House GOP Lays Groundwork For Vote On Release Of Epstein Files As Democrats Ramp Up Pressure

Following pressure from angry MAGA members and Democrats, House Republicans are starting the process for a potential vote on a resolution calling for the release of the Justice Department's material related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

The proposed measure has not been scheduled for a vote, and it remains unclear whether members will ever get to vote on it, or whether it could pass in the face of a deep GOP divide over the Trump administration's handling of the case, The New York Times noted.

However, the plan, according to The Hill, is for the House Rules Committee to meet at 6 p.m. and advance a new resolution calling for some information related to Epstein to be released. The measure would be similar to the one introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), but with some differences.

An unnamed source told the outlet that the resolution would have "some teeth" after reports surfaced that any legislation moved by the panel would be nonbinding.

More specifically, the new measure calls on the Justice Department to make available within 30 days "documents, records and communications" surrounding the investigation into Epstein, his death, and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

The resolution came after the House was held up for hours Thursday from final consideration of President Donald Trump's request for about $9 billion in government funding cuts because GOP leaders were trying to respond to demands from their own ranks that they weigh in on the Epstein files.

Constituents all over the country have quickly turned their attention to the Epstein case after the Trump administration has gone back and forth on the release of information. Trump, who has long shared conspiracy theories on the case, has promised for years to release materials related to the sex trafficking scheme, especially amid speculation over a supposed list of Epstein's clients.

In February, the Justice Department released some government documents regarding the case, but there were no new revelations. Earlier this month, the DOJ released a video meant to prove the well-connected financier killed himself in prison and said no other information would be made public. On Thursday, a White House spokesman said the president would not appoint a special counsel on the case. Later that same day, Trump asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of testimony from grand jury proceedings in the case.

"The House Republicans are for transparency, and they're looking for a way to say that they agree with the White House. We agree with the president. Everything he said about that, all the credible evidence should come out," House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday afternoon amid the new resolution.

Democrats, for their part, have tried to take advantage of the divide within the GOP, in part by forcing votes on measures that call for the release of Epstein-related files, as well as by focusing their messaging on the matter.

"The American people simply need to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a news conference. "Democrats didn't put this into the public domain. The conspiracy theory provocateur-in-chief Donald Trump is the one, along with his extreme MAGA Republican associates, who put this whole thing into the public domain for years. And now they are reaping what they have sown."