Epstein Files Release Closer as US House Prepares Approval

The US House of Representatives is expected to approve a bill that would force the Justice Department to release the "Epstein Files":

sarah

Nov 18, 2025 - 21:40

Epstein Files Release Closer as US House Prepares Approval

After President Donald Trump called on Republican lawmakers to approve the bill, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he expects it to win "overwhelmingly" when it is introduced in the Republican-led House on Tuesday.

But these files cannot be released soon, and it is unclear whether some files will be withheld. After the House, the bill must also be approved by the Senate.

Victims of Epstein's abuse will also be present on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to support the bill.

On Monday evening, a group called World Without Exploitation projected images of some of the victims onto buildings across Washington, less than a mile from Capitol Hill, with the message: "Congress, release all files."

Members of both parties, who are demanding the declassification of these files, believe the information could implicate influential people in Epstein's crimes.

Over the past few years, other materials related to Epstein have also been released in various stages. Last week, the House Oversight Committee released thousands of documents related to Epstein's estate, mostly emails.

These documents mention Trump and other high-profile individuals who had contact with Epstein, but there is no indication of any wrongdoing by these individuals.

Trump has maintained that he has done no wrong and that he ended his friendship with Epstein long before Epstein's first arrest.

During last year's election campaign, Trump supported declassifying these files, but after taking office, he backtracked on this stance, causing disappointment among his supporters. The Justice Department released a limited number of documents in February and later announced that no more would be released.

Lawmakers from both parties then began working on a proposal to declassify all the files. Last week, at the end of the 43-day federal shutdown, Johnson swore in a new House member, who immediately signed a petition to consider the proposal, pushing it past the threshold required for a vote.

Trump, who had pressured his fellow Republicans to reject the proposal, made a U-turn on Sunday, saying he would ultimately support it.

Speaking to reporters the following evening, he confirmed that he would sign the proposal into law, provided it received approval from both houses of Congress.

"Sure, I will," he said. "Let the Senate look at it, let anyone look at it. But don't talk about it too much." This was because, Trump said, the issue was distracting from his administration's accomplishments.

"We've done a great job, and it saddens me to see this distract from the great work we've done," he said.

Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee who is investigating the Epstein files, said Trump didn't need to wait for the resolution to pass the House and then the Senate.

In a statement on Monday, he said, "Quite clearly: Trump has the right to release all the files today." In the statement, he accused Trump of "diverting and slowing down our investigation."

Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican who had incurred Trump's ire by pushing for the release, told CNN that he was "a little skeptical about this sudden turn of events," but believes the total number of votes in support of the resolution on Tuesday will be "very large."

He added, "We're concerned that maybe they'll try to mess it up in the Senate." He mentioned the possibility that the resolution would be changed after it passes the Republican-dominated upper house.

Speaker Johnson said on Monday that he had some reservations about the draft bill and was "somewhat relieved" that the Senate would be able to address "some of our concerns, such as the protection of victims and whistleblowers and all the rest."

Changes to the bill could delay its passage in the Senate. Subsequently, the separate bills in both houses could take more time to finalize for Trump's signature.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said last week that the Justice Department is launching a federal investigation into former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and others named in documents related to the Epstein estate recently released by the House Oversight Committee.

The House resolution currently states that Bondi can withhold documents that would "jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution."