House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., decided to schedule a vote on the release of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s files once it became inevitable, according to reports.
CNN reported Johnson moved quickly to set a House vote on bipartisan legislation ordering the Justice Department to release all remaining Epstein investigation records after it became clear GOP leaders could no longer block the measure.
The shift came after a discharge petition, led by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., reached the 218 signatures needed to force action, with newly sworn-in Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., putting it over the top.
Johnson previously sent the House home early for its August recess and signaled no Epstein vote would occur before then, drawing criticism from conservatives who say Congress owes answers to victims and the public.
But once it was clear a large bloc of Republicans would join Democrats, Johnson opted to “get it out of the House” quickly and let the Senate handle the fallout, CNN reported.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act would direct DOJ to release thousands of pages tied to the late financier’s sex-trafficking network, which reached into elite business, academic, and political circles.
Massie has argued that “we can’t avoid justice to avoid embarrassment for some very powerful men,” insisting transparency outweighs political risk.
Supporters are aiming for a veto-proof majority, which would require two-thirds of the House.
President Donald Trump has urged Republicans to treat the Democrat push as a “trap” designed to distract from other issues and smear him with unproven allegations.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee recently released a handful of Epstein estate emails in which Epstein claimed Trump “knew about the girls” and spent “hours” at his home with one victim.
The White House blasted the release as a partisan “smear,” noting that the alleged victim, Virginia Giuffre, repeatedly said Trump never abused her and was respectful, and Ghislaine Maxwell has said she never saw Trump act inappropriately.
Republicans also point out that their own Oversight Committee investigation, which is run by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has forced out tens of thousands of pages from Epstein’s estate.
The DOJ and Comer has accused Democrats of cherry-picking documents to score political points rather than deliver full accountability.
Epstein, a financier with extensive ties to global elites, was arrested again in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges and later died in a New York prison, officially ruled a suicide — a conclusion that has fueled years of public skepticism and conspiracy theories.
The coming vote risks more headline-grabbing leaks aimed at Trump, but it also advances long-demanded transparency that could reveal who in government and high society enabled Epstein’s abuse.
Even if the House passes the bill, its fate in the Senate is unclear. GOP Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has questioned whether additional legislation is necessary given previous DOJ disclosures.
