The House of Representatives is set to vote today on a measure compelling the Justice Department to make public its records on the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. This vote marks the end of a lengthy campaign that faced resistance from President Donald Trump and the Republican leadership.
In July, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers initiated a petition to bypass House Speaker Mike Johnson’s control over which bills could reach the House floor. Initially seen as a longshot, especially with Trump urging his followers to dismiss it as a “hoax,” the effort has now overcome both Trump and Johnson’s attempts to block the vote.
President Trump stated on Monday that he would sign the bill if it clears both chambers of Congress, saying, “Let the Senate look at it.”
Scheduled for Tuesday (Wednesday morning AEDT), the vote adds momentum to calls for the Justice Department to release its files on Epstein. Epstein, a financier with extensive connections, died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls.
The House Oversight Committee has conducted a separate investigation that unveiled thousands of emails and other documents from Epstein’s estate, revealing his ties to global leaders, Wall Street executives, prominent political figures, and Trump himself.
Trump, who claims to have severed ties with Epstein years ago, has attempted for months to move beyond the demands for transparency. On Monday, he remarked to reporters that Epstein had more connections with Democrats and expressed concern that the Epstein files could “detract from the great success of the Republican Party.”
Still, many in the Republican base have continued to demand the release of the files.
