The US Congress has delivered a resounding victory for transparency advocates, voting overwhelmingly to force the release of long-withheld Justice Department files on the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandates the attorney general to publish all unclassified records within 30 days, passed the House 427-1 on Tuesday before clearing the Senate by unanimous consent, sending it straight to President Donald Trump’s desk.
Epstein survivors watching from the House gallery erupted in cheers and tears as the tally climbed, some blowing kisses to lawmakers below.
The bill compels the disclosure of investigative materials, flight logs, communications and documents related to Epstein and his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, with protections for victims’ privacy. It also requires an unredacted list of named government officials and prominent figures for congressional review.
The near-unanimous support marked a dramatic reversal for Trump and Republican leaders, who had stalled the measure for months amid Democratic accusations of a cover-up. Speaker Mike Johnson, who once dismissed it as a “political show vote”, voted yes, while only Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins opposed.
Trump, who pledged during his 2024 campaign to declassify the files, now faces a bill he has vowed to sign, though doubts linger over the Justice Department’s compliance under his appointee, Pam Bondi.
The vote’s timing collided with Trump’s White House meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler’s first visit since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
As the two leaders discussed arms sales and nuclear cooperation, an ABC News reporter pressed Trump on why he had not ordered the files’ release himself. “You’re a terrible reporter,” he snapped, calling for ABC’s broadcast licence to be revoked and insisting: “I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. I threw him out of my club years ago because he was a sick pervert.”
The outburst, witnessed by the crown prince, underscored Trump’s lingering fury over the scandal. Newly released emails from Epstein’s estate, disclosed last week by the House Oversight Committee, alleged Trump “knew about the girls” and spent hours at Epstein’s home with a victim. Democrats, led by California Representative Robert Garcia, demanded answers: “These emails raise glaring questions about what the White House is hiding.”
High-profile names already surfacing in prior releases include.
- Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend who was convicted in 2021 on sex trafficking charges.
- Former UK Prince Andrew, Duke of York, is the second son of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
- Former US President Bill Clinton
- US President Donald Trump
- Tech mogul Elon Musk.
- Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, the former wife of Prince Andrew
- Marla Maples, the former wife of Donald Trump.
- Tiffany Trump, the daughter of Marla Maples and Donald Trump.
- Alan Dershowitz, lawyer and media pundit.
- Jean Luc Brunel, French model agency boss and alleged Epstein co-conspirator.
- Pop star Michael Jackson
- Marvin Minsky, AI pioneer.
- Naomi Campbell, British model
- Courtney Love, American singer
- Michael Wolff, journalist and author
- Noam Chomsky, linguist and professor
- Peggy Siegel, publicist
- Peter Thiel, billionaire investor and Musk’s close friend
- Mick Jagger, English musician and frontman of The Rolling Stones.
- Bill Richardson, former governor of New Mexico
- Glenn Dubin, an American hedge fund manager.
- Eva Andersson-Dubin, former Miss Sweden and wife of Glenn Dubin, who once dated Epstein.
- Tom Pritzker, American tycoon and philanthropist
- Chris Tucker, American comedian and actor
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Mary Kennedy, the late wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Virginia Giuffre, formerly known as Virginia Roberts, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault.
- Dana Burns
- Frédéric Fekkai, celebrity hairstylist
- Alexandra Fekkai, son of Frédéric Fekkai
- Jo Jo Fontanella, Epstein’s butler
- Doug Band, longtime Bill Clinton aide
- Eric Gany
- Sheridan Gibson-Butte
- Shelly Harrison
- Victoria Hazell
- Forest Sawyer
- Sarah Kellen, Epstein’s former assistant
- Adriana Mucinska, Epstein’s former assistant
- Peter Marino
- Nadia Marcinkova, alleged friend of Epstein
- David Mullen
- Joe Pagano
- Kristy Rodgers
- Patsy Rodgers
- Mark Epstein, brother of Jeffrey Epstein
- Emmy Taylor, Maxwell’s ex-personal assistant
- Brent Tindall, chef for Epstein
- Ed Tuttle
- Les Wexner, a former business partner of Epstein
- Abigail Wexner, wife of Les Wexner
- Cresencia Valdez
- Maritza Vasquez
- Sharon Reynolds
- Courtney Wild
- Mark Zeff, New York decorator
- Kelly Spamm
- Alexandra Dixon
- Ricardo Legoretta
