WASHINGTON — Lawmakers seeking to force the release of files related to the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein are predicting a big win in the House this week, with a “deluge of Republicans” expected to vote for their bill. This would buck GOP leadership and President Donald Trump, who for months have disparaged the effort.
The bill aims to compel the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information concerning the investigation into his death in federal prison. Information about Epstein’s victims or ongoing federal investigations could be redacted.
“There could be 100 or more” Republican votes, said Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) during Sunday news show appearances discussing the legislation. “I’m hoping to get a veto-proof majority on this legislation when it comes up for a vote.”
Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) introduced a discharge petition in July to force a vote on their bill. This is a rarely successful tool that allows a majority of members to bypass House leadership and bring a floor vote.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) criticized the discharge petition effort and even sent members home early for their August recess when the GOP’s legislative agenda was disrupted by the push for an Epstein vote. Democrats also claim that the seating of Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) was stalled to delay her becoming the 218th member to sign the petition, which is the threshold needed to force a vote. She became the 218th signature moments after taking the oath of office last week.
Massie said Johnson, Trump, and others who have been critical of his efforts will be “taking a big loss this week.”
“I’m not tired of winning yet, but we are winning,” Massie added.
### The View from GOP Leadership
Johnson seems to expect the House will decisively back the Epstein bill.
“We’ll just get this done and move it on. There’s nothing to hide,” he said, noting that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has already been releasing “far more information than the discharge petition, their little gambit.”
The vote comes as new documents raise fresh questions about Epstein and his associates, including a 2019 email Epstein wrote to a journalist stating that Trump “knew about the girls.” The White House has accused Democrats of selectively leaking these emails to smear the Republican president.
Johnson insisted that Trump “has nothing to hide from this.”
“They’re doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not,” Johnson said.
Trump’s association with Epstein is well-established, and the president’s name was included in records released by his own Justice Department in February as part of an effort to satisfy public interest in the sex trafficking investigation. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and the mere inclusion of a name in the investigation files does not imply guilt.
Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, had many prominent acquaintances in political and celebrity circles besides Trump.
### Modest Expectations and Calls for Accountability
Khanna expressed more modest expectations for the vote count than Massie but hoped for 40 or more Republicans to join the bipartisan effort.
“I don’t even know how involved Trump was,” Khanna said. “There are a lot of other people involved who have to be held accountable.”
Khanna also urged Trump to meet with survivors of abuse. Some of those survivors will be at the Capitol on Tuesday for a news conference, he said.
Massie warned that Republican lawmakers who fear losing Trump’s endorsement because of how they vote will have a mark on their record if they vote “no,” which could hurt their political prospects in the long term.
“The record of this vote will last longer than Donald Trump’s presidency,” Massie said.
On the Republican side, three members have joined Massie in signing the discharge petition: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Nancy Mace (S.C.), and Lauren Boebert (Colo.).
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/11/16/epstein-vote-looms-over-house/
