The House of Representatives voted 427-to-1 to release all files kept on Jeffery Epstein and the investigation of his crimes.
Epstein, who was found guilty of prostitution in 2008, served only 13 months in prison. He was later charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors, and was arrested again in 2019. The United States Department of Justice investigated his crimes and reported that he paid minors to engage in sexual acts and recruit others for compensation. He committed suicide in jail in 2019.
On Tuesday, 211 House members of the Democratic Party voted in favor of releasing the files relating to this investigation, while three abstained from voting. Within the Republican Party, 216 voted to release the files, one voted not to, while two abstained from voting.
Louisiana Representative Clay Higgins was the sole vote not to release the files. He claims in a post on his X account that the release of these files in their current form will exploit the privacy of witnesses and family members and will “result in innocent people being hurt,” Higgins says.
Later that Tuesday, the Senate unanimously voted to pass the bill requiring the release of the files kept by the Department of Justice. According to Politico, victims of Epstein, now grown women, were outside cheering as the bill was passed.
Following the governmental process, the bill now moves to the Executive Branch. According to the New York Times, President Donald Trump has stated that he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
Last week, the House Oversight Committee declassified several emails and documents from Jeffery Epstein’s estate that connect him to several world leaders and other important figures. These emails mention both Democrats and Republicans, and even leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin. The New York Times claims these documents show the connection that Epstein had with the New York elite at the time, including Trump.
Kara Hopkins
News Editor
