House Passes Bill to Release Epstein Files After Monthslong Fight
Trump has decried effort as a Democratic ‘hoax’ but says he will sign measure if Congress sends it to his desk
WASHINGTON—The House passed legislation Tuesday mandating the disclosures of a trove of government files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a milestone in a long-running fight that divided the Republican Party and President Trump’s MAGA movement.
The 427-1 vote came after a band of Republicans bucked party leaders and joined with Democrats to force the matter over the opposition of GOP leadership. The one lawmaker to vote against the measure was Rep. Clay Higgins (R., La.).
Epstein survivors and their backers in Congress fought “so hard against the most powerful people in the world, even the president of the United States, in order to make this vote happen today,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.), whom Trump tagged as a traitor over her push to release the files.
“Watching this actually turn into a fight has ripped MAGA apart,” she said.
Trump blasted the effort for months, saying it was a Democratic-driven campaign to embarrass Republicans and distract from GOP policy wins. But as it became clear that dozens of Republicans were likely to break ranks and support the measure to force the Justice Department to release documents, he reversed course. He said he supported passage of the bill and would sign it into law if it got to his desk, while continuing to call it a “hoax.”
Trump’s comments cleared the way for more Republicans to support the measure, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.), who had criticized the effort and its GOP backers.
Ahead of the vote, survivors of Epstein’s abuse as teenagers held a press conference Tuesday alongside Greene and other main bill proponents, Reps. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D. Calif.). Victims expressed frustration with past Democratic and Republican administrations’ lack of action but particularly targeted Trump and GOP lawmakers, for what they saw as their efforts to block or slow down the files’ release.
“Your career is in front of you, and that choice will follow you,” said Haley Robson, a survivor of Epstein’s abuse, to lawmakers, while holding a photo of herself as a child. “Everybody will know.” Another Epstein victim, Jena Lisa Jones, added: “I’m begging you, President Trump, stop making this political.”
Trump has said he cut off ties with Epstein long before the financier was first arrested in 2006. Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008. Trump and Epstein socialized together in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump later banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club, the White House has said. Epstein died in 2019 in jail after he was arrested a second time and charged with sex trafficking conspiracy.
Trump, in comments to reporters Tuesday, said he has “nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert, and I guess I turned out to be right.”
The legislation needed two-thirds of House lawmakers—roughly 290 members—to pass, under fast-track procedures. It now goes to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) hasn’t said whether he would take up the bill.
Bill supporters aired concerns that the Justice Department might not fully comply if the measure becomes law. Justice Department officials could cite a number of reasons why the material should stay under wraps, but it wasn’t clear whether they would do so. A department spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Justice Department could also cite as a continuing investigation a review Trump recently ordered into Epstein’s relationship with former President Bill Clinton and other Democrats. Attorney General Pam Bondi assigned the investigation to Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, but shared no further details of what the probe would cover.
In comments Tuesday at a press conference, Johnson made clear he wasn’t happy about the legislation, which he said amounted to “a political show vote” by Democrats who were trying to embarrass Trump after ignoring the issue when they had more power. He said the bill has insufficient privacy protections for victims who haven’t stepped forward publicly and could lead to the distribution of child pornography. Johnson said he hoped the Senate would amend the legislation.
The lives of victims and other innocent people “would be made to suffer more harm if Congress is not careful in what we’re doing,” Johnson said.
Backers of the bill said it has sufficient protections, and the legislation allows the attorney general to redact or withhold information that would identify victims. Massie said that Congress could add additional privacy measures, but that would require a new round of votes. He called the objections a “red herring,” noting the support from Epstein survivors for the legislation.
Democrats highlighted Trump’s last-minute decision to support the bill.
“Donald Trump appears to have chickened out on the Epstein scandal,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) said. “He’s caved. It’s a complete and total surrender.”
Heading into Trump’s second term, many MAGA supporters were demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case, thinking there was a list of powerful men whose identities were being protected. Earlier this year, Bondi told Fox News that a list of Epstein’s clients was “sitting on my desk right now to review,” then in February announced the release of a first set of documents.
But the material contained few revelations, drawing criticism from right-wing influencers. In July, the Justice Department backtracked on Bondi’s pledge to release more files, saying that after an “exhaustive review,” it had found no “incriminating client list” or additional documents warranting public disclosure. Amid pressure on Capitol Hill, the House Oversight Committee over the summer sent subpoenas to the Justice Department and the Epstein estate seeking documents related to Epstein.
The discharge petition put forth in early September by Massie reached its 218th signature earlier this month, after the long delayed swearing-in of Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D., Ariz.). She won her election in late September but Johnson had declined to install her, citing the government shutdown and his decision to keep the House out of session until it was resolved. Her signature was the crucial one needed to force House leadership to hold a vote.
After the House vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and his colleagues are expected to “launch an all-out blitz pressuring Thune to bring it to the floor for a vote,” according to a Senate Democratic aide.
Two Senate Republicans—Josh Hawley of Missouri and Rand Paul of Kentucky—already have cast votes to advance a companion Senate measure, and at least two others, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, have indicated that they support the release of records. In the 53-47 GOP-led Senate, a total of 13 Republicans are needed to join Democrats in order to hit the 60-vote threshold needed to advance legislation.