Speaker Johnson Provides Update On Release Of Epstein Files

The House of Representatives is preparing for an expedited vote to release all Justice Department records related to the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and Speaker Mike Johnson has offered new details on the timeline. With the necessary support secured following the end of the 43-day government shutdown, Johnson said Wednesday that he plans to bring a bipartisan bill requiring the release of the files to the House floor in the coming days, Newsweek reported.

“We’re going to put that on the floor for a full vote when we get back next week,” Johnson told reporters, adding that the House Oversight Committee had “been working around the clock” on its own probe of Epstein.

However, the legislation still faces additional steps before lawmakers and the public can gain access to the long-sealed documents. The months-long dispute over the Epstein files, which are held by the Justice Department, drew the Republican Party and the administration into controversy earlier this year, prompting pushback from GOP lawmakers and their supporters and contributing to an early August recess amid Democratic pressure to force disclosure.

Public support for full transparency remains high, and the case has received renewed attention after House Democrats this week released 23,000 pages of records from Epstein’s estate. Those documents include new emails referencing President Donald Trump and provide additional details about his interactions with Epstein. The president has denied any wrongdoing or involvement in Epstein’s trafficking operation, calling the matter a “hoax” driven by his political opponents.

Also, there has never been any evidence to suggest that Trump did anything improper or engaged in illegal behavior with underage girls.

Earlier this week, however, an incredulous Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) noted that Democrats refused to go along with his unanimous consent motion to release all the files immediately.

Release the Epstein files Democrats! pic.twitter.com/CAVyNHg9da

— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) November 14, 2025

The bill, introduced in early September by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna, relies on a discharge petition — a rarely used procedural mechanism that allows lawmakers to circumvent House leadership — to force a vote compelling the Justice Department to release all documents related to its investigation of Epstein.

The petition has now reached the required 218 signatures, following the swearing-in of Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva after a seven-week impasse with Speaker Johnson. Grijalva, who won a September special election to fill the seat of her late father, Raúl Grijalva, became the final signer just moments after taking the oath of office.

While Khanna said earlier Wednesday that a full vote on the files could take place “by early December,” Johnson’s latest comments indicate the vote is likely to happen next week, though the final floor schedule has not yet been determined, Newsweek reported.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday evening, the two lawmakers said they were confident the bill would receive the necessary votes and estimated that as many as 50 Republicans could join Democrats in supporting it.

“If we get that kind of overwhelming vote, that’s going to push the Senate, and it’s going to push for a release of the files from the Justice Department,” Khanna said.

Only four Republicans — Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert — signed the discharge petition, but Massie said he expects additional GOP support to build and believes the effort will “carry momentum into the Senate.”

Anonymous sources told CNN and The New York Times that senior Trump administration officials met with Boebert, and that the president also spoke with Mace, about their backing of the petition. The White House confirmed the meeting with Boebert on Wednesday, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt describing it as an example of the administration’s commitment to “transparency.”

Boebert said she has not faced any pressure over her support for releasing the files, Newsweek added.