Republicans in the House could be on track today to approve the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, a vote that follows President Trump's unexpected blessing for a measure that has driven rancor through the party and its base.
The bipartisan effort, which has been led by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., was long fought by Trump and Republican leadership from reaching the House floor. As recently as last week, White House officials met with Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., about her support for releasing the files, but her position was unchanged after the meeting.
Trump has also attacked Republicans for pushing the measure, including Massie and most recently Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
However, Trump did an about face over the weekend as it became clear a vote in the House was likely to succeed, and said Republicans should approve the bill.
On Monday, Trump told reporters at the White House that the Senate can take up the bill as well, and that he would sign it if it passes. The measure, if passed, would compel the Justice Department to release all of its files on the convicted sex offender within 30 days.
"I'm all for it," Trump said from the Oval Office, but maintained it was a "hoax" that he didn't want to "detract" from his party's success.
Trump does not need legislation in order to approve the files for release, but he told reporters that Congress "can do whatever they want" on the vote.
His remarks came after a simple majority of House members signed onto what is known as a discharge petition – a workaround that forces votes without leadership or committee approval. Last week, the chamber's newest member, Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., became the decisive 218th signature on the petition.
Grijalva's swearing in was delayed for seven weeks after her election, galvanizing Democrats who accused House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., of stalling in order to put off the vote. Johnson rejected that claim, saying her oath of office would not be taken until the government shutdown fight was resolved. He also committed to not block the vote on the House floor.
Tuesday's expected vote also comes after a wave of Epstein files were released last week by members on the Republican-led House Oversight Committee. Democrats first released a set of three emails, followed by thousands of pages of new files released by the panel's chairman, James Comer, R-Ky. The documents triggered new questions about the extent of Trump's relationship with the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender before his death in 2019.
Ahead of the vote, Massie and Khanna plan to gather with survivors and their families and friends. They last appeared together in September on Capitol Hill to lobby for the release of the Epstein files, saying transparency was the path to holding those involved fully accountable.
Survivors reiterated that position in a Friday letter to Congress in which they urged the release of files relating to Epstein and his longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving time at a Texas facility after her conviction on trafficking charges.
"Epstein and Maxwell's crimes exposed a double standard of justice, where rich and powerful men and women evade repercussions," they wrote.
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