A bill to force the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to divulge the case files it has collected on the late financier Jeffrey Epstein will be put to a vote in the House on Tuesday. This overcomes a month-long attempt by Republican leaders and President Donald Trump to thwart the initiative.
Since the House returned to Washington following a nearly two-month hiatus due to the government shutdown, the demand for more disclosure in the long-running sex trafficking probe against Epstein has surged. New information from a batch of Epstein’s emails greeted legislators upon their return last week, including allegations that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s home with a victim of sex trafficking and that he “knew about the girls.”
One of the few times that Trump has been unable to show nearly complete control of his party was demonstrated by the recent disclosures and the upcoming election. Trump signaled on Monday that he might sign the plan if it passes both chambers of Congress, caving in to the growing momentum behind it.
Since Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019, the sex trafficking case involving him has only gained political clout. He was accused of sexually abusing and trafficking minors, and since then, numerous other women have reported being abused by the powerful businessman.
Many senators also contend that the DOJ should make its Epstein case files public, claiming that doing so could demonstrate that others knew about or complicit in Epstein’s sexual abuse. Using a rarely effective measure known as a discharge petition, House Democrats and a few influential Republicans have been able to force a vote on the bill to accomplish it.
Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson shifted their stance from open opposition to statements of indifference as it became clear that the bill would pass the House, most likely with strong support from Republican lawmakers.
“Here’s what I want: We have nothing to do with Epstein. The Democrats do,” Trump told reporters, adding that he believed the issue was taking attention from his achievements.
In July, Reps Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, filed a petition to compel a vote on their bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
All Democrats in the House and four Republicans, including Massie and Representatives Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Nancy Mace of South Carolina, supported the effort.
The Epstein petition reached the crucial number of 218, or a majority in the 435-member House, when Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva signed it shortly after taking office on Wednesday.
After she was sworn in, Johnson announced that he would expedite the petition process to bring the bill to the House for a vote this week.
Claims that he blocked the Epstein legislation to shield Trump or others have been refuted by the speaker. Last week, he told reporters that the Republican majority objected to the phrasing of the bill because it did not sufficiently protect victims.
Johnson has also frequently cited the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s ongoing inquiry into Epstein’s sexual abuse. The committee’s controlling Republicans have also drawn attention to Epstein’s ties to Democrats, particularly former President Bill Clinton.
The oversight panel released Epstein’s emails as part of the 20,000 pages of documents it acquired from his estate.
Democrats on the committee claim that the Justice Department’s response to the committee’s subpoena for its Epstein case files has been inadequate.
The bill would compel the DOJ to make public all correspondence and data pertaining to Epstein as well as any details regarding the inquiry into his death while incarcerated in a federal facility.
However, because of “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary,” the department would not be permitted to redact information.
On Tuesday morning, several lawmakers and survivors of Epstein’s abuse are scheduled to appear outside the Capitol.
It is quite likely that the bill will pass the House, but its prospects in the Senate are uncertain.
A majority of the House already supports it, and more Republicans are anticipated to back it in response to calls from their constituents.
The Senate, where Republicans have a 53–47 majority, will present a more difficult test.