House Republican leaders are set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would force the full release of Justice Department files. Jeffrey EpsteinSources familiar with the voting process told CBS.
All Democrats and four Republican House members Last week, a petition was successfully launched demanding a vote on the release of the Justice Department's complete files on Epstein, bypassing GOP leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the vote would take place in the coming week.
The bill, called the Epstein Files Transparency Act, was first introduced in July by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky as pressure mounted on the Trump administration to release more files related to Epstein.
Bipartisan legislation would require the release of documents related to all investigations into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who were convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. The bill would require the release of flight logs, travel records, the names of individuals and entities named in any Epstein case, and internal Department of Justice communications within 30 days of passage of the law. It will also release any records “relating to the destruction, deletion, alteration, misplacement or concealment of documents, records or electronic data” related to Epstein and his associates, as well as documentation of his death.
“I believe 40 to 50 Republicans will vote with us on this release,” Khanna told reporters Wednesday. “And if we get that overwhelming vote, it will push the Senate to push for the release of the Justice Department files.”
It is unclear whether the Senate would take up the matter if it were to pass the House.
Last week, the House Oversight Committee released more than 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate. They included emails exchanged between Epstein and others. about President Trumpwhich on Friday addressed the Department of Justice and the FBI investigate Epstein's involvement with prominent Democratsincluding former President Bill Clinton, and major financial institutions.
When asked about a possible vote on Saturday, Mr Trump said: “I don't care whether it comes out or not.”
“What I think you should do if you're going to do this is reach out to Epstein's friends,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
