged child traffickers.

 “For too long, the powerful have used their connections to dodge consequences,” said Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA), who introduced the provision. “This amendment stops taxpayer dollars from being used to lift sanctions on credible child traffickers.”

Hinson is running for the U.S. Senate in Iowa against Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek. It is expected to be one of the most competitive races of 2026.