JUST IN: Major Update Launches Epstein Files Showdown In The House

The battle over the long-secret Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein has exploded back into the spotlight this week, as lawmakers prepare for a December showdown that could force Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) hand and put the issue directly before the House floor.

The months-long bipartisan effort to sidestep Johnson and compel the full release of the Epstein files gained new momentum Wednesday when Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released fresh emails where Epstein told a journalist that Trump “knew about the girls” he was trafficking. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, calling the renewed focus a political hit job, but the release has reignited demands for transparency over what the government has kept hidden since Epstein’s 2019 death.

The immediate trigger came when Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) was sworn in on Wednesday afternoon, giving Democrats the final vote needed to move forward. She’s expected to sign the 218th and final name on the discharge petition—led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA)—to force a House vote on releasing all Epstein-related DOJ files.

That petition has been months in the making, following a summer of GOP infighting that paralyzed the chamber and fueled accusations that party leaders were trying to bury the Epstein issue. Once certified, the discharge petition sets off a formal countdown: seven legislative days before the measure “ripens,” and then two more days for Johnson to bring it to a vote. Lawmakers expect the floor vote to take place the first week of December, right after Thanksgiving recess.

For Speaker Johnson, it’s a political tightrope. The Louisiana Republican has only a two-vote majority and has been urged by allies of President Trump to avoid any spectacle that could distract from the administration’s agenda. Trump has privately fumed that the renewed focus on Epstein is a “Democratic hoax,” insisting the Justice Department has already “done its job” and released all it could.

Still, Johnson’s options are limited. He has already promised some members that he will not try to block the bill in committee. “I’m certain the House vote will succeed,” Massie said, adding that even Republicans who didn’t sign the petition “have told me they will vote for the measure when the vote is called.”

The bipartisan drive has drawn unusual alliances, including three high-profile GOP women—Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Nancy Mace (R-SC)—who have refused to bow to pressure from the White House and party leadership. “They’re all still on board,” Massie said.

Democrats see an opportunity to embarrass Republicans, accusing Trump’s administration of withholding files and running interference to protect powerful figures. “Trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever,” Epstein wrote in one of the newly released 2019 emails to author Michael Wolff. “[O]f course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.”

Epstein’s mention of Ghislaine Maxwell refers to his longtime associate and convicted accomplice, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence. In another email from 2011, Epstein called Trump “a dog that hasn’t barked,” suggesting he had stayed silent about the financier’s crimes. Trump has denied those claims and maintains he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago long before the 2019 arrest that ended with Epstein’s death in a Manhattan jail cell—a case officially ruled a suicide but widely questioned ever since.

However, that investigation has been slowed by the government shutdown and limited cooperation from the Justice Department, which has yet to hand over key materials. Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) has subpoenaed additional documents, including Epstein’s “birthday book,” which contained a note apparently signed by Trump for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump denies writing it and has sued The Wall Street Journal for reporting on its existence.

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