U.S. House Votes 427-1 to Release Epstein Files in Rare Bipartisan Move. Here's What Happens Next By Greta Bjornson 12

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to demand the release of the Epstein files after years of controversy surrounding the sealed documents, which reportedly include information about the investigations into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019.

The House passed its bill in a near-unanimous 427-1 vote on Tuesday, Nov. 18, with Louisiana Republican Rep. Clay Higgins being the only House member to vote against the measure. But while the House voted to release the records, the bill still has to pass in the Senate. Then it must be signed by President Donald Trump in order to go into effect. The vote comes after months of pressure from lawmakers to release the files, including calls from Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican firebrand who has escalated her efforts to unseal the documents in recent weeks.

The bipartisan bill calls on 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.”

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Material to be released would include anything related to Epstein’s confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as flight logs and travel records, and “individuals named or referenced (including government officials) in connection with the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein,” according to the bill’s summary.

The information from the Justice Department is different from the thousands of documents released by the administration to the House Oversight Committee last week. The committee previously released emails from the Epstein estate in which Trump was mentioned multiple times by the disgraced financier, who questioned the president’s mental state and implied he “knew about the girls” being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell.

When reached by PEOPLE for comment about the emails on Wednesday, Nov. 12, the White House shared a statement from press secretary Karoline Leavitt accusing House Democrats of pushing a “hoax” to distract from Trump’s “historic accomplishments.”

Trump has long tried to distance himself from Epstein and shift the focus toward Democrats, but after it became apparent that the House bill had enough Republican backers to go through, the president reversed his position on the legislation and encouraged House Republicans to vote for the release of 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 before, on Friday, Nov. 14, Trump claimed that he “doesn’t care” if additional documents were to be released.

When asked on Monday, Nov. 17, if he would sign the bill, Trump said, “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.”

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Despite Trump’s indication that he would sign the bill, his administration would not be required to release all of the information in the files, and could in fact withhold information that is classified, would identify victims or interfere with a federal investigation.

However, the bill notes that information in the files cannot 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 previously said it withheld information related to Epstein investigations because it included images of victims and child sex abuse material. The information was sealed by a court to avoid exposing “any additional third parties to allegations of illegal wrongdoing,” The New York Times reported.

The House bill to release the files, officially titled the Epstein Files Transparency Act, was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and cosponsored by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie. However, Greene has been one of the most vocal members of the House to push for the release of the files.

She is one of the four House Republicans who signed a petition forcing the Tuesday vote. The list also includes Massie, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert and South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace.

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Greene — previously known for her staunch support of the president — has repeatedly called for the files to be unsealed, despite Trump’s opposition. The president has even denounced Greene for expressing views not aligned with his own, including her criticism of his foreign policy decisions and his reluctance to release the files.

The congresswoman recently claimed that her outspokenness against the president has led to death threats, but said in a post on X on Sunday, Nov. 16, “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.”