The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
It was the product of a months-long pressure campaign by Democrats and the bill’s leaders, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
Several of Epstein’s survivors were present in the House chamber during the vote as well.
House GOP leaders had voiced concerns about the bill up until the final hours before the vote.
Nearly all House Republicans voted for it, as demands for transparency and President Donald Trump’s green light on the legislation gave them little recourse otherwise.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters at his weekly news conference on Tuesday that he would vote in favor of the bill, despite concerns about what he saw as limited protections for victims and other innocent people whose names may be released against their own wishes.
‘Who’s going to want to come forward if they think Congress can take a political exercise and reveal their identities? Who’s going to come talk to prosecutors? It’s very dangerous. It would deter future whistleblowers and informants,’ he said. ‘The release of that could also publicly reveal the identity, by the way, of undercover law enforcement officers who are working in future operations.’
House GOP leaders had also been supportive of a parallel investigation led by the House Oversight Committee that’s led to the release of thousands of pages of documents from both the DOJ and Epstein’s estate.
Massie, Khanna and the bill’s supporters argued it was the best recourse to get justice for Epstein’s victims, and they have criticized Johnson’s favored route as toothless. They have also contended the bill provides sufficient protections for Epstein’s victims.
Several other House Republicans told Fox News Digital on Monday night that they shared the speaker’s concerns and hoped that the Senate would make changes to the legislation.
Khanna and Massie, however, warned the Senate not to go too far during a press conference on Tuesday morning alongside several of Epstein’s victims.
‘Don’t muck it up in the Senate. Don’t get too cute. We’re all paying attention,’ Massie warned. ‘If you want to add some additional protections for these survivors, go for it. But if you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people, and you are not part of this effort. Do not muck it up in the Senate.’
It’s not yet clear what Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will do with the legislation.
His counterpart, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., signaled he would seek to force its consideration in the Senate.
‘Once the House passes the bill to release the Epstein files today, I will move for the Senate to immediately take it up and pass it — period,’ Schumer said in a statement.
‘Republicans have spent months trying to protect Donald Trump and hide what’s in the files. Americans are tired of waiting and are demanding to see the truth. If Leader Thune tries to bury the bill, I’ll stop him.’