The House of Representatives voted 427-1 on Tuesday to compel the Justice Department to make public all files related to Jeffrey Epstein investigations, with the sole dissenting vote coming from a Republican congressman who warns the legislation could harm innocent Americans.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act mandates that the Department of Justice publish all unclassified records connected to investigations involving Epstein. According to the congressional summary, the legislation would still permit the department to withhold classified material and information related to active investigations.
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) cast the only vote against the measure. He explained his opposition in a statement posted on X Tuesday afternoon.
“If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt,” Higgins wrote on the social media platform.
The Louisiana congressman indicated he would be willing to support an amended version of the bill if the Senate adds stronger protections. Higgins stated he would back legislation that better shields victims and Americans who have not been charged with crimes but whose names appear in the investigative files.
Higgins pointed to the work already being conducted by the House Oversight Committee as an appropriate model for releasing information.
He argued the committee is currently making Epstein-related materials public “in a manner that provides all due protections for innocent Americans.”
The House Oversight Committee confirmed last week that Republicans on the panel had released an additional 20,000 pages of documents from the Epstein estate. The release is part of the committee’s continuing investigation into the matter.
The bipartisan support for the legislation in the House was nearly universal. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) led the months-long effort to bring the bill to a vote.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson supported the final passage of the bill. However, Johnson urged the Senate to incorporate stronger privacy protections before transmitting the legislation to President Donald Trump.
The measure now moves to the upper chamber for consideration. Senate leaders from both political parties have expressed interest in expediting the bill’s progress.
Former Treasury Secretary and Harvard professor Larry Summers announced plans Monday to step back from public commitments after released materials indicated he had exchanged emails and text messages with Epstein.
“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused,” Summers said in a statement, adding, “I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”
Summers explained that stepping away represents “one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.”
In other Epstein-related news, it was recently revealed that non-voting delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands Stacey Plaskett (D) exchanged text messages with disgraced financier while questioning former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen during a February 2019 hearing.
Plaskett reportedly reached out to Epstein before questioning Cohen, asking, “He’ll talk about his grades,” to which Epstein responded, “What privilege stands behind the none release of college transcripts?”
Epstein also complimented her appearance during the live hearing, writing, “You look great.”
