WASHINGTON — The Home handed and the Senate permitted a invoice on Tuesday to power the Justice Division to publicly launch its information on the late youngster intercourse predator Jeffrey Epstein.
The Home vote was 427–1, and the Senate permitted the invoice unanimously, with computerized passage set for Wednesday as quickly because the invoice’s papers come over from the Home. The invoice’s passage is a rebuke of Trump, who fought the laws for months till it turned clear it will go the Home over his opposition.
“He positioned our party against the people, and our party chose the people, not him,” the invoice’s lead sponsor, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), informed HuffPost after the vote.
The Epstein Recordsdata Transparency Act provides the Justice Division 30 days to publish all of its Epstein data “in a searchable and downloadable format.”
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) was the lone “no” vote. He mentioned in an announcement that the invoice “abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America.”
The Home chamber erupted in applause because the invoice was handed.
Trump has not been implicated in Epstein’s crimes, regardless of his title being talked about in a separate tranche of paperwork obtained from Epstein’s property by Congress. However Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill have gone to nice lengths, for months, to attempt to cease this invoice from getting a vote. It solely hit the Home flooring on Tuesday after a bipartisan group of lawmakers collected sufficient signatures for a uncommon “discharge petition,” which allowed them to go round Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and power the Home to vote on their invoice.
Because it turned clear there was rising GOP momentum to go this invoice, Trump abruptly modified his tune and on Sunday mentioned Republicans ought to go forward and vote for it.
Forward of the vote, among the survivors of Epstein’s abuse spoke at a press convention exterior the Capitol. A number of held up photographs of themselves as youngsters, once they had been recruited by Epstein and his accomplices. They condemned Trump for characterizing the Epstein scandal as an effort to wreck the president politically, as he had been pals with Epstein for years.
“It is not about you, President Trump,” Jena-Lisa Jones mentioned. “I voted for you, but your behavior on this issue has been a national embarrassment.”
At one other press occasion earlier than the vote, Johnson did his damndest to assault the invoice. He knew it was on observe to get a giant, bipartisan vote — together with his personal! — however he railed towards it anyway in what was virtually actually a efficiency for an viewers of 1: Trump.
Johnson falsely claimed the invoice wouldn’t shield the privateness of Epstein’s victims. He falsely claimed it cites the flawed part of federal code. With out naming names, he criticized the 4 Republicans who had been working with Democrats to power a vote on this invoice within the first place, Reps. Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Nancy Mace (S.C.) and Lauren Boebert (Colo.).
“Clearly, this is a political exercise for Democrats, and a few others, sadly,” Johnson mentioned, calling their push for a vote on this invoice “deceitful and dishonest.”
The speaker appeared rattled when a reporter identified that his assist for a vote on releasing Epstein’s information “is a reversal for you,” as Johnson had been preventing it for months.
“It’s not a reversal,” Johnson insisted, claiming his effort to disclaim the vote was about wanting Congress to be extra considerate about how the invoice was put collectively. “There’s a reason you have rules and processes here, to ensure that this was not done haphazardly.”
Requested point-blank why he’s now supporting a invoice he’s been attempting to dam for therefore lengthy and whether or not it was as a result of Trump modified his thoughts and mentioned Republicans ought to assist it, Johnson mentioned it was the “only intellectually consistent position” he might take after lawmakers collected sufficient signatures to power a vote.
“None of us want to go on record and in any way be accused of not being for maximum transparency,” Johnson mentioned. “The only way to ensure that both of those things are true at the same time is to allow for everyone to vote their conscience.”
Johnson on Tuesday said he’d talked to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and was “very confident” that if it got here up, Republicans would amend the legislation to ensure it has “protections” in it for victims. It’s not clear what that means, since there are already protections in the bill, but either way, the Senate didn’t bother with any amendments.
Even after Trump signs the bill into law ― which he said he would do ― it’s possible some of the Epstein materials could remain concealed. Trump previously ordered the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s ties to various Democrats, and this bill allows the department to withhold documents that would “jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.”
As Greene put it Tuesday morning before the House vote, “The real test will be, will the Department of Justice release the files, or will it all remain tied up in investigations?”
It’s also possible the Trump administration will simply not follow the law. The Justice Department is already handing over documents in response to a congressional subpoena for all of the Epstein files, but Democrats and Republicans alike have expressed skepticism that the department will hand over everything.
This story has been updated to clarify that Senators unanimously agreed to pass the bill as soon as it comes over from the House, which didn’t happen before the Senate adjourned on Tuesday.
