More Epstein files cleared for release as defiant lawmakers win petition: report
Two congressmen have gathered enough signatures to force the release of more government files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to an article by The Washington Sun, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) announced on Thursday that they had secured the 218 signatures needed to bring their bill to the House floor.
The measure, called the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, would let victims, lawmakers, and states sue the Justice Department for unlawfully hiding records tied to the disgraced financier. It stalled in committee after the pair introduced it in July, but a discharge petition lets them bypass Republican leadership and bring it straight to a vote, according to The Washington Sun.
Four Republicans agreed to sign on, including Massie, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). Every House Democrat also backed the effort.
"Thomas Massie and I have defied history a second time, securing commitments for 218 signatures on Epstein 2.0," Khanna wrote on X.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) cut the chamber's workweek short by a day, which means lawmakers cannot vote on the bill until after November's midterm elections. The shortened session also blocked a separate Massie resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
A simple majority of 218 votes is all that would be needed to send the bill to the Senate, The Washington Sun noted.
"We will not rest until the Epstein abusers are held accountable and there is justice," Khanna said, per The Sun.
The push follows last year's near-unanimous passage of the first Epstein Files Transparency Act, which forced the DOJ to hand over millions of documents. That release drew accusations of a cover-up, complaints about botched redactions and fights over omitted records, and the two lawmakers say the DOJ has "grossly failed" to meet its legal obligation, The Sun reported.