Bipartisan pair of US lawmakers push for vote to force release of Epstein files

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A bipartisan pair of U.S. House of Representatives lawmakers on Tuesday kicked off an effort to force a vote on a proposal to compel the release of all federal files on the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky filed a discharge petition on the day some Epstein survivors met privately with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican and Democratic members of a congressional oversight panel on Capitol Hill. He would need a majority of House members to sign the petition to trigger the vote.

The case of Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, has caused a political headache for Republican President Donald Trump, after many of his supporters embraced a slew of conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein.

A July Reuters/Ipsos poll found that majorities of Americans and of Trump's Republicans believe the government is hiding details on the case. 

The proposal submitted by Massie and Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, would require the U.S. attorney general to publicly release all unclassified Epstein records in possession of the Department of Justice, including the FBI and U.S. attorneys' offices.

Massie and Khanna will hold a press conference with Epstein victims on Wednesday morning.

Johnson told reporters Massie's petition was "inartfully drafted" because it lacked language that would protect the identities of victims who were sexually abused by Epstein. Johnson also said the petition is "moot" due to the work of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

"It's superfluous at this point, and I think we're achieving the desired end here," Johnson said.

The committee has subpoenaed the DOJ and Epstein's estate for documents and convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition. It is reviewing 34,000 pages of documents it has received from the DOJ. 

Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois described the conversation with Epstein survivors as intense, emotional, and candid.

"It was the type of conversation that probably can't happen in a hearing setting," he told reporters. "The victims marshaled a lot of bravery and courage to come before us to tell their stories." 



(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; editing by Scott Malone and Rod Nickel)