Both chambers of Congress have agreed to direct the US Justice Department to release its files on sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the measure with a 427-1 vote, while the Senate fast-tracked the bill without a formal vote.
This legislative action comes shortly after President Donald Trump switched his position, urging Congress to disclose the records amid public pushback from his supporters. The White House had recently denied any wrongdoing by Trump, following the release of over 20,000 pages of documents that mentioned him.
Republican Clay Higgins of Louisiana was the only objector in the House, expressing concern that releasing the information could harm innocent individuals. Trump's surprising shift from opposition to stating that there was 'nothing to hide' caught many in Washington off guard, especially given the Republican congressional leadership's alignment with his previous stance against the disclosure.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had called the push to release Epstein's files a 'Democrat hoax' but voted for their release on Tuesday.
The bill arrived in the Senate sooner than expected after the House vote and was pushed through using a procedure known as unanimous consent, allowing it to quickly proceed to Trump, who is anticipated to sign the bill into law.
Trump could have ordered the release without Congressional approval, but the bill specifies that Attorney General Pam Bondi must release all unclassified records and documents related to Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, within 30 days post-enactment.
Materials to be disclosed include internal communications and flight logs, although the bill permits Bondi to withhold information that could jeopardize ongoing investigations or identify victims.
Epstein, who died in a New York prison cell in 2019, faced charges of sex trafficking and had previously been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008. Trump and Epstein had previously socialized, but the president claimed to have cut ties with Epstein prior to the latter's 2008 conviction.
Recently released correspondences among Epstein, Maxwell, and Trump have fueled speculation about the extent of Trump's connections to Epstein, although the White House maintains that these emails were selectively leaked by Democratic lawmakers to create a false narrative against the president.
The push for releasing the files was spearheaded by bipartisan efforts from Congress members Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, who have urged for transparency in the investigations that failed to protect many victims from Epstein's crimes.
Survivors of Epstein’s abuse, including Annie Farmer, have criticized the withholding of these files as an 'institutional betrayal' that has allowed further harm to many individuals.
