Rep. Clay Higgins explains 'principled' no vote on Epstein bill

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was the sole opposing vote to the House bill requiring the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files on Tuesday.

The House voted 427-1 in favor of the bill, which Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., brought via a discharge petition.

"I have been a principled “NO” on this bill from the beginning. What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today," he posted on X. "It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America. As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people – witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc."

"If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt. Not by my vote," he added. "The Oversight Committee is conducting a thorough investigation that has already released well over 60,000 pages of documents from the Epstein case."

"That effort will continue in a manner that provides all due protections for innocent Americans," he continued. "If the Senate amends the bill to properly address privacy of victims and other Americans, who are named but not criminally implicated, then I will vote for that bill when it comes back to the House."

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.