The House of Representatives voted nearly unanimously to release the Epstein files on Tuesday afternoon; the final tally was 427-1. The legislation now moves to the Senate, where changes are expected, which will delay its final passage.
This was the culmination of a monthslong effort by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who worked to force a vote on the measure over the objections of Republican leadership in Congress and President Donald Trump.
“We fought the president, the attorney general, the FBI director, the speaker of the house and the vice president to get this win,” Massie said. “They are finally on the side of justice.”
Massie filed a discharge petition in September to force a vote on the bill after it became clear that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., would not allow it to be brought up for consideration. Massie needed 218 signatures for the petition to be successful, which he got by joining with three other Republicans and 214 Democrats.
“Most discharge petitions never make it. Maybe only four percent. So we had long odds,” Massie said.
What will be released?
For anything to be released, the bill needs Senate approval and Trump’s signature. If and when that happens, the Department of Justice would be obligated to publicly disclose nearly everything in its possession regarding Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The disclosure would include all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials related to Epstein’s detention and death, plea agreements, immunity deals, and settlements. The DOJ would also have to make public flight logs of aircraft that were owned or used by Epstein, individuals named in connection with his criminal activities, and internal DOJ communications regarding the investigation and decisions on criminally charging him.
There is a provision included that allows the DOJ to withhold or redact portions that include personally identifiable information about victims, child sexual abuse materials, or information that could jeopardize an ongoing investigation or prosecution.
The bill explicitly states the DOJ may not withhold or redact information on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm or politics.
Senate to make changes
Johnson, who voted for the measure, confirmed that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will seek to amend the bill to address privacy concerns.
Speaker Johnson said the legislation was written with imprecise language, which could allow for the release of: information about victims who wish to remain anonymous, classified information, child sexual abuse material, including photos, and information about innocent people who never committed a crime.
If the Senate alters the bill in any way, it has to return to the House to be approved again before it can go to the president.
House members who sponsored the petition urged the Senate to act quickly.
“It should go straight to the Senate, and it should be signed — no amendments, no adding loopholes. Justice is long overdue,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said.
“Don’t muck it up in the Senate. Don’t get too cute. We’re all paying attention,” Massie said. “If you want to add some additional protections for these survivors, go for it. But if you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people and you are not part of this effort.”
Trump’s last-second, surprise support
In a 180-degree turn, President Trump not only said he wants Republicans to vote for the bill, but also that he would sign it into law.
“All I want is for people to recognize the great job that I’ve done — on pricing, on affordability,” Trump said Monday. “We’ve done a great job, and I hate to see that deflect from the great job that we’ve done.”
It was an extraordinary reversal for Trump, who publicly and privately pressured Republican lawmakers to take their names off the discharge petition, which forced the vote on the bill. He also called the Epstein saga a “Democratic hoax.”
Based on public statements made before the president said he supports the bill, there were already enough House Republicans going to vote yes to get it approved.
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