The development comes a day after President Donald Trump ended his opposition to the move
The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to oblige the Department of Justice release all unclassified documents related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
On Monday, President Donald Trump ended his opposition to the plan by calling on Republicans in the House to support the initiative.
Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was found dead in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His long association with wealthy and influential figures in the US and beyond continues to fuel controversy in Washington, where both parties have accused each other of using the case for political gain.
The resolution was passed 427-1 after being signed by 218 lawmakers in the House, where Republicans hold a 219-214 majority. The documents are now to go to the Senate for further consideration. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, has declined to comment on what comes next.
The resolution still allows the Justice Department to withhold materials that could “jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.”
On Monday, Trump stated on Truth Social that “the House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON’T CARE!” He also maintained that “we have nothing to hide.”
The president had opposed the release for months, accusing Democrats of hyping up the case to distract the public from the real issues and damage his presidency. He still referred to the case as the “Epstein hoax” in his post on social media.
Trump vowed to release the Epstein files during his election campaign and signed a relevant executive order shortly after taking office. US officials have since released several batches of files related to the disgraced financier, including 20,000 documents in November alone.
However, key materials – including flight logs, client names, and contact lists – have remained under seal, fueling speculation about who could be implicated. Earlier this month, Democrats published an email in which Epstein alleged that Trump “knew about the girls.” In response, Trump ordered a probe into Epstein’s ties to prominent Democrats, including Bill Clinton.
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