Who Is the Only House Member to Vote Against Releasing the Epstein Files?

NEED TO KNOW

• The House voted 427-1 to demand the release of the Epstein files on Tuesday, Nov. 18

• The lone holdout on the vote was Republican Rep. Clay Higgins, who said on X that he had been “a principled ‘NO’ on this bill from the beginning”

• Higgins claimed the bill “reveals and injures thousands of innocent people” and pointed to an investigation by the House Oversight Committee, which released thousands of documents related to Epstein last week

While the U.S. House voted nearly unanimously in favor of a bill that demands the release the Epstein files on Tuesday, Nov. 18, one congressman broke rank to oppose the legislation.

Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, voted against releasing the files, while 427 of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle voted to do so.

In a post shared to X on Tuesday, Higgins explained that he had been “a principled ‘NO’ on this bill from the beginning.”

“What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today. It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America,” he claimed. “As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people – witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc.”

The lawmaker then wrote in bold text, “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,” adding, “Not by my vote.”

Higgins, 64, went on to reference the release of thousands of documents last week by the House Oversight Committee, including emails from Epstein in which he described the president as “borderline insane” and claimed Trump “knew about the girls.”

Higgins wrote on X, “The Oversight Committee is conducting a thorough investigation that has already released well over 60,000 pages of documents from the Epstein case. That effort will continue in a manner that provides all due protections for innocent Americans.”

“If the Senate amends the bill to properly address privacy of victims and other Americans, who are named but not criminally implicated, then I will vote for that bill when it comes back to the House,” he added.

According to The New York Times, Higgins “has a history of embracing unsupported theories that often portray law enforcement and the government in a conspiratorial light.” The outlet described him as “a hard-right” politician, while The Associated Press called Higgins “a fervent supporter of Trump.”

The president previously tried to prevent the vote on releasing the files, but appeared to have a sudden change of mind when he encouraged House Republicans on Sunday, Nov. 16, to vote in favor of the bill after it had already earned broad support.

“House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax,” the president, 79, wrote on Truth Social.

While the bill has passed in the House, it must next pass a vote in the Senate, then be signed by Trump before becoming law. The Senate could vote on the bill as soon as Tuesday evening, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said.

Just before the House voted earlier on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson called the vote a “political exercise” and said that the bill has “serious deficiencies,” according to ABC News.

The House speaker said he hoped the Senate would make changes to the bill, but insisted the president “has nothing to hide.”

The House bill demanding the Justice Department to release its documents, officially titled the Epstein Files Transparency Act, was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and cosponsored by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, was one of the most vocal House members to push for the files’ release — and has paid the price in backlash from Trump, who branded her a “traitor.”

Greene — previously known for her staunch support of the president — has repeatedly called for the files to be unsealed, despite Trump’s opposition.

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While the president has indicated that he’s willing to sign the bill if it reaches his desk, the Justice Department does not actually have to release all of the information in the files. They would be permitted to withhold information that is classified, would identify victims or interfere with a federal investigation.

Last week, before backing the House’s legislation, Trump ordered the DOJ to open a federal investigation into whether Bill Clinton and other Democrats had inappropriate ties to Epstein, creating uncertainty about whether that’s a loophole that could prevent the Justice Department from complying with Congress’ order.

The bill does note that information cannot be withheld or redacted “on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”

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