WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is racing toward a vote next week on releasing files related to a sex trafficking investigation. Jeffrey EpsteinThe move comes after months of resistance from Republican leaders.
They were forced to allow the bill to be considered after a petition on the bill. reached the required amount There were 218 signatures. The case comes at a time when new documents are raising new questions about Epstein and his associates, including the 2019 email: Epstein wrote To a journalist who said President Donald Trump “knew these girls.” The White House accused Democrats of selectively leaking emails intended to smear the Republican president.
For years, public speculation has been rampant about Mr. Epstein’s surgery, death, and relationships with powerful and wealthy people, including Mr. Trump and former President Bill Clinton, tech billionaires and prominent academics.
Why is the House willing to vote?
Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) filed a petition in July to force a vote on the Epstein File Transparency Act.
The effort was supported by all House Democrats and four Republicans, including Massie and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
Minutes after the Democratic Party Adelita Grijalva When the Arizona congresswoman took the oath of office on Wednesday, she signed the Epstein petition with her name, pushing it to the magic number 218, a majority in the 435-seat House.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said Grijalva’s swearing-in would expedite the petition process for a House vote on the bill early next week.
Mr. Johnson denied allegations that he sabotaged the Epstein bill to protect Mr. Trump or others. He told reporters Wednesday that the Republican majority objected to the language of the measure, arguing it did not adequately protect victims. Johnson also reiterated that the House of Commons Oversight and Government Reform Committee is conducting an Epstein investigation that resulted in the release of thousands of pages of documents, including more than 20,000 pages on Wednesday.
What does this bill do?
The bill would require the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information related to the investigation into his death in federal prisons. The bill would allow information about Epstein’s victims and ongoing federal investigations to be redacted.
However, the ministry is not allowed to edit information for “embarrassment, reputational damage, or political considerations, including for government officials, public figures, and foreign dignitaries.”
Will it pass?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson dismissed the petition as an “issue” but said he would bring the bill to a vote next week. If everyone who signed the petition votes in favor, it will pass.
But now that the bill is moving forward, it appears likely it will receive many more Republican votes, possibly dozens or more. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) did not sign the discharge petition but said he would support it.
The tougher test will come in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority and will likely need 60 votes for final passage of the bill.
Asked whether the Senate would take up the Epstein bill if it passes the House in September, Democratic Majority Leader John Thune said, “I can’t comment on that at this point.”
Thune added that the Justice Department has “already released a large number of files related to this matter.”
“I have confidence in them to get as much information out there as possible in a way that protects the rights of victims,” Thune said.
Can President Trump stop it?
If the bill passes the Senate, Trump will introduce it, but he will almost certainly veto it. He has opposed the discharge petition from the beginning, even contacting two Republicans who signed it on Wednesday.
“Democrats are bringing back the Jeffrey Epstein hoax, as they will do anything to distract from how bad they did with the government shutdown and many other topics,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Only very bad or stupid Republicans would fall into that trap.”
A presidential veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both houses. This has only happened twice since 2009.
Massey said President Trump could avoid the entire ordeal by releasing all Epstein files held by the federal government.
“There’s still time for him to be a hero,” Massey said of Trump.
