NewsThe US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to pass legislation requiring the Department of Justice to publicly release all unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein, with the bill passing 427 to one.
The vote comes amid surging public pressure following the House Democrats’ release last week of thousands of documents from Epstein’s estate, including emails in which the late convicted sex offender appeared to discuss President Donald Trump’s knowledge of his criminal activities.
Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial. Though his death was ruled a suicide by medical examiners, his relationships with prominent public figures from around the globe and across the political spectrum have driven widespread speculation about the circumstances of his death, and calls for transparency.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act garnered support from 216 Republicans and 211 Democrats. Clay Higgins, a Republican representative from Louisiana, cast the sole opposing vote. More than three-quarters of Americans support releasing all Epstein files with victims’ names redacted, according to polling conducted by Marist Poll, providing substantial public backing for the measure.
The legislation would compel Attorney General Pam Bondi to make available documents held by the FBI and US Attorneys’ Offices concerning Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, flight logs, individuals connected to his criminal activities, and internal DOJ communications regarding investigation decisions within 30 days of enactment.
The bill explicitly prohibits withholding documents based on “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”