The Senate on Tuesday approved a bill by unanimous consent to require the Department of Justice to release the so-called Epstein files. The action came just hours after the House overwhelmingly voted to pass the measure.
The House earlier voted 427–1 to force the release of the files. Republican Rep. Clay Higgins was the lone "no" vote. He explained his position on X following the vote.
"As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people – witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc," he said. "If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt."
Once the House completes the formal process of sending the bill over to the Senate, it will move on to President Donald Trump’s desk. He has signaled he will sign it.
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Tuesday's bipartisan effort overcame initial opposition from the president and House Speaker Mike Johnson. The vote had to be forced through a discharge petition in the House. It received 218 signatures, mostly from Democrats.
Ahead of the vote, about a dozen women spoke at a news conference, describing years of trying to draw attention to Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse and identify others they believe were involved. Many detailed how long they have waited for accountability. Annie Farmer’s sister spoke on her behalf, noting the case was first reported to authorities in 1996.
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Last week, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released emails they say show Epstein telling Ghislaine Maxwell in 2011 that Donald Trump “spent hours at my house” with a victim of sex trafficking, raising questions, they said, about “Trump’s knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and relationship to victims.”
Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from Epstein, despite what appeared to be a friendly relationship in the 1990s before a reported falling out. He has insisted he knew nothing about Epstein’s alleged crimes.
