17:32House Speaker Mike Johnson delivers remarks during a news briefing on Capitol Hill on November 18, 2025, in Washington, DC.Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
Following months of anticipation, the House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a legislative measure mandating the disclosure of the Justice Department's documentation pertaining to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It secured passage with a vote of 427-1 — with Republican Representative Clay Higgins casting the sole dissenting vote.
The legislative item will now proceed to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain.
Approximately a dozen individuals victimized by Epstein, including the brother of Virginia Giuffre, were positioned in the front of the gallery as the voting process commenced. Several exited the chamber after the vote count surpassed a supermajority, ensuring the measure's enactment.
Earlier on Tuesday, a contingent of women harmed by Epstein voiced their concerns outside the Capitol, urging legislators to endorse the bill. Several directly criticized President Donald Trump and condemned his handling of the issue.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had sought to prevent a vote in the lower chamber concerning the Epstein matter. In late July, Johnson adjourned the House a day early for the August break, as the House faced a standstill regarding the Epstein issue.
The speaker also dismissed the House for over 50 days during the nation's longest government impasse — postponing the swearing-in of Democrat Adelita Grijalva. Following the resolution of the shutdown last week, the Arizona Democrat became the 218th signatory on the Epstein discharge petition, compelling the speaker to present a bill co-authored by Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna for a vote this week.
Mike Johnson speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
Johnson maintained his criticism of the bill on Tuesday morning but affirmed his intention to vote in favor of advancing it.
Immediately preceding the vote, Johnson declared on the House floor that it constituted a "political exercise" and possessed "significant shortcomings." Johnson expressed his hope that the Senate would implement revisions to it.
"[Trump] has no reason to conceal anything," Johnson stated.
The president had also voiced opposition to the measure, including what sources described as an effort to discourage GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert in the White House Situation Room from backing the discharge petition aimed at compelling a floor vote.
However, confronted with escalating support for the measure within the GOP-controlled House, Trump abruptly reversed his stance over the weekend, asserting that Republicans should endorse the release of the documents "because we have nothing to hide."
When questioned about whether he would sign the bill if it reached his desk, Trump affirmed on Monday that he would.
"I fully support it," Trump stated.
The measure — formally designated as "The Epstein Files Transparency Act" — would mandate Attorney General Pam Bondi to furnish all "unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials" within the Justice Department's custody that are related to Epstein.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on Air Force One on his way to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Nov. 14, 2025.Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
The legislation seeks federal documentation concerning Epstein and his convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell, in conjunction with other individuals, including government officials, identified or mentioned in connection to Epstein's "criminal activities, civil settlements, immunity, plea agreements or investigatory proceedings." Victims' identities and additional identifying data would be omitted from disclosure, as would any content that might depict or incorporate child sex abuse material, according to the bill's provisions.
For several months, Johnson has emphasized the House Oversight Committee's inquiry — asserting that the panel's examination is more extensive than the Khanna-Massie bill. Advocates for the bill contend that "the record of this vote will outlast Donald Trump's presidency."
Trump is not required to await congressional action — he possesses the authority to mandate immediate release.
Even if the measure secures passage through both the House and Senate and is eventually enacted into law by Trump, sources indicate that the Justice Department is unlikely to release the entirety of the Epstein file. Any materials pertaining to active investigations or White House assertions of executive privilege will probably remain confidential.
Epstein committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on allegations of trafficking underage girls and women.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
