The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives is set to vote on Tuesday on a resolution to release investigative files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The measure is widely expected to pass after President Donald Trump abandoned his long-standing opposition, a rare instance of House Republicans proceeding despite the president’s initial objections.
Trump’s reversal came late Sunday, days after a House petition garnered enough support to force a vote. Until recently, Trump and his aides had lobbied vigorously to prevent further disclosure of Justice Department files from the Epstein investigation. Epstein, a wealthy New York financier who maintained a social relationship with Trump in the past, was charged with sex trafficking of minors by the US Justice Department in 2019 but died in jail that year in what was ruled a suicide before his trial.
“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide,” Trump wrote on social media, describing the matter as a “hoax” propagated by Democrats. However, Democrats and even some of Trump’s critics argue that the release of authentic Justice Department records is a legitimate step in public accountability. Epstein had previously pleaded guilty to a Florida state felony prostitution charge in 2008, serving 13 months in jail.
California Representative Robert Garcia, senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said Trump changed course because he “realized he is about to lose this Epstein vote.” According to a senior White House official, Trump grew frustrated with Republican focus on the files and sought to redirect attention to voter-centered issues such as the cost of living.
House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated that the vote could help dispel allegations linking Trump to Epstein’s crimes. “He’s never had anything to hide,” Johnson told reporters, emphasizing the importance of protecting victims of the crimes. Supporters of releasing the files say they also intend to safeguard victims’ identities, with the resolution allowing the Justice Department to withhold or redact personal information as necessary.
Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican leading the push for disclosure, said the House would likely follow a procedure requiring a two-thirds vote but expects the measure to pass easily, potentially unanimously. If approved by the House, the resolution will proceed to the Senate, which must also vote before the files are sent to Trump for signing. Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune’s office declined to comment on the timeline for the bill.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, asserting that his friendship with Epstein ended in the 2000s and that he had no involvement in Epstein’s crimes. Emails recently released by a House committee suggested Epstein believed Trump “knew about the girls,” though the phrase’s meaning was unclear. The White House has stated that these emails contain no evidence of wrongdoing by the president.
In a related development, Trump instructed the Justice Department to investigate prominent Democrats’ alleged connections to Epstein, even as Attorney General Pam Bondi indicated earlier this year that a review of the files revealed no new leads. Tensions over the files have also caused rifts within the Republican Party, including a public feud between Trump and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a staunch supporter who had criticized how the party handled the Epstein files.
The upcoming vote is likely to attract national attention, as it combines ongoing public scrutiny of Epstein’s network with the political dynamics surrounding Trump and the Republican Party, highlighting the continuing fallout from one of the most notorious criminal cases in recent US history.
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