House to vote on releasing Epstein files, measure expected to pass with large bipartisan support

The House is set to vote Tuesday afternoon on a measure to release files regarding the deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The bipartisan measure, known as a discharge petition, gained widespread GOP support after President Trump said if passed in Congress he would sign it into law, reversing his previous stance. 

The vote is expected to take place at about 2 p.m. Supporters of having the Justice Department releasing all of the files think they include information about Epstein's relationship with some of the world's most powerful men, including whether Epstein provided them with young women for sex. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson said early Tuesday the vote is a "political showboat" by Democrats.

His remarks were preceded by a rally outside of the Capitol building staged by Epstein victims and Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose backing of the files being released has resulted in a riff between her and Trump and within the entire MAGA movement.

"He called me a traitor for standing with these women," Greene said at the rally.

Trump had initially insisted that the Epstein matter was a Democrat "hoax," though he previously campaigned on releasing the files. However, on Sunday, he posted on Truth Social, "House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide," apparently sensing that Congress and the public wanted the files released. 

Some Senate Republicans are urging their leadership to quickly pass the measure after the House does so it can be cleared from the agenda, and the upper chamber will be able to focus on annual appropriations bills, according to The Hill news outlet.

Earlier this year, GOP senators argued that Congress doesn’t have the authority to “dictate” how the Justice Department should handle the request to release all of the files.

The Senate may not be able to avoid the Epstein files bill, especially if it receives more than 100 Republican votes on the House floor, which could happen after Trump urged GOP lawmakers to vote for it.

Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., said that Trump’s support for the bill will “make a difference” in how the Senate handles it.

However, he cautioned that it would be “difficult” to get the bill through the Senate this week because of a shorter schedule and former Vice President Dick Cheney’s funeral service Thursday at Washington National Cathedral.

Also, the Justice Department’s newly launched investigation into Democrats associated with Epstein could allow the Trump administration to argue against sharing files with Congress.

Sen. Chris Coon, D-Del., told MS NOW's “Morning Joe” on Monday, “My gut hunch is that Attorney General Bondi, having just been ordered on social media by the president to open an investigation into a series of high-profile Democrats, will promptly say, ‘Oh, no, no. There’s an ongoing investigation. We can’t disclose any of this.’ And the president will back that up.”

Trump on Monday said he would sign the Epstein file bill into law if it passes, saying the Epstein files issue is “really a Democrat problem.”