US House of Representatives and Senate approve bill to make Epstein files public

New Delhi: In a shake-up of US politics, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to pass a measure ordering the Justice Department to declassify documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. The move is seen as the end of months of internal divisions and a reversal of President Donald Trump's long-standing opposition.

Only one Republican, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, voted no on the resolution, which passed by a landslide 427–1. Trump had abruptly withdrawn his opposition two days earlier. Following the House of Representatives, the Senate also approved the Epstein-filed Transparency Act, clearing the way for the bill to be sent to Trump for his signature. The issue also created a rare rift within Trump's inner circle, with even staunch supporters like Marjorie Taylor Greene clashing with him.

Victims plead outside the Capitol

Ahead of the vote, nearly two dozen women who suffered abuse by Epstein appeared outside the US Capitol with bipartisan lawmakers, demanding transparency. Many of the women held photos of themselves as teenagers, the age when they say Epstein first targeted them. The Epstein scandal has always been a politically sensitive issue for Trump, as he once spent time with Epstein and later promoted conspiracies about his death. Epstein's death in 2019 in a Manhattan jail was ruled a suicide.

Trump is angry at the reporter's question

Despite changing his stance on the bill, Trump appeared annoyed by questions about it. On Tuesday, in the Oval Office, he launched a scathing attack on the media, calling them "terrible people" and that their networks should be stripped of their licenses. Victims criticized Trump's comments. Jenna-Lisa Jones, who said she was abused by Epstein when she was 14, said, "Please stop politicizing this. This isn't about you, President Trump. I voted for you, but your behavior on this issue has caused a national embarrassment."

Resistance to Trump

In July, a small, bipartisan group in the House of Representatives initiated this process by filing a discharge petition to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson. Initially, this effort seemed unlikely to succeed, especially after Trump urged Republican lawmakers to dismiss it as a "hoax." Ultimately, neither Trump nor Johnson could stem the growing support for the proposal. Now, Trump is saying that if the Senate approves, he will sign it into law.

Trump has consistently maintained that he severed ties with Epstein years ago and resisted demands from the Justice Department to release records. On Monday, he said Epstein was associated with more Democrats and that he did not want the issue to undermine the Republican Party's great success. But mounting pressure from the Republican base forced him to change his stance.

MAGA divided as Trump retreats

The vote was delayed for several weeks, as Johnson stalled the House proceedings and delayed the swearing-in of Democratic legislator Adelita Grijalva, whose signatures would have given the petition a majority. After her signatures were submitted, the outcome became clear, and both Trump and Johnson were forced to yield. Marjorie Taylor Greene, speaking of Trump's initial opposition, said the fight had ripped apart MAGA.

What are the provisions in the new bill?

A separate House Oversight investigation has already released thousands of documents detailing Epstein's connections to political and global influencers. The new bill would force the Justice Department to release all records related to Epstein within 30 days, with only portions related to the ongoing investigation and victims' privacy blacked out.