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In a historic vote, the United States House of Representatives approved on Tuesday by a wide majority a resolution that mandates the Department of Justice to publish all files related to the deceased financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The measure, driven by Democrats and supported by nearly all Republicans, must now pass to the Senate before being signed by President Donald Trump, who reacted angrily to a White House reporter after learning the results.
"You are a terrible person and a terrible reporter... I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. I kicked him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert; I guess it turned out I was right," Trump said in response to a question from the press.
The resolution was approved with 427 votes in favor and only one against, from the Republican Clay Higgins (Louisiana), who argued that the publication “could hurt innocent people.”
The result was celebrated with applause in the gallery of Congress, where family members of victims of the sex trafficking network run by Epstein were present.
The surprising Republican support came after a shift in position from President Trump, who had blocked access to part of the files during his first term.
On Sunday, Trump stated that his supporters should vote in favor because "I have nothing to hide."
His name appears in hundreds of emails and documents already released by the Congressional Oversight Commission, including three that suggest he was aware of Epstein's criminal activities .
The Democratic leader Jamie Raskin, a proponent of the measure, celebrated the bipartisan vote: "We want the whole truth to come to light. Even the British monarchy would not have tolerated this cover-up," he said, referring to Prince Andrew of England, who is also implicated in the Epstein papers.
Hours before the vote, on the steps of the Capitol, several survivors and family members demanded complete transparency.
Sky Roberts, brother of the late Virginia Giuffre —one of the main accusers of Epstein—, urged lawmakers to “stop politicizing the pain of the victims” and promised to continue fighting for justice.
"We want truth, justice, and accountability. No more excuses, no more silences," declared Roberts to the press.
The Congressional Oversight Committee has already released over 23,000 pages of case files, including letters, emails, and financial records.
Among them, a letter sent by Trump to Epstein in 2003 with sexual allusions and explicit signatures has sparked significant controversy.
Other documents reveal that Trump "spent hours" with one of the victims at Epstein's residence, and that the financier wrote to Ghislaine Maxwell—his associate, sentenced to 20 years in prison—that the then-magnate "knew about the girls."
Trump has responded by insisting that the files will show that "Epstein was a Democrat" and that the investigation "is a political maneuver to distract from the achievements of the Republican Party."
The measure will now be voted on in the Senate. If approved, President Trump has promised to sign it "as soon as it reaches his desk."
The leader of the Democratic minority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, challenged the president to take action: "Let's make it easier. Just publish the files now".
If approved, the law will require the complete publication of the files, including the names of political, business, and entertainment figures who may have had ties to Epstein.
The voting was made possible thanks to a discharge petition, a legislative mechanism that allows bypassing the leadership of the House and forces a direct vote. The majority of the 435 representatives signed the request, despite the initial resistance from the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.
Analysts indicate that this decision could usher in a new phase of political and judicial tension in Washington, as the outstanding documents may implicate figures from both parties, moguls, artists, and academics associated with Epstein over the course of two decades.
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