Key Takeaways
- House Overrides Leadership: Despite months of internal resistance, the House voted 427 to 1 to compel the DOJ to release unclassified Epstein files, with both parties uniting to force transparency.
- Trump Reverses Course: After previously opposing the legislation, President Trump backed the measure once it became clear Republicans would overwhelmingly support it, saying “it’s time to move on.”
- Survivors Lead the Charge: Epstein’s accusers gathered at the Capitol, celebrating the vote and pushing back against claims the bill fails to protect victims, arguing the legislation includes strong safeguards.
The House delivered a political thunderclap Tuesday with a 427 to 1 vote directing the Department of Justice to release long-sealed Jeffrey Epstein files, ending months of infighting, finger-pointing, and high-stakes maneuvering between Republicans, Democrats, and even the Trump camp. The lone “no” vote came from Rep. Clay Higgins, but the real story is how a bill that GOP leaders tried to stall for months suddenly sailed through with near-unanimous support.
President Trump, after resisting the proposal, reversed course over the weekend once it became clear Republicans were breaking ranks. Writing on Truth Social, he declared “it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics.” With the wind shifting, Speaker Mike Johnson voted in favor of the measure, citing “maximum transparency,” even as he warned the bill needs safeguards to protect victims and prevent innocent people from being dragged into guilt-by-association scandals.
Survivors of Epstein’s abuse gathered at the Capitol and erupted in applause when the vote closed — a rare moment of unity in Washington. But getting there meant bypassing GOP leadership entirely. Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna triggered a discharge petition, forcing the House to take the vote. Republicans Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace, and Marjorie Taylor Greene signed on despite pressure from Trump allies to reverse course.
Greene, who stood with Epstein’s accusers Tuesday morning, described the internal rift bluntly: the issue had “ripped MAGA apart.”
The bill orders the release of unclassified DOJ records relating to Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and others connected to the trafficking network. It also allows redactions to protect victims and prevent the release of child sexual abuse material, though some Republicans argue the language needs tightening. Johnson urged the Senate to “do what we have not been allowed to do” and strengthen those protections.
Democrats accuse GOP leaders of stalling for months to shield political interests, not victims. They say Trump’s last-minute reversal was a recognition that Republicans were facing a landslide defeat.
The Senate now takes up the measure, and Trump says he will sign it if it reaches his desk — a move that would finally inject full transparency into a scandal that has haunted Washington for years.