House Republicans' Hold on Discharge Petition Falls as Lawmaker Signs On, Pushing for Release of Epstein Files.
The House has secured the final signatures needed to force a vote on compelling the Justice Department to release materials related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A discharge petition, which bypasses House leadership, requires 218 signatures and had initially stalled due to GOP leaders delaying the swearing-in of newly elected Democrat Rep. Adelita Grijalva.
As the House returns from its recess, the effort has gained momentum, with all Democrats and four Republicans having signed on to the measure, including a new addition by Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva on Wednesday morning before her swearing-in ceremony. With her signature, the petition has secured the final two signatures needed to force a vote.
Supporters of the discharge petition interpreted the delayed swearing-in as an attempt to avoid adding Grijalva's name and start the waiting period for a possible floor motion, which would put the bill on hold until after the scheduled voting break. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he would bypass this wait time and bring the measure up for a vote as soon as the House returns.
The bipartisan legislation, titled the Epstein Files Transparency Act, aims to release documents from various investigations into Epstein's activities and those of his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking. If passed, the bill would compel the Justice Department to release flight logs, travel records, names of individuals and entities referenced in any Epstein case, as well as internal communications related to Epstein's death.
Critics of the measure have argued that it does not go far enough to protect victims, while proponents believe that its passage is essential for transparency and accountability. The bill also includes provisions for making public any records related to the destruction or concealment of documents, recordings, or electronic data, as well as documentation about Epstein's death.
The House Oversight Committee has released tens of thousands of Epstein-related records in recent months, including new emails exchanged between Epstein and others, which include a message from Epstein to Ghislaine Maxwell referencing President Trump. However, Republicans on the committee claim that Democrats are selectively leaking these materials to generate clickbait.
In response to the release of these emails, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Democrats of creating a "fake narrative" and using them to distract from the government shutdown. Meanwhile, President Trump has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein's activities.
The Senate is expected to consider the bill if it passes the House, but its prospects are uncertain at this point.
The House has secured the final signatures needed to force a vote on compelling the Justice Department to release materials related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A discharge petition, which bypasses House leadership, requires 218 signatures and had initially stalled due to GOP leaders delaying the swearing-in of newly elected Democrat Rep. Adelita Grijalva.
As the House returns from its recess, the effort has gained momentum, with all Democrats and four Republicans having signed on to the measure, including a new addition by Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva on Wednesday morning before her swearing-in ceremony. With her signature, the petition has secured the final two signatures needed to force a vote.
Supporters of the discharge petition interpreted the delayed swearing-in as an attempt to avoid adding Grijalva's name and start the waiting period for a possible floor motion, which would put the bill on hold until after the scheduled voting break. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he would bypass this wait time and bring the measure up for a vote as soon as the House returns.
The bipartisan legislation, titled the Epstein Files Transparency Act, aims to release documents from various investigations into Epstein's activities and those of his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking. If passed, the bill would compel the Justice Department to release flight logs, travel records, names of individuals and entities referenced in any Epstein case, as well as internal communications related to Epstein's death.
Critics of the measure have argued that it does not go far enough to protect victims, while proponents believe that its passage is essential for transparency and accountability. The bill also includes provisions for making public any records related to the destruction or concealment of documents, recordings, or electronic data, as well as documentation about Epstein's death.
The House Oversight Committee has released tens of thousands of Epstein-related records in recent months, including new emails exchanged between Epstein and others, which include a message from Epstein to Ghislaine Maxwell referencing President Trump. However, Republicans on the committee claim that Democrats are selectively leaking these materials to generate clickbait.
In response to the release of these emails, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Democrats of creating a "fake narrative" and using them to distract from the government shutdown. Meanwhile, President Trump has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein's activities.
The Senate is expected to consider the bill if it passes the House, but its prospects are uncertain at this point.
just saw that all Democrats and 4 more Republicans signed up for the discharge petition... like, what's going on? Wasn't Grijalva supposed to be sworn in first? 
I'm thinking it was a ploy to avoid adding her name and start the waiting period. But Speaker Mike Johnson is being super cool and saying he'll just bring it up ASAP 
so we can finally get some answers about Epstein's files... what's really going on here? 
Are they trying to hide something or is it just politics as usual?
! It's like a major breakthrough for transparency and accountability, you know? I mean, who doesn't want to see some juicy Epstein files come out of the woodwork 
. The fact that all these lawmakers are coming together on both sides to push for release is a big deal, it shows they're willing to put politics aside for a sec and do what's right. Now we just gotta keep the momentum going and make sure this bill actually passes, fingers crossed 
!
. The way the Justice Department has been handling those records is shady at best, so it's good that this bill could help shed some light on what really went down 
. I'm also curious to see how President Trump will react when this bill comes to him – it's gonna be interesting to watch how he handles it 
.
. now let's see how far it actually gets in the Senate 
.
and I'm still trying to figure out how they make those fancy coffee drinks 
. I guess that's good for transparency and accountability and all that... 
. Ugh, it's just so complicated! Can someone explain to me how discharge petitions work? Like, what's the deal with having to get 218 signatures? Is that a lot?
And omg, those Republicans trying to deflect blame by saying Democrats are leaking info - come on! It's about time someone held the Justice Department accountable for keeping this stuff under wraps. 
The fact that they're including provisions to release records related to document destruction is a big deal too... can't have our government hiding evidence from us, you know? 
.
. And honestly, if this passes, it'll be awesome to see some real accountability in action. Maybe it's a bit slow going for my liking, but I'm just glad we're finally getting somewhere on this Epstein Files Transparency Act 
.
i mean, who hasn't wondered what went down with Ghislaine Maxwell and Trump? 
anyway now its finally happening and i'm so here for it 
and who wouldn't wanna see those emails between epstein & trump 
anyway gotta give props to Adelita Grijalva for getting those signatures and making this happen 
. We need more pressure on him to come clean about his involvement with Epstein. It's also interesting to see how the House Oversight Committee is trying to deflect criticism by claiming Democrats are selectively leaking information 
. Can't we just have a decent discussion without all the noise?
just heard that a new batch of unsealed documents about Epstein's association with Donald Trump is coming out... apparently some emails have Trump talking trash about his former Attorney General, who had investigated Epstein's friend Prince Andrew 
anyway, this whole thing still reeks of cover-ups