House Overwhelmingly Votes to Unseal Jeffrey Epstein Files, Putting Pressure on Senate

The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted to demand the release of the Epstein files, advancing a years-long effort to unseal documents related to investigations of convicted s** offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019.

The House approved the measure in a 427-1 vote on Tuesday, Nov. 18, with Louisiana Republican Rep. Clay Higgins casting the lone “no” vote. Despite the lopsided margin, the bill must still pass the Senate before it can be sent to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. The vote follows months of pressure from lawmakers to make the files public, including repeated calls from Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican who has intensified her push to unseal the documents in recent weeks.

The bipartisan bill directs the Justice Department to publish “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in DOJ’s possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.”

Material slated for release would include information related to Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as flight logs, travel records, and “individuals named or referenced (including government officials) in connection with the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein,” according to a summary of the bill.

The Justice Department records covered by this bill are separate from the thousands of documents turned over last week to the House Oversight Committee by the administration. The committee has already released emails from the Epstein estate in which Trump was referenced multiple times by the disgraced financier, who questioned the president’s mental state and suggested he “knew about the girls” being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell.

When asked for comment about the emails on Wednesday, Nov. 12, the White House issued a statement from press secretary Karoline Leavitt accusing House Democrats of promoting a “hoax” meant to distract from what she described as Trump’s “historic accomplishments.”

Trump has long sought to distance himself from Epstein and redirect scrutiny toward Democrats. But once it became clear the House bill had enough Republican support to pass, he reversed course and publicly backed the effort to release the files.

In a Sunday, Nov. 16, post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax.”

Just two days earlier, on Friday, Nov. 14, Trump had insisted that he “doesn’t care” whether more documents are released.

Asked on Monday, Nov. 17, if he would sign the bill should it reach his desk, Trump responded, “Sure I would,” before adding, “It is really a Democrat problem,” according to Politico.

“The Democrats were Epstein’s friends, all of them,” Trump said. “And it is a hoax, the whole thing is a hoax. I don’t want to take it away from, really, the greatness of what the Republican party has accomplished over the last period of time.”

Even if Trump signs the bill, his administration would not be required to release every piece of information contained in the files. Officials could still withhold material that is classified, that would identify victims, or that could interfere with an ongoing federal investigation.

However, the legislation makes clear that information may not be withheld or redacted “on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”

The Justice Department has previously said it withheld certain Epstein-related information because it included images of victims and child s** abuse material. Those records were sealed by a court to avoid exposing “any additional third parties to allegations of illegal wrongdoing,” according to reporting by The New York Times.

The House bill, formally titled the Epstein Files Transparency Act, was introduced by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and cosponsored by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie. Greene has nonetheless emerged as one of the loudest voices in favor of releasing the files.

She is one of four House Republicans who signed a petition forcing Tuesday’s vote, alongside Massie, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert and South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace.

Greene, once known as a fierce ally of the president, has repeatedly demanded that the files be unsealed despite Trump’s earlier resistance. The president has publicly criticized her for positions he views as out of step with his own, including her objections to some of his foreign policy decisions and her insistence on releasing the Epstein documents.

The congresswoman has recently claimed that her vocal stance against the president’s position has led to death threats. Still, in a post on X on Sunday, Nov. 16, she wrote, “I believe in transparency. That’s why I’ve pushed to release the Epstein files. Survivors deserve the truth, and I won’t apologize for standing with them.”