"Why Do They Have To Vote On This? Just Release The Files."
K&C: “Why Do They Have To Vote On This? Just Release The Files.”
The House of Representatives voted by a wide margin to require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to turn over documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein.
The vote followed months of sustained pressure from Democrats and from the bill’s bipartisan sponsors, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
A number of Epstein’s survivors attended the vote from the House chamber.
Republican leaders in the House had expressed lingering reservations about the proposal until just hours before it came to the floor.
Despite those concerns, Speaker Mike Johnson and most House Republicans ultimately joined Democrats in directing the DOJ to disclose its Epstein records, with demands for openness — and former President Donald Trump’s support for the measure — leaving them little room to oppose it.
At his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Johnson said he would back the bill even though he felt it did not do enough to safeguard victims or bystanders whose identities could be revealed without their consent.
“Who’s going to want to come forward if they think Congress can take a political exercise and reveal their identities? Who’s going to come talk to prosecutors? It’s very dangerous. It would deter future whistleblowers and informants,” Johnson said. “The release of that could also publicly reveal the identity, by the way, of undercover law enforcement officers who are working in future operations.”
House GOP leaders had also favored a separate House Oversight Committee inquiry that has already prompted the release of thousands of pages of documents from both the DOJ and Epstein’s estate.
Massie, Khanna, and other proponents countered that their bill was the most effective way to secure justice for Epstein’s survivors, insisting Johnson’s preferred approach lacked teeth. They also maintained that the bill includes adequate protections for victims.
On Monday night, several House Republicans told Fox News Digital that they shared Johnson’s worries and hoped the Senate would revise the measure.
But at a Tuesday morning press conference, Khanna and Massie cautioned senators against making extensive adjustments, appearing alongside several of Epstein’s survivors.
“Don’t muck it up in the Senate. Don’t get too cute. We’re all paying attention,” Massie said. “If you want to add some additional protections for these survivors, go for it. But if you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people, and you are not part of this effort. Do not muck it up in the Senate.”
It remains uncertain how Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., plans to handle the bill.
However, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., signaled he intends to push for swift Senate action.
“Once the House passes the bill to release the Epstein files today, I will move for the Senate to immediately take it up and pass it — period,” Schumer said in a statement.
“Republicans have spent months trying to protect Donald Trump and hide what’s in the files. Americans are tired of waiting and are demanding to see the truth. If Leader Thune tries to bury the bill, I’ll stop him.”
