House Epstein files vote expected after Trump backs release

The House on Tuesday is expected to vote to order the Department of Justice to release all of its files on notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, two days after President Donald Trump abruptly dropped his opposition to the bipartisan bill.

The measure is set to come up during the chamber’s first vote series of the day around 2 p.m. ET, NBC News reported.

“Almost everybody” will vote to pass it, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told NBC on Monday night.

That wasn’t always the case. The push to release the Epstein files had faced opposition from GOP lawmakers, following the lead of Trump, whose White House had warned that backing the effort would be considered a “hostile act.”

A discharge petition that would have forced a vote on the bill was jammed up during the government shutdown, as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., kept representatives out of session for nearly eight weeks. The prolonged absence delayed the swearing-in of Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, the final signature needed to move the petition forward.

The shutdown ended last Wednesday and Grijalva, after being sworn in, signed the discharge petition. But, with pressure mounting, Johnson said he would bring the Epstein bill to a vote earlier than expected.

The bill from Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California is being brought to the floor under a procedure that will require a two-thirds majority to pass. If it succeeds, it will head to the Senate.

Trump, a former friend of Epstein’s who had a falling out with him years earlier, said on the campaign trail that he would support releasing the government’s files from its investigations into the wealthy and well-connected financier. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges.

But Trump’s DOJ said in a July 6 memo that it had conducted an “exhaustive review” of Epstein-related matters and determined “that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.”

That determination, and Trump’s repeated insistence that the focus on Epstein was a Democratic “hoax,” has spurred outrage across the political spectrum, including from some of Trump’s own supporters.

The House Oversight Committee last week released thousands of documents from Epstein’s estate, including emails appearing to show Epstein discussing Trump.

Trump on Sunday night abruptly reversed course, urging House Republicans to vote in favor of the Epstein files bill.

This is developing news. Please check back for updates.