House expected to vote on bill forcing release of Jeffrey Epstein files
[November 18, 2025]
By STEPHEN GROVES
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is expected to vote Tuesday on legislation
to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the
late financier Jeffrey Epstein, the culmination of a monthslong effort
that has overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican
leadership.
When a small bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a petition
in July to maneuver around House Speaker Mike Johnson's control of which
bills see the House floor, it appeared a longshot effort, especially as
Trump urged his supporters to dismiss the matter as a “hoax.” But both
Trump and Johnson failed in their efforts to prevent the vote.
Now the president has bowed to the growing momentum behind the bill and
even said Republicans should vote for it. His blessing all but ensures
that the House will pass the bill with an overwhelming margin, putting
further pressure on the Senate to take it up.
Trump on Monday said he would sign the bill if it passes both chambers
of Congress, adding, “Let the Senate look at it.”
Tuesday's vote also provides a further boost to the demands that the
Justice Department release its case files on Epstein, a well-connected
financier who killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in
2019 on charges he sexually abused and trafficked underage girls.
A separate investigation conducted by the House Oversight Committee has
released thousands of pages of emails and other documents from Epstein's
estate, showing his connections to global leaders, Wall Street
powerbrokers, influential political figures and Trump himself.
Trump's reversal on the Epstein files
Trump has said he cut ties with Epstein years ago, but tried for months
to move past the demands for disclosure. On Monday, he told reporters
that Epstein was connected to more Democrats and that he didn't want the
Epstein files to “detract from the great success of the Republican
Party.”
Still, many in the Republican base have continued to demand the release
of the files. Adding to that pressure, several survivors of Epstein's
abuse will appear on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning to push for release of
the files. They also met with Johnson and rallied outside the Capitol in
September, but have had to wait two months for the vote.
That's because Johnson kept the House closed for legislative business
for nearly two months and also refused to swear-in Democratic Rep.
Adelita Grijalva of Arizona during the government shutdown. After
winning a special election on Sept. 23, Grijalva had pledged to provide
the crucial 218th vote to the petition for the Epstein files bill. But
only after she was sworn into office last week could she sign her name
to the discharge petition to give it majority support in the 435-member
House.
It quickly became apparent the bill would pass, and both Johnson and
Trump began to fold. Trump on Sunday said Republicans should vote for
the bill.
Rep. Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who sponsored the bill
alongside Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, said Trump “got tired of me
winning. He wanted to join.”
[to top of second column]
|
President Donald Trump speaks at the McDonald's Impact Summit,
Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
How Johnson is handling the bill
Rather than waiting until next week for the discharge position to
officially take effect, Johnson is moving to hold the vote this
week. He indicated the legislation will be brought to the House
floor under a procedure that requires a two-thirds majority.
“I think it’s going to be an important vote to continue to show the
transparency that we’ve delivered,” House Republican leader Steve
Scalise, R-La., said Monday night.
House Democrats celebrated the vote as a rare win for the minority.
“It’s a complete and total surrender, because as Democrats we made
clear from the very beginning, the survivors and the American people
deserve full and complete transparency as it relates to the lives
that were ruined by Jeffrey Epstein,” said House Democratic leader
Hakeem Jeffries.
What will the Senate do?
Still, it's not clear how the Senate will handle the bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has previously been
circumspect when asked about the legislation and instead said he
trusted the Justice Department to release information on the Epstein
investigation.
But what the Justice Department has released so far under Trump was
mostly already public. The bill would go further, forcing the
release within 30 days of all files and communications related to
Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his
death in federal prison. Information about Epstein’s victims or
continuing federal investigations would be allowed to be redacted,
but not information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or
political sensitivity, including to any government official, public
figure, or foreign dignitary.”
Johnson also suggested that he would like to see the Senate amend
the bill to protect the information of “victims and whistleblowers.”
But Massie said the Senate should take into account the public
clamor that forced both Trump and Johnson to back down.
“If it’s anything but a genuine effort to make it better and
stronger, it’ll backfire on the senators if they muck it up,” Massie
said.
___
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Matt Brown contributed to
this report.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
