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The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favour of a bill on Tuesday to force the Justice Department to publicly release all files and evidence held against disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The vote was a remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from US President Donald Trump and Republican leadership.
When a small bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a petition in July to manoeuvre around House Speaker Mike Johnson’s control of which bills reach the House floor, it appeared to be a longshot effort — especially as Trump urged his supporters to dismiss the matter as a “hoax.”
But both Trump and Johnson failed in their efforts to prevent the vote. Now the president has bowed to the growing momentum behind the bill and even said he will sign it if it also passes the Senate, the upper chambre of US Congress.
Trump had been fiercely against making public evidence against Epstein held by the Justice Department after it was alleged the US president may personally be implicated. Trump said he cut ties with Epstein years ago, but tried for months to move past the demands for disclosure.
On Monday, he told reporters that Epstein was connected to more Democrats and that he didn’t want the Epstein files to “detract from the great success of the Republican Party.”
This is a developing story. Our journalists will update it when more information becomes available.
Additional sources • AP