WASHINGTON – As the House gears up for a pivotal vote, lawmakers determined to unveil files linked to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking probe are forecasting a significant triumph. A surge of Republican support is expected to defy the GOP leadership and President Donald Trump, who have consistently criticized the initiative.
The proposed legislation aims to compel the Justice Department to disclose all files and communications concerning Epstein, including details about the investigation into his death in federal custody. However, information pertaining to Epstein’s victims or any ongoing federal investigations would remain confidential, subject to redaction.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., expressed optimism during recent appearances on Sunday news programs, suggesting that “there could be 100 or more” Republican votes in favor. “I’m aiming for a veto-proof majority when the legislation is brought to the floor,” he stated.
In a strategic maneuver, Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., initiated a discharge petition in July, a rarely successful tactic that allows lawmakers to circumvent House leadership and bring a bill directly to a vote. This move underscores the bipartisan urgency behind the legislation.
Earlier, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had dismissed the discharge petition and adjourned the August session abruptly, as demands for an Epstein vote disrupted the GOP’s legislative plans. Democrats argue that the delay in seating Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., was a tactic to prevent her from becoming the crucial 218th signatory required to advance the petition. Grijalva added her signature shortly after being sworn in last week, marking a key milestone.
Rep. Massie remarked that the anticipated vote would spell a considerable setback for Johnson, Trump, and others who have opposed the initiative, signaling a potential shift in momentum on Capitol Hill this week.
“I’m not tired of winning yet, but we are winning,” Massie said.
The view from GOP leadership
Johnson seems to expect the House will decisively back the Epstein bill.
“We’ll just get this done and move it on. There’s nothing to hide,” adding that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been releasing “far more information than the discharge petition, their little gambit.”
The vote comes at a time when new documents are raising fresh questions about Epstein and his associates, including a 2019 email that Epstein wrote to a journalist that said Trump “knew about the girls.” The White House has accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the Republican president.
Johnson said Trump “has nothing to hide from this.”
“They’re doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not,” Johnson said.
Trump’s association with Epstein is well-established and the president’s name was included in records that his own Justice Department released in February as part of an effort to satisfy public interest in information from the sex-trafficking investigation.
Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and the mere inclusion of someone’s name in files from the investigation does not imply otherwise. Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, also had many prominent acquaintances in political and celebrity circles besides Trump.
Khanna voiced more modest expectations on the vote count than Massie. Still, Khanna said he was hoping for 40 or more Republicans to join the effort.
“I don’t even know how involved Trump was,” Khanna said. “There are a lot of other people involved who have to be held accountable.”
Khanna also asked Trump to meet with those who were abused. Some will be at the Capitol on Tuesday for a news conference, he said.
Massie said Republican lawmakers who fear losing Trump’s endorsement because of how they vote will have a mark on their record, if they vote “no,” that could hurt their political prospects in the long term.
“The record of this vote will last longer than Donald Trump’s presidency,” Massie said.
A MAGA split
On the Republican side, three Republicans joined with Massie in signing the discharge petition: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.
Trump publicly called it quits with Greene last week and said he would endorse a challenger against her in 2026 “if the right person runs.”
Greene attributed the fallout with Trump as “unfortunately, it has all come down to the Epstein files.” She said the country deserves transparency on the issue and that Trump’s criticism of her is confusing because the women she has talked to say he did nothing wrong.
“I have no idea what’s in the files. I can’t even guess. But that is the questions everyone is asking, is, why fight this so hard?” Greene said.
Even if the bill passes the House, there is no guarantee that Senate Republicans will go along. Massie said he just hopes Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., “will do the right thing.”
“The pressure is going to be there if we get a big vote in the House,” Massie said, who thinks “we could have a deluge of Republicans.”
Massie appeared on ABC’s “This Week,” Johnson was on “Fox News Sunday,” Khanna spoke on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and Greene was interviewed on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
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