The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to require the Trump administration to release all federal investigative files related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, whose history of sexual abuse has drawn renewed public attention in recent months. Lawmakers approved the bipartisan measure by a 427–1 margin, sending the legislation to the Republican-controlled Senate. Representative Clay Higgins of Texas cast the lone vote against the bill.
The initiative advanced after President Trump signaled to House Republicans that he supported the effort, reversing months of dismissive comments in which he characterized the significance of the Epstein files as unfounded. The administration’s prior reluctance to release the materials had intensified scrutiny from both parties and reignited debate over Epstein’s long-standing connections in political, media, and business circles.
House Speaker Mike Johnson supported the motion to force consideration of the bill but reiterated concerns that the current version of the legislation could expose sensitive investigative information, including the identities of victims and explicit materials. Johnson urged the Senate to revise the language to address what he considers risks to future investigations and privacy protections.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated that the Senate might move quickly on the measure and suggested that changes to the bill were unlikely.
Higgins, the only House member to oppose the bill, expressed reservations similar to Johnson’s. He argued that the legislation, as written, could result in the disclosure of information related to people who were not accused of wrongdoing, including witnesses and associates, and could lead to unintended harm. He said he would support the bill if the Senate incorporated stronger privacy safeguards.
The discharge petition that forced the House vote initially drew unified Democratic support and backing from a small number of Republicans. Broader Republican support materialized only after Trump encouraged his party to move forward. Before that shift, the former president had criticized Republican Representatives Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene for their early support of the petition and for diverging from him on other issues. Trump and Greene had also clashed publicly in recent days, with the former president disparaging her loyalty to his political movement. Greene, who appeared alongside Epstein’s victims at a press conference Tuesday, expressed disappointment over Trump’s attacks, emphasizing her continued support for transparency surrounding Epstein’s activities.
Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna led the bipartisan effort to collect the 218 signatures required to advance the petition. The final signature came from Representative Adelita Grijalva of Arizona shortly after she was sworn in earlier this month, following the resolution of the extended government shutdown.
Democrats, who showed limited interest in the issue during the prior administration, intensified their focus after the Trump administration blocked release of the files. Many Democrats have also highlighted Trump’s past personal interactions with Epstein during the 1990s and early 2000s.
The House Oversight Committee is conducting its own inquiry into Epstein’s network of relationships and has obtained a large set of documents from Epstein’s estate, including approximately 20,000 emails. Last week, committee Democrats released three of those emails, which they said provided additional context about Epstein’s communications with prominent figures, including Trump. The materials included Epstein’s descriptions of Trump’s awareness of his behavior and references to time Trump allegedly spent with one of Epstein’s victims. Democrats redacted identifying information. The individual referenced was Virginia Giuffre, a well-known accuser of Epstein who had publicly stated that Trump had not acted inappropriately. Giuffre, who had become an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse, died by suicide earlier this year.
The broader email cache highlights Epstein’s extensive contacts with influential individuals across various sectors. Trump has not been accused of misconduct in relation to his past association with Epstein.
Last week, Trump instructed the Justice Department to investigate several high-profile Democrats with ties to Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman. The Oversight Committee emails show that Summers maintained regular communication with Epstein about political and personal matters until Epstein’s 2019 arrest on federal sex-trafficking charges. Epstein died in federal custody later that year; his death was officially ruled a suicide, a finding the Trump administration continues to support.
Attorney General Pam Bondi responded to Trump’s directive by instructing the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan to begin an investigation. Clinton’s office and Hoffman have dismissed the probe, while Summers has issued a public apology and announced plans to withdraw from some of his professional engagements.
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