House Votes 427-1 to Release Epstein Files After Months of Delay, Sparking Heated Debate

The House of Representatives passed a near-unanimous bill Tuesday requiring the Justice Department to release files related to convicted felon Jeffrey Epstein. Lawmakers voted 427-1 to approve the legislation, ending months of delays by GOP leadership.

Known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the bill mandates that the Justice Department make public files involving Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days of the bill becoming law. Some information, including survivors’ personal data and other sensitive material, will remain protected.

President Trump dropped his opposition to the measure earlier this week, allowing House Republicans to support its passage. However, several GOP members criticized the vote as a political stunt, claiming Democrats were using the files to target the former president.

The vote followed a prolonged push in the House, with four Republicans joining Democrats last week to sign a petition demanding the issue reach the floor. House Speaker Mike Johnson opposed the petition but ultimately supported the bill, stating he expects the Senate to address what he described as “serious deficiencies” in the legislation.

Trump took to social media to express his reaction, in which he downplayed the issue and focused on other accomplishments of his Administration. “I don’t care when the Senate passes the House Bill, whether tonight, or at some other time in the near future, I just don’t want Republicans to take their eyes off all of the Victories that we’ve had, including THE GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, Closed Borders, No Men in Women’s Sports, ending DEl, stopping Biden’s Record Setting Inflation, Biggest Tax and Regulation Cuts in History, stopping EIGHT Wars, rebuilding our Military, being RESPECTED by every Country in the World, having Trillions of Dollars INVESTED in the U.S.A., having created the “HOTTEST” Country anywhere in the World, and even delivering a HUGE DEFEAT to the Democrats on the Shutdown. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, however, signaled that the upper chamber is unlikely to amend the bill due to its overwhelming support in the House. “My assumption is that the president sounds like he’s prepared to sign it, so I’d assume we’ll move fairly quickly over here,” Thune told reporters.

Thune acknowledged Speaker Johnson’s concerns but suggested the Senate probably would not make changes. “I think there are some things he’d like to change, but you got a 427 to 1 vote, it’s probably not likely to happen,” he said.

In a 217-210 vote, the House also approved a procedural rule linked to the bill that effectively kills the discharge petition once the measure moves to the Senate. The rule, passed by the House Rules Committee Monday, states: “Finally, the rule provides that upon transmission to the Senate of a message that the House has passed H.R. 4405, House Resolution 581 shall be laid on the table.”

Republican Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana was the sole member to vote against the bill. On X, Higgins explained that releasing the files could inadvertently harm innocent people.

“I have been a principled ‘NO’ on this bill from the beginning. What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today. It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America. As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people – witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc. If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt. Not by my vote,” Higgins wrote.

Higgins’ concerns mirrored those of Johnson and other GOP lawmakers, who argue that the bill should be modified to prevent the release of material that could compromise ongoing investigations. Supporters counter that the bill includes protections for sensitive information.

“The Oversight Committee is conducting a thorough investigation that has already released well over 60,000 pages of documents from the Epstein case. That effort will continue in a manner that provides all due protections for innocent Americans. If the Senate amends the bill to properly address [the] privacy of victims and other Americans, who are named but not criminally implicated, then I will vote for that bill when it comes back to the House,” Higgins added.

The House approved the measure after months of delay and pushback from GOP leaders. All Democrats and most Republicans supported the bill, with Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana as the lone opponent.

The vote came after Democrats and four Republicans successfully forced the measure onto the House floor. As support among Republicans grew, Mr. Trump withdrew his opposition, clearing the way for other GOP members to vote in favor.

Before the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson reiterated his concerns about the bill’s language. “I told my members today I’ll be voting yes on this, and I suspect almost everyone will. We’ll send it to the Senate and we’ll hope it is corrected,” Johnson said, while calling the vote a “political exercise” by Democrats.

GOP and Democratic lawmakers clashed during debate. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said the vote represented Democrats’ ongoing “obsession” with targeting Trump, though he urged a “yes” vote to allow the chamber to focus on other issues.

During debate, Democrats yielded time to Republicans who led the discharge petition. Rep. Thomas Massie called the day “extraordinary,” saying: “If my colleagues will vote on this measure, we’ll see justice triumph over politics. Truth will triumph over deception and obfuscation. Transparency will triumph over dark money. Partisanship will fall away to bipartisanship. Grassroots, the people — we’ll reclaim the people’s House with this vote.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged to move for immediate Senate consideration. “Republicans have spent months trying to protect Donald Trump and hide what’s in the files,” he said. “Americans are tired of waiting and are demanding to see the truth.”

House Speaker Johnson told reporters he will vote for the bill while pressing for amendments to protect victims and sensitive material. He called the vote a “political show vote,” noting that the most valuable documents so far have been released by Epstein’s estate and the Oversight Committee.

Epstein survivor Danielle Bensky urged full disclosure in an interview with CBS News. “We need the facts before we can move forward,” she said. “We want them to release everything.”

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced he is “stepping back from public commitments” following the release of his communications with Epstein. “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein,” he said.

Rep. Thomas Massie warned that any Senate attempts to amend the bill could serve as a delay tactic. “We’ve needlessly spent four months dragging this out. It’s time to pull the Band-Aid off. The Senate, it may be tempting for them to get cute and to do things that will limit the release of these documents. They’re afraid that people will be embarrassed. Well that’s the whole point here. They need to be brought to justice,” Massie said.