The House passed legislation Tuesday that would force the Justice Department to publicly release documents related to its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein—but there are still several ways the files could be delayed or partially withheld.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell attend de Grisogono Sponsors The 2005 Wall Street Concert Series Benefitting Wall Street Rising, with a Performance by Rod Stewart at Cipriani Wall Street on March 15, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Key Takeaways
- The House voted 427-1 to approve the legislation, with only one Republican, Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., voting against the bill.
- The vote marks a pivotal moment in the saga over the Epstein files—a major point of contention for President Donald Trump’s second administration that has caused rebellion among some of his most loyal supporters.
- Trump said Monday, as it became clear the measure was likely to pass with significant Republican support, he would sign the bill into law, marking an about-face on the issue his administration has repeatedly sought to kill.
- Its future in the Senate, however, remains unclear—Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has indicated previously he doesn’t support releasing the documents, but he has not commented since Trump announced his support for the bill.
- The Senate could also amend the legislation, sending it back to the House and delaying its release.
- Injecting further uncertainty into the issue is the Justice Department’s newly announced probe, at Trump’s behest, into LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and former President Bill Clinton’s ties to Epstein, among others, which could give the agency leeway to withhold some of the files by claiming they pertain to an open investigation.
Crucial Quote
“If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents can’t be released. So this might be a big smokescreen, these investigations . . . as a last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told ABC News. Massie was among four Republicans to sign what’s known as a discharge petition to compel a House vote on the measure.
Tangent
Underscoring the magnitude of the rift the files have caused between Trump and some in his MAGA base, he said Friday he no longer supports Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration for refusing to release the documents. “Of course he’s coming after me hard to make an example to scare all the other Republicans before next weeks vote to release the Epstein files,” Greene wrote on X, firing back at Trump after he called her “wacky” and said he would support a primary challenge against her.
What To Watch For
The legislation would require federal law enforcement agencies to release all documents related to its investigations into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days of the bill becoming law. Flight logs, the agency’s internal communications about the probe, the identities of others connected to it and records pertaining to his detention and death would be subject to the new law. Epstein pleaded guilty to felony prostitution charges in 2008, and he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019. He committed suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, federal investigators have concluded. Maxwell was convicted of multiple sex crime charges in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Key Background
The Trump administration has sought to quash the issue, angering some of his influential right-wing supporters after he promised during his campaign to release the files and creating more ammo for Democrats to claim he is trying to diminish his own affiliation to Epstein. Trump and Epstein became friends in the 1980s and had a falling out sometime before Epstein was criminally charged. Trump’s name has appeared repeatedly in some of the investigatory files that have been released thus far—most recently in a trove of emails from the House Oversight Committee in which Epstein wrote Trump “knew about the girls” and “spent hours” at one of his homes with victim Virginia Giuffre, though Epstein did not say Trump was involved in the abuse. Trump has denied any involvement in Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation.
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