WASHINGTON – The House on Tuesday passed a resolution to release all the files associated with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. All eight Maryland lawmakers supported the legislation, with many noting it has been a long time coming.
The Senate later passed the bill by unanimous consent, sending the measure to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.
The bill, initially introduced in July by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, would require the Department of Justice to publish “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to the investigation and prosecution of Epstein.
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin supported the bill, saying it was about “protecting the innocent.” The ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Raskin led the Democrats in debate and focused on the victims, some of whom sat in the gallery above him.
“We are here today because these victims, these survivors, these citizens, these inspiring women who have come to Washington are demanding nothing less than justice and the complete truth about who is responsible for their vicious abuse, including those responsible for enabling it, ignoring it, bankrolling it and covering it up,” Raskin said.
“The victims of Epstein’s abuse & the American people deserve transparency,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, wrote on Instagram before the Senate action.
He and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Maryland, joined fellow Democrats in a letter earlier Tuesday to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, urging immediate passage of the House bill without changes.
Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Maryland, who was among the 218 lawmakers who signed the House discharge petition that jumpstarted the vote, told Capital News Service that “this is not just another piece of legislation.”
“This is something that affects the hearts, the minds, the souls, and the emotions of scores of women,” Mfume said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, voted in favor of the legislation, but noted that amendments in the Senate would be vital to maintain the safety of victims and others involved.
He called the bill a “political show vote” and claimed that Democrats are attempting to launch attacks on Trump.
Johnson previously delayed the swearing-in of Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Arizona, which would’ve pushed the vote on the Epstein files up to 50 days earlier. Grijalva, the 218th and final signatory, said the vote was larger than political parties.
Trump on Sunday reversed his stance on the files, which he previously called a “hoax.” Trump urged Republicans on Sunday to support the bill in both the House and the Senate.
“We have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown,’” Trump said on Truth Social.
Mfume said that Trump is attempting to change the narrative “by suggesting that all Republican members vote to release the file while simultaneously directing the Justice Department to go hunt, and investigate after Democrats and others.”
Raskin said “nobody is stopping” Trump from releasing files himself and avoiding procedural votes altogether.
“If the president is serious about what he’s saying, he has the power to release the Epstein files right now,” Raskin said. “He can release the whole thing, and he can redact the names of the victims and others who are innocent in this process.”
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Maryland, voted in favor of the bill, but called on the House Freedom Caucus to penalize Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands, who – as reported by The Washington Post on Friday – texted Epstein during a 2019 hearing.
“I think she needs to be censured by the House and removed from the (House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence) for colluding with a convicted felon during a congressional hearing,” Harris wrote on X. “That does not reflect well on the House of Representatives.”
Plaskett said on the House floor that she was receiving many texts from constituents during the hearing. Epstein had a home in the Virgin Islands.
Rep. April McClain Delaney, D-Maryland, said everyone should be subject to the law.
“Today I proudly voted to release the Epstein files: to ensure that every person accused of a crime, regardless of their wealth status, or political connections is held accountable, and to bring justice to the many, many affected by his cruel actions,” she said in a statement.
Maryland Democratic Reps. Sarah Elfreth and Glenn Ivey both supported the legislation in the House. Ivey said in a statement that the vote was an “overdue step towards transparency and accountability.”
“Survivors and the American people deserve a full accounting of who enabled these horrific crimes and whether anyone in power tried to shield Epstein or his associates from justice,” Ivey said. “No survivor should be silenced, and no one – no matter how wealthy or well-connected – is above the law.”
Elfreth responded to Trump’s assertion that he had nothing to hide, saying on X, “If there’s nothing to hide, release the files.”