President Donald Trump and Republican House leaders devoted months to obstructing an effort to mandate the release of all government documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Only a limited number of Republicans initially endorsed the petition that compelled a vote on the issue; several others openly opposed the initiative. However, on Tuesday, when the measure was presented for a floor vote, only one Republican ultimately voted against it.
Representative Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, was the only House member who opposed the legislation, a bill intended to mandate the Department of Justice’s release of all records linked to its inquiry into the deceased sex offender.
“I have consistently maintained a principled opposition to this bill. What was flawed about the bill three months ago remains flawed today,” Higgins stated on X on Tuesday. “Should it be enacted in its present form, this extensive disclosure of criminal investigative files, when released to an eager media, will undoubtedly cause harm to innocent individuals. Not through my vote.” Higgins further explained that he would support a modified bill that would “appropriately safeguard the privacy of victims and other Americans who are mentioned but not criminally implicated.”
Even after months of Republican attempts to prevent the vote, every other GOP member of the House voted in favor of the bill once Trump made a reversal over the weekend and encouraged House Republicans to back it. The legislation now moves to the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune indicated on Tuesday that senators would aim to swiftly pass the measure and forward it to Trump, despite calls from some Republicans for modifications. The President has stated his intention to sign the measure should it reach him.
“The petition itself is badly drafted and it advocates for an undertaking that goes against established criminal justice protocols in America, which is why I have opposed it,” Higgins, a far-right Republican, informed a news outlet last week.
“I don’t pass judgment on them; they are my friends,” he commented regarding the petition’s proponents. He specifically identified three of the four Republicans who endorsed the petition: Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado, and Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, with Massie co-leading the initiative alongside Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California. “Marjorie is my friend, and Lauren is my friend. Thomas Massie is my friend, but they are all mistaken. They are profoundly mistaken about this petition.”
The discharge petition, an uncommon legislative tactic that permits a majority of lawmakers to circumvent the chamber’s leadership and introduce a measure for a vote, compelled the full House vote that resulted in the bill’s approval. Democratic Representative Raúl Grijalva of Arizona provided the 218th and conclusive signature required for the petition after being sworn in following weeks of postponements by Speaker Mike Johnson, delays that Grijalva and other Democrats asserted were designed to obstruct the vote on the Epstein files. Johnson has rejected any link between his decision and Epstein.
The Speaker stated that his eventual vote in favor of the bill on Tuesday did “not represent a reversal,” asserting that he has always supported “maximum transparency” but nonetheless had reservations about the legislation’s current drafting.
Trump shifted his own position on the measure on Sunday, posting on Truth Social that “we have nothing to hide” and encouraging Republicans to approve the bill, thereby paving the way for its passage with an overwhelming majority of 427-1.
Trump and his Administration have faced widespread criticism in recent months over their failure to release more of the Epstein files, which members of the President’s inner circle long suggested would reveal serious crimes committed by powerful people. Trump’s own years-long relationship with Epstein has also faced heightened scrutiny, particularly as his name has appeared in multiple documents related to the case, including allegations made public last week by House Democrats in which Epstein claimed Trump had “spent hours at my house” with one of the sex offender’s victims and that the President “knew about the girls.” Trump has repeatedly denied having any prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, and has never been charged with wrongdoing in connection with the disgraced financier.
“My understanding, and I have investigated it thoroughly, is that the president did not care for that individual; he maintained no friendly ties with him,” Higgins stated last week, while also mentioning his “no” vote on the proposal to release the files. “One cannot dictate who poses for a photograph with you.”
