House Republicans on Tuesday afternoon moved to block a second effort from the chamber’s Democrats to force a vote on releasing materials related to the late convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
Lawmakers voted along party lines against permitting Democrats to offer an amendment to force Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish any “records and evidence” regarding the federal government’s investigation into and incarceration of Epstein. House Democratic leadership has sought to put GOP lawmakers in politically uncharted territory by making them choose between compelling the Trump administration to release all records related to Epstein or deferring to the president’s judgement about which contents to make public on his timeline.
Republican lawmakers, even those who have advocated for the release of the Epstein files, voted against allowing a vote on Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna’s amendment to release the Epstein files within 30 days of the measure’s enactment. The amendment would have been attached to Senate-passed crypto legislation under consideration in the House, which could have jeopardized the bill’s chances of becoming law.
“It’s just politics, it’s not about protecting little children,” Republican Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett told Axios, referring to the amendment. “And that ticks me off.”
The failed effort follows an unsuccessful vote on Khanna’s amendment in the House Rules Committee Monday evening. Just one House Republican, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, joined with Democrats to adopt the amendment. Norman, however, voted against allowing a floor vote on the same amendment.
He told reporters Tuesday that Bondi has “an independent party” reviewing records related to Epstein, which he characterized as “the right course.”
Democrats have sought to capitalize on Americans — including many Trump supporters’ — frustration with the administration’s handling of documents related to Epstein.
“The American people deserve to know the truth,” Jeffries told reporters during a press conference Monday. “If [the Trump administration is] trying to hide something, as many of Donald Trump’s MAGA supporters apparently believe, then the Congress should actually work hard to try to uncover the truth for the American people.”
An unsigned Department of Justice and FBI memo released earlier in July stated that Epstein did not maintain a client list nor is there “credible evidence” to suggest he blackmailed prominent Americans. The memo also concluded that Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019.
Speaker Mike Johnson told YouTuber Benny Johnson on Tuesday that he is supportive of releasing the Epstein files, but signaled that he would defer to the president’s judgment on which materials to make public.
“I’m for transparency,” the House Speaker told the YouTuber. “We’re intellectually consistent in this. [Former President Ronald] Reagan used to tell us we should trust the American people.”
“I know President Trump does as well, and I trust him,” Speaker Johnson continued. “It’s a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it.”
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