House votes near unanimously to release the Epstein files after Trump's major about-face over pedophile financier's secrets
Johnson had resisted a House vote on the records legislation before it advanced under pressure from the discharge petition.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYThe Independent is an established international news organization with attributed reporting and a named author. Its institutional standards support a strong score, though it is not a major wire service or newspaper of record.
- Source type — Established international news outlet with a substantial news operation.
- Author attribution — The article names its reporter and attributes quotations to interviewees.
- Editorial standards — The outlet has established editorial processes, though this article does not itself describe them.
- Transparency — The report identifies sources and distinguishes reported claims from quotations.
The article gives the vote tally, explains the discharge-petition process and includes comments from lawmakers and an Epstein survivor. It provides some competing context, including Johnson’s objections, but offers limited independent detail about the bill’s provisions and future release process.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article reports the overwhelming vote, advocates’ concerns about delay and Johnson’s objections to the process. It gives more space to those pressing for disclosure than to arguments for withholding or redacting records.
- Counterarguments presented — Johnson’s opposition and concern about the bill’s handling are included.
- Omitted context — Limited detail on how the bill handles privacy concerns or how disclosure would be administered.
- Source diversity — Includes lawmakers, a survivor and reported statements from political figures.
- Loaded language — Some sharp wording appears, but most claims are attributed or presented as reporting.
The article mainly reports the vote, its procedural history and attributed reactions in a straightforward manner. The headline and descriptions of Trump’s reversal emphasize political conflict, but the framing does not clearly favor a party.
- Language tone — Mostly factual reporting, with some pointed descriptions of the reversal and delays.
- Framing — Centers the bipartisan vote and the political maneuvering that preceded it.
- Source selection — Includes comments from lawmakers on different sides and a survivor.
- Headline — Calls attention to Trump’s reversal but does not make a clear partisan argument.
The House passed a measure requiring the Justice Department to release unclassified Epstein-related records in a 427-1 vote. The measure’s path was shaped by a discharge petition, House leadership’s earlier resistance and President Donald Trump’s recent reversal; Senate passage and the timing of any release remain uncertain.
The House passed legislation requiring the Justice Department to disclose unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The vote was 427-1, with five members not voting; Representative Clay Higgins was the sole dissenter. Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna had used a discharge petition to force a vote, and Adelita Grijalva’s signature supplied the petition’s 218th vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson had previously opposed a vote and said he hoped the Senate would change the legislation.
Community verdict
42 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Speaker who had opposed a vote on the legislation and hoped the Senate would change it
President who reversed his position on the House measure and called for a Justice Department investigation
Trump's version of this story ↗Representative who cast the sole House vote against the legislation
Representative who signed the discharge petition and wanted the files released
Attorney general who opened the investigation Trump called for
Representative who criticized Trump’s and Johnson’s handling of the issue
Representative who joined Ro Khanna in using a discharge petition to force a House vote
Representative who signed the discharge petition
Senate majority leader who described the expected Senate process
Representative who signed the discharge petition and called for release of the files
Representative whose signature supplied the discharge petition’s 218th vote
Vice president who had previously called for release of the files
Representative who joined Thomas Massie in using a discharge petition to force a House vote
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