The House of Representatives passed the legislation on Tuesday by 427–1, with Republican Clay Higgins casting the sole vote against it. Just hours later, the Senate cleared the bill through unanimous consent, fast-tracking it without debate or amendments. The rare bipartisan alignment ensures the legislation will reach the president’s desk within days.
The vote followed a rapid turn in political dynamics after President Trump abruptly reversed his opposition to releasing the files, urging Republicans to support the measure.
The change came amid significant pressure from his supporters and renewed public attention on Epstein after more than 20,000 pages of documents, including emails referencing Trump, were published last week. The White House has maintained that the president did nothing wrong and has criticised the release of selective correspondence.
The legislation, co-authored by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna, requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish all unclassified records, communications, flight logs and investigative materials relating to Epstein and his long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days of enactment.
However, Bondi may withhold or redact information that would reveal victims’ identities or compromise active federal investigations.
The push for disclosure has been driven in large part by survivors of Epstein’s abuse, several of whom watched Tuesday’s vote from the House gallery and gathered earlier outside the Capitol to demand full transparency.
Annie Farmer, an Epstein survivor and key witness in Maxwell’s trial, said concealing the files amounted to “institutional betrayal”, arguing that investigative failures had allowed further harm. Sky Roberts, brother of the late Virginia Giuffre, praised his sister’s longstanding advocacy: “She paved the way for us to come forward… and we won’t stop.”
Political tensions around the effort have been significant. Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, had previously echoed Trump’s earlier stance and opposed the release, with Johnson describing it as a “Democrat hoax”.
He later voted yes but continued voicing concerns about protecting victims’ privacy. Massie, meanwhile, criticised colleagues who resisted disclosure, warning that blocking the legislation would be seen as shielding abusers.
The issue has also strained relationships within Trump’s political circle. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a steadfast supporter of the president, accused him of undermining efforts to secure justice for survivors. Survivors themselves voiced frustration with Trump’s handling of the matter, with Jena-Lisa Jones urging the president to “stop making this political”.
The bill reinforces and expands upon the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigation, which has already released tens of thousands of pages of records from the Epstein probe.
Recent documents include email exchanges between Epstein, Maxwell and author Michael Wolff that reference Trump, though none allege wrongdoing by the president. The White House has condemned the release of selected emails as politically motivated.
Epstein, who socialised in elite circles for decades, was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor. In 2019, he was charged with federal sex trafficking offences but was found dead in his New York jail cell weeks later, in what authorities ruled a suicide. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in procuring victims.
As lawmakers await Trump’s signature, survivors and advocates say the coming release represents a crucial step toward transparency in a case that has spanned decades and implicated powerful figures across politics, finance and international society. Whether the files will answer long-standing questions, or raise new ones, is likely to become clear within weeks.
Leave a Reply