It took a public challenge from a congressional Democrat to draw the first prominent Republican response to an Alabama state lawmaker's arrest on attempted sex trafficking charges.

Roughly two weeks have passed since Alabama State Rep. Brett Easterbrook was arrested in an undercover sting and accused of offering $500 to someone he believed was a minor. In that time, state political leaders have offered little public reaction, and no prominent Republican had called on him to resign.

Easterbrook, a Fruitdale Republican who has represented House District 65, a rural district in southwest Alabama, since 2018, was caught up in an October operation involving undercover police officers that produced 17 arrests. An arrest is not a conviction, and Easterbrook's case remains in its early stages.

Pressure from U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Democrat who accused Republicans of staying quiet because Easterbrook is one of their own, ultimately pushed the state's first prominent Republican to take a stand.

“Unless this guy’s defense is that it literally wasn’t him, he should resign immediately,” Figures wrote in a Friday Facebook post. “Taxpayers shouldn’t be paying your salary if you’re out here trying to … abuse kids. … This ‘I’ll be quiet when he’s one of us’ attitude is truly pathetic. That’s the exact same reason all the Epstein files still haven’t been released.”

Figures then directly challenged Republican state Rep. Rhett Marques: “What do you think, Rhett Marques? Wanna debate this?” He added: “You can hear crickets right now on this, my current opponent included.”

A short time later, AL.com reported, Marques responded.

“He absolutely should resign, and should have already resigned,” Marques said. “There is no place in the Alabama Legislature for conduct so deplorable, and I have no hesitation saying that about a member of my own party.”

Marques then went on the attack, criticizing Democrats over transgender healthcare for minors and calling Figures “a hypocrite and a liar.” He sought to turn the Epstein argument back on his rival, claiming: “When [Figures] worked for Joe Biden’s DOJ, they didn’t release the Epstein files. They released violent criminals from prison.” Figures previously served as deputy chief of staff and counselor to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Figures, in turn, accused Marques of demanding Easterbrook's resignation only after being publicly challenged and shamed.

“Rhett Marques had no intention of calling on his colleague to resign until he saw that I did it,” Figures said.

Attention now turns to whether more Alabama Republicans follow Marques in publicly calling for Easterbrook to step aside — and whether Easterbrook resigns or faces any formal action in the State House as the case moves through the courts.

The dispute unfolds against the backdrop of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Months after Congress passed — and President Donald Trump signed — the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025, a law demanding the release of the entirety of the Epstein files, the public is still waiting for pertinent names and details of Epstein's possible accomplices to be revealed. The administration's reticence — coupled with Trump's open friendship with Epstein over the past few decades — has driven even members of his dedicated MAGA base to turn on him.

Trump may yet face an "Epstein explosion" in the months ahead, particularly before the 2028 presidential election, as Democrats with renewed access begin to chip away at hidden details within the files.

This article was originally published by Alternet.