Representative Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee, said the reports emerging from the Jeffrey Epstein files contain satanic elements he believes “will shock the world,” adding that investigators and reporters are “just getting started” reviewing the documents. Burchett’s remarks, made in a video interview that began circulating widely online in mid-February 2026, come as fragments of the long-sealed Epstein files continue to surface following years of litigation and congressional pressure for their release. Burchett did not detail which specific documents he was referencing, but his comments were quickly amplified across social media, where they were framed as confirmation that the files contain ritualistic or occult material tied to Epstein’s known network of associates. One of the most widely circulated documents connected to the files is a 2019 FBI report summarizing an interview with a man who claimed to be an Epstein victim. According to a religious studies scholar who has reviewed the material, the man alleged his family was part of an ab*se ring and described ritualistic violence, claims the scholar noted bear a resemblance to allegations made during the Satanic Ritual Ab*se scare of the 1980s and 1990s, a panic that later collapsed after key witnesses were discredited. That historical parallel has left researchers divided over how to treat the newer claims. The scholar cautioned that such parallels are worth weighing carefully, writing that the goal is to keep the files’ verified evidence from being overshadowed by unverifiable claims, rather than to dismiss the broader collection outright. No portion of the Epstein files publicly reviewed to date has been independently confirmed to substantiate allegations of organized satanic ritual ab*se, and Burchett has not released or cited a specific document supporting his claim