Colorado Midterm Ad Puts Epstein Files Fight on Camera
Democrats have released a midterm television ad featuring the brother and sister-in-law of Virginia Giuffre that targets Colorado Republican Rep. Jeff Crank and backs his Democratic challenger Jessica Killin.
The spot features Sky Roberts, the brother of Giuffre, and his wife Amanda Roberts speaking directly to camera. Giuffre was one of the most prominent victims of Jeffrey Epstein and died by suicide in 2025, according to reporting published Oct. 5, 2026. KVIA/CNN
In the ad, Sky and Amanda Roberts accuse Crank of refusing to meet with them and of voting to block a vote to release federal investigative files relating to Epstein. Sky Roberts says in the ad that Crank covered up Epstein's crimes to protect Donald Trump. The New York Times The ad is running as a TV spot for Killin criticizing the incumbent in Colorado's 5th District. Colorado Sun
Crank's record on the files issue has two stages. The Roberts family criticism centers on an earlier procedural vote — a vote about whether to allow a vote — to block consideration of release. Crank later supported the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which authorized release of Epstein documents in a near-unanimous vote. The Guardian His office issued a press release titled 'Crank Votes to Release Epstein Files, Fights for Transparency and Accountability.'
The legislative vehicle was H.R. 4405 in the 119th Congress (2025-2026), the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which became Public Law No. 119-38. House Roll Call Vote 289 was a 2/3 recorded vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the Act, a fast-track path that needs a supermajority. A follow-on measure, H.R. 9694, listed July 15, 2026, is the Epstein Files Transparency Act II to amend the Epstein Files Transparency Act with respect to enforcement.
Sky and Amanda Roberts are not first-time participants in the files fight. They previously stood outside Crank's Colorado Springs office to urge him to support a bill. In summer 2026 they urged senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee to block the confirmation of Attorney General Todd Blanche. They also criticized a Department of Justice decision to restrict release of unredacted files to Epstein investigators in New Mexico. In February 2026 they attended Donald Trump's State of the Union address as guests of Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Maryland congressman and top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. The Guardian
The Colorado spot is the first midterm ad to feature family members of an Epstein victim. The New York Times identified 35 congressional races with ads mentioning Epstein. A version titled "CO-05: Virginia" was posted to the DCCCVideo YouTube channel on Oct. 2, 2026. The channel lists 6.19K subscribers. The video was listed as Unlisted and had 5,218 views three days after publication.
The broader context here is a dispute over sequencing and procedural votes. Democrats are using the earlier vote to block consideration as evidence of obstruction. Republicans in Crank's position point to the later near-unanimous vote for Public Law 119-38 as evidence of support for disclosure. Both claims can be technically accurate at different legislative stages. That duality is common when suspension motions, discharge efforts and final-passage votes produce different roll calls.
Looking at what this means for the midterms, the use of victim family members changes the structure of the Epstein messaging. Most of the 35 races with Epstein mentions rely on archival footage and voiceover. Direct-to-camera testimony from relatives personalizes a document fight that otherwise turns on motions, redactions and enforcement provisions. It also raises the stakes for incumbents who split their votes between procedural control and final passage, since opponents can isolate the earlier vote in a 30-second format.
