The Epstein Files Transparency Act was backed overwhelmingly with just one Republican voting against.
Donald Trump’s efforts to block the release of Jeffrey Epstein files have backfired, after the US House of Representatives voted almost unanimously to make the documents public.
The House passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act by a staggering 427-1 vote, with 216 Republicans and 211 Democrats in favour. Only Republican Clay Higgins opposed the bipartisan bill.
The move could spell fresh trouble for Andrew Mounbatten Windsor, whose connections to Epstein have long been a source of scandal.
A Capitol Hill source told our sister title, the Mirror: “This vote puts the former Duke in even deeper trouble. The release of these files risks dragging every uncomfortable detail back into the spotlight and will heap fresh embarrassment on the Royal Family. They’ve spent years trying to draw a line under this saga, now it’s all coming roaring back.”
Andrew was stripped of all royal titles over his friendship with Epstein. The bill now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate, which faces pressure to advance the measure. Senior figures say they support transparency, though no date has been set for debate.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso said: “We’ll take a look at that. But we want transparency and accountability.”
If passed, the law would require the US Attorney General to publish all unclassified records, emails, notes, and internal Justice Department communications relating to Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. This includes flight logs, travel data, and documents identifying individuals or entities connected to Epstein. Records must be released within 30 days, with redactions allowed to protect victims or active investigations.
Ahead of the vote, co-authors Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna, joined by MAGA firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene, held a press conference alongside Epstein survivors urging swift action.
Khanna said: “You had Jeffrey Epstein, who literally set up an island of rape – a rape island – and you had rich and powerful men, some of the richest people in the world, who thought that they could hang out with bankers, buy off politicians and abuse and rape America’s girls with no consequence.”
He added: “Because survivors spoke up, because of their courage, the truth is finally going to come out. And when it comes out, this country is really going to have a moral reckoning.”
Massie warned that Senate amendments should not delay disclosure: “If you want to add some additional protections for these survivors, go for it. But if you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people … Do not muck it up in the Senate.”
Trump had previously tried to slow the measure, but after it became clear the vote would pass, he abruptly shifted his stance. On Sunday night, he posted on Truth Social urging Republicans to support the bill, claiming it would allow the party to refocus on economic issues.
“Some of the people that we mentioned are being looked at very seriously for their relationship to Jeffrey Epstein, but they were with him all the time, I wasn’t. I wasn’t at all,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
Survivors were critical. Jena-Lisa Jones, speaking outside the Capitol, said: “I beg you, President Trump: Please stop making this political. It is not about you, President Trump. You are our president. Please start acting like it. Show some class, show some real leadership, show that you actually care about the people other than yourself.”
A White House spokesperson defended the President, saying he is now delivering on transparency: “Democrats and the media knew about Epstein and his victims for years and did nothing to help them while President Trump was calling for transparency, and is now delivering on it with thousands of pages of documents as part of the ongoing Oversight investigation.”
Andrew Mounbatten Windsor lost his titles following the posthumous publication of Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, in which she accused him of sexual assault. The case was settled out of court in 2021 for a reported £12 million. Andrew has consistently denied all wrongdoing.
Trump and Epstein were once publicly linked, with the former President describing Epstein as a “terrific guy” who “likes beautiful women as much as I do, many of them on the younger side.” Trump now claims he severed ties with Epstein before the financier faced charges.
