House GOP blocks Dem maneuver to force release of Epstein files
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Rep. Virginia Foxx presides over a House Rules Committee meeting at the U.S. Capitol on May 21. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
House Republicans on Monday night voted against attaching a Democratic amendment to landmark cryptocurrency legislation that would force the Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Why it matters: It's the outcome Democrats anticipated, and one they plan to gleefully cite as President Trump continues to grapple with the MAGA fallout over the DOJ's handling of the documents.
- "The question with Epstein is: Whose side are you on?" Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), the author of the Epstein measure, told Axios ahead of the vote.
- "Are you on the side of the rich and powerful, or are you on the side of the people?" he said, promising to introduce the amendment "again and again and again."
What happened: The House Rules Committee, which prepares legislation for votes on the House floor, voted 5 to 6 against attaching Khanna's amendment to a procedural measure related to the GENIUS Act and a defense funding bill.
- The measure would have forced Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish all documents related to Epstein on a "publicly accessible website" within 30 days of procedural measure being enacted.
- Republicans said the amendment was not pertinent to the GENIUS Act, which would create the first regulatory framework for stablecoins, or the defense funding bill.
Yes, but: In a rare move, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) crossed over and voted with the panel's four Democrats in favor of attaching the amendment.
- He told Axios earlier on Monday: "The public's been asking for it. I think there are files. All of a sudden not to have files is a little strange. We'll see how it plays out. ... I think the president will do the right thing."
- Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the other right-wing member of the panel who occasionally breaks with his party, did not vote.
What they're saying: "I want to know what the hell is in these files," said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, arguing in favor of the resolution.
- "This is about trust. Republicans said, 'Trust us. Vote for us and we will release these files.' Well, here we are — they're backtracking," McGovern added.
- "I think most of us believe what's appropriate will be released when it is time for the president to release it," Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the chair of the Rules Committee, said after the vote.
Zoom in: McGovern also tried to ram through Rep. Marc Veasey's (D-Texas) five-page resolution demanding that the administration release the Epstein files and that the FBI release a report on "any delays, suppression or destruction of evidence" related to the files.
- Norman voted with Republicans against that measure, arguing that the Rules Committee "isn't the body to do this." It failed in a 4 to 8 vote.
- "It will be borne out by the legal authorities and by the public," Norman said. "We're talking about crypto, Jim. We're talking about regulations."
