The United States House of Representatives is set to vote next week on a measure requiring the Department of Justice to release all files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday.
Johnson said the vote aims to push for transparency after months of investigation by the GOP-led Oversight Committee. “We’ve been working around the clock,” Johnson noted, emphasizing the committee’s ongoing efforts.
The move comes after Democratic lawmaker Adelita Grijalva, recently sworn in to fill her late father Raul Grijalva’s Arizona seat, signed a bipartisan discharge petition to force a House vote. This petition, co-sponsored by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna, allows a majority of lawmakers to bypass House leadership. With Grijalva’s signature, the petition reached the required 218 signatures to move forward.
Grijalva’s co-signers included all 214 House Democrats and four Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert. Republicans hold a narrow majority in the House, with 219 members.
The vote follows renewed scrutiny of former President Donald Trump’s connection to Epstein. Newly released emails suggest Trump spent hours with one of Epstein’s victims and that Epstein indicated Trump “knew about the girls.” Trump dismissed the emails as a “hoax,” while the White House insisted they “prove absolutely nothing.”
Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett expressed frustration with delays, saying, “Let’s just take it to the floor. Let’s vote on it. Let’s get on with it.” Efforts to expedite the vote earlier this week were blocked over procedural issues.
The House vote is expected to highlight growing bipartisan pressure for accountability and transparency in one of the most controversial criminal cases in recent American history.
As the vote approaches, lawmakers and the public alike will be closely watching how the release of Epstein files could impact political figures and broader investigations into sex trafficking networks.
