House Votes To Release Epstein Files. Bill Moves To Senate.

President Donald Trump has said he would sign a bill to release Department of Justice files on Jeffrey Epstein. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to release the investigative files on deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The bill now moves to the Senate**,** where passage is uncertain.

The House voted 427-1 to pass the measure. One Republican, Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, voted against the bill.

President Donald Trump unexpectedly dropped his opposition to the measure two days ago after it became clear that the bill had enough support among House Republicans to pass. His acquiescence ended a months-long pressure campaign against a handful of Republicans to get them to drop the bill.

The House Oversight Committee last week released thousands of documents from their Epstein investigation, including emails that mentioned Trump and other prominent politicians and businesspeople. Some of the documents included emails in which Epstein alleged that Trump knew about his relationships with women who Epstein victimized.

The White House has said that Trump knew nothing about Epstein’s crimes and that the president barred Epstein from Trump’s Florida members club after a falling out.

Trump has said he would sign a bill to release the files into law, but it isn’t clear how quickly the Senate will take up the House measure.

Some Senators have said that modifications need to be made to the bill to protect the identities of some of Epstein’s victims, which would force another vote in the House. The bill also allows the Justice Department to withhold documents related to open investigations, which could delay some files’ release further.

Higgins on X wrote that the bill as written “reveals and injures thousands of innocent people,” such as witnesses and family members. He said that if the Senate amends the bill to address his privacy concerns, he would vote in favor of the new version.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) has shepherded the bill through the House against Trump’s opposition. “Don’t get too cute,” Massie said of the Senate at a press conference Tuesday morning.

“If you want to add some additional protections for these survivors, go for it. But if you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people, and you are not part of this effort,” Massie said.

Write to Joe Light at joe.light@barrons.com