US House votes to force Justice Department to release Epstein files

The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives votes to force the release of Justice Department files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, an outcome US President Donald Trump had fought for months before ending his opposition.

Two days after Trump’s abrupt about-face, the vote passes by 427-1, sending a resolution requiring the release of all unclassified records on Epstein to the Senate for consideration. The public and increasingly bitter feud among Republicans over the Epstein files had fractured relations between Trump and some of his most ardent supporters.

Before the vote, about two dozen survivors of Epstein’s alleged abuse joined a trio of Democratic and Republican lawmakers outside the US Capitol to urge the release of the records. The women held photographs of their younger selves, the age at which they said they first encountered Epstein, a New York financier who fraternized with some of the most powerful men in the country.

The Epstein scandal has been a political thorn in Trump’s side for months, partly because he amplified conspiracy theories about Epstein to his own supporters. Despite his changed position on the bill, the Republican president remains angry about the attention paid to the Epstein matter.

Trump socialized and partied with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s before what he calls a rift, but the old friendship has become a rare weak spot for the president with his supporters. Trump has said he had no connection to Epstein’s crimes.

It is unclear what the Republican-led Senate will do next. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has declined to comment.