House GOP leaders aiming to hold Tuesday vote on Epstein files, sources say
House Republican leaders aim to hold a vote Tuesday on legislation to force the full release of Justice Department records on Jeffrey Epsteinsources close to the vote tell CBS.
Last week, all Democrats and four Republican members of the House successfully introduced a petition to force a vote to release the entire Justice Department files on Epstein, bypassing GOP leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the vote would take place next 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 Epstein-related files.
The bipartisan legislation calls for the release of documents relating to all investigations into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. The bill would require the release of flight logs, travel records, names of individuals and entities referenced in any Epstein cases, and internal Department of Justice communications within 30 days of the legislation’s passage. It would also make public all records “concerning the destruction, deletion, alteration, misplacement or concealment of documents, records or electronic data” related to Epstein and his associates, as well as documents relating to his death.
Epstein death by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan correctional facility while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
“I think 40 to 50 Republicans are going to vote with us on release,” Khanna told reporters Wednesday. “And if we get that kind of overwhelming vote, it’s going to push the Senate, and it’s going to push the release of the Justice Department records.”
It’s unclear whether the Senate would take it up if it clears the House.
Last week, the House Oversight Committee published more than 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate. They included emails exchanged between Epstein and others about President Trumpwho called the Department of Justice and the FBI on Friday to investigate Epstein’s involvement with prominent Democratsincluding former President Bill Clinton, and major financial institutions.
Mr. Trump has previously said he severed ties with Epstein years ago, and he has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Asked about Saturday’s potential vote, Mr. Trump said: “I don’t care if it’s released or not.”
“What I think you should do if you’re going to do this is you need to go to Epstein’s friends,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
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