House Passes Epstein File Transparency Act, One Lawmaker Votes Against
Representative Clay Higgins (R-La.) stood alone in opposing a House bill aimed at releasing unclassified documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I’ve been against this bill from the start on principle,” Higgins stated. “The issues that were present three months ago still apply today. It goes against 250 years of criminal justice practices in the U.S.,” he shared on social media platform X regarding his stance on the Epstein File Transparency Act.
“The way this bill is written risks exposing and damaging the lives of many innocent individuals, including witnesses and family members. If this passes in its current form, it would lead to widespread disclosure of criminal investigation files to a sensationalist media, potentially harming innocent people. That’s not the vote I wanted to cast,” he continued.
Supporters of the bill, including victims of Epstein, argue it could deliver justice to minor victims of trafficking.
Despite some divisions among lawmakers, the bill garnered broad support, passing with a vote of 427 to 1 on Tuesday, following significant lobbying from co-sponsors Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), although he shared concerns similar to Higgins, ultimately voted in favor of the bill.
“Truth triumphs over deception and secrecy. Transparency will prevail over dark money. Partisanship will give way to bipartisanship. This vote signifies that the grassroots will reclaim their house. It’s a win not only for survivors of the Epstein scandal but for countless other survivors as well,” Massie said during a speech on the House floor.
“Some of those victims are no longer with us. Some took their own lives. What unites them is that their youth was stolen, much of their lives taken from them. They are striving to reclaim what was lost.”
Initially, before President Trump’s reversal, the bill faced an uncertain path in the Senate, with Prime Minister Johnson looking to amend some provisions. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.S.) indicated on Tuesday that the Senate might swiftly review the bill and pass it unanimously.
