Tuesday’s vote further showed the pressure mounting on lawmakers to meet long-held demands that the Justice Department release its case files on Epstein, a well-connected financier who killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges he sexually abused and trafficked underage girls.
“These women have fought the most horrific fight that no woman should have to fight. And they did it by banding together and never giving up," said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as she stood with some of the abuse survivors outside the Capitol Tuesday morning.
Before the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed concerns over the legislation. He argued that the bill could have unintended consequences by disclosing parts of federal investigations that are usually kept private, including information on some victims who have stated they do not want their names made public.
“This is a raw and obvious political exercise," Johnson said.
In a floor speech before the vote, Johnson noted once again that all the Epstein files were clearly available during the four years when President Joe Biden and his Justice Department were in power. He wondered why the Democrats were choosing now to make it a major political issue.
It's not clear how the Senate will handle the bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has previously been circumspect when asked about the legislation and instead said he trusted the Justice Department to release information on the Epstein investigation.
