John Deaton, Ed Markey Talk Jeffrey Epstein Files

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John Deaton, who mounted a Republican run against US Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2024, is still considering a 2026 campaign against her fellow Senate Democrat Ed Markey.

But he and Markey are in some alignment on one issue that’s roiling the White House and the ranks of Donald Trump supporters: Release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Deaton, a sex abuse survivor, dove into the online fray over the alleged government coverup involving Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting a trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

The outrage came after federal law enforcement officials said there is no “list” of powerful Epstein clients. Trump, whose campaign courted believers of an Epstein conspiracy theory, posted a statement demanding that people move on from the topic, and then floated a new conspiracy theory claiming former President Barack Obama created fake files.

Deaton, who didn’t vote for Trump but believes the list exists, said Trump is pouring fuel onto the fire and creating a divide within the ranks. “It’s like ‘Okay, there isn’t a list, but there is a list created by Obama,’” said Deaton, who blanked the presidential ballot in 2024.

Democrats say the Epstein uproar is the result of Trump indulging conspiracy theorists who now won’t take no for an answer. “You reap what you sow,” Markey said Monday. Asked whether he believes the list exists, he replied, “If Trump has nothing to hide, he should release any information his administration has.”

But Markey added that he felt the furor over the files is also a “distraction” from cuts to Medicaid, as well as solar and wind project funding. That’s where he and Deaton diverge.

“I find it odd he says it when Trump is president but probably not so much when Biden was president,” Deaton said. “It’s about transparency in government.”

Deaton, who moved to Massachusetts to run against Warren and still lives in the Worcester County town of Bolton, said he expects to make a call on a 2026 run later this year, likely in the fall.

Deaton told me, “I don’t think this issue is going away” for Trump. (Asked for comment, a spokesman for the MassGOP said he defers to Deaton as the Marine vet and lawyer weighs a Senate run.) Let me know what you think: [email protected].

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10:30 | Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development holds a public hearing on employment rights bills. A Sen. Jamie Eldridge bill (S 1311) would enable educators and other public employees to strike after six months of unsuccessful negotiations. | State House, Room B-2

11:15 | Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler, Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones, and Eastern Bank Executive Chair Bob Rivers celebrate $10 million in new state investments to expand access to English language services. The event highlights a multi-year commitment from the Eastern Bank Foundation to support career-focused ESOL services. | State House, Room 428

1:00 | Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources holds a public hearing on Gov. Maura Healey’s $2.9 billion environmental bond bill (S 2542). Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and other administration officials are set to testify. | State House, Room A-1

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