Washington, DC [US], November 19 (ANI): In a landmark move toward government transparency, the US Senate on Tuesday (local time) unanimously agreed to pass the bipartisan, House-backed bill requiring the Department of Justice to make public all case files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, CNN reported. With the Senate’s unanimous approval, the measure will now be sent directly to President Donald Trump for his signature, requiring no further action in the chamber.
The Senate vote comes just hours after the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the same bill earlier on Tuesday with a 427-1 vote. The only dissenting vote came from Republican Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana. The legislation mandates the release of all case files related to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while facing federal sex-trafficking charges.
The bill has drawn rare bipartisan unity, with lawmakers from both parties calling for full transparency and justice for Epstein’s abuse survivors. Republican Representatives Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene held a press conference on Capitol Hill earlier in the day urging colleagues to support the bill. Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse spoke during the briefing, sharing emotional accounts and stressing the importance of releasing the files.
President Donald Trump has also voiced strong support for the legislation, urging House Republicans to back the measure and promising to sign it into law once it reaches his desk. Trump, who had previously criticized calls to release the full Epstein case files, shifted his stance this week. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, he said Republicans “have nothing to hide” and should vote to release the documents.
“As I said on Friday night aboard Air Force One to the Fake News Media, House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics,” Trump wrote, suggesting Democrats were using the issue to distract from Republican policies and recent achievements.
Trump also argued that the Department of Justice had already released “tens of thousands” of pages related to Epstein, accusing Democrats of selectively weaponizing the issue while ignoring figures such as former President Bill Clinton and others he referenced. He urged Republicans to refocus national attention on inflation, immigration, and the economy, instead of what he described as the “Epstein trap,” which he claimed would ultimately hurt Democrats more.
The House vote was preceded by uncertainty over whether the Senate would take up the bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune had not committed to scheduling it, though Democratic Senator Mark Kelly expressed hope that Republicans would allow a vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson also supported the bill—despite raising concerns about some of its wording—and warned that the Senate might seek amendments.
“I called my counterpart in the Senate, Leader Thune, and shared our deep concerns… I’m very confident that when this moves forward in the process… they will take the time methodically to do what we’ve not been allowed to do in the House,” Johnson said, referring to potential changes to the bill.
The push for transparency has been accompanied by heightened public pressure. Survivors of Epstein’s abuse launched an emotional campaign ahead of the House vote, including a public service announcement released by the advocacy group World Without Exploitation. The video featured survivors holding photos of themselves as teenagers—the ages at which they say they were first targeted by Epstein. “There are about a thousand of us,” one survivor says in the PSA. Another adds, “It’s time to bring the secrets out of the shadows,” CNN reported.
Meanwhile, Democratic Representative Robert Garcia criticized the Trump administration for failing to release the files earlier, noting that the president already has the authority to make the documents public without congressional approval. “I want to remind the president… that he has the power to release the files today. He has the power to release the files without a vote,” Garcia said during a press conference.
As Congress moves the Epstein Files bill to the president’s desk, the issue has become a flashpoint in the broader political landscape—one balancing demands for transparency, justice for survivors, and mounting partisan messaging in Washington.(ANI)
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