The House is bracing for a high-stakes vote next week on the Epstein Files Transparency Act after Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) became the 218th signatory on a discharge petition to force floor action. The move follows the release of explosive emails from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, in which he claimed Donald Trump “knew about the girls” and spent hours with one of his accusers.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) opted to fast-track the vote rather than delay it until December. A press conference with Epstein survivors, led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), is also set for Tuesday.
Trump and his allies scrambled to pressure Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) to withdraw their support, but the petition held. While only four Republicans signed it, dozens more are expected to back the bill on the floor.
Still, the legislation faces long odds in the GOP-controlled Senate and would require Trump’s signature—or a veto override—to become law. Trump dismissed the effort as a “hoax” and warned Republicans against “deflections” on the issue.
Democrats accuse Johnson of delaying Grijalva’s swearing-in to shield Trump, a claim he denies. Meanwhile, Republicans countered the email release with 20,000 pages of documents from the Epstein estate, alleging Democrats are withholding files that may implicate their own.
The Oversight Committee has already released Epstein’s “birthday book” and interviewed key figures, including former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta. Johnson insists the panel’s work renders the discharge petition “moot,” but the political fallout is far from over.