Epstein files to be released soon? US Congress votes to pass bill after Trump’s U-turn — what happened next

Will the ‘Epstein files’ soon be released now? The US Congress — both the House and Senate — agreed on Tuesday to pass a bill to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The bill overwhelmingly passed the House in a 427 to one vote. Within hours, the Senate agreed unanimously that the bill would be passed without further action once it arrives in the Senate.

Trump to sign the bill

The Bill is likely to be approved by US President Donald Trump, the Associated Press reported.

On Monday (November 17), Trump said he would sign a bill requiring the release of Justice Department files on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein if it passes both the House and the Senate.

“Sure I would,” Trump had said from the Oval Office in response to a reporter’s question. “Let the Senate look at it. Let anybody look at it. But don’t talk about it too much, because honestly, I don’t want to take it away from us. It’s really a Democrat problem,” he had saod.

What does it mean?

The decisive, bipartisan work in Congress on Tuesday showed the pressure mounting on lawmakers and the Trump administration to meet long-held demands that the Justice Department release its case files on Epstein, a well-connected financier who killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges he sexually abused and trafficked underage girls.

For survivors of Epstein’s abuse, passage of the bill was a watershed moment in a years-long quest for accountability.

Only one lawmaker opposed the bill

Only one lawmaker in Congress reportedly opposed the bill. He was Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican who is a fervent supporter of Trump.

He was the only “nay” vote in the House’s 427-1 tally. He said he worried the legislation could lead to the release of information on innocent people mentioned in the federal investigation.

What does the bill say?

The bill forces the release within 30 days of all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in federal prison.

It would allow the Justice Department to redact information about Epstein’s victims or continuing federal investigations, but not information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.”