The president has said he would sign the bill if it comes to his desk.
WASHINGTON—The Senate unanimously passed a bill on Nov. 18 to require the Department of Justice to release more files surrounding the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The bill goes to President Donald Trump for his signature as the House passed the bill earlier in the day, 427-1.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and co-sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), would order the Department of Justice to release “in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” tied to Epstein no later than 30 days following the enactment of the bill.
The legislation would prohibit the Justice Department from withholding, delaying, or redacting records for reputational and political reasons.
However, the department would be allowed to withhold records that identify the victims; consist of child sexual abuse material; jeopardize an ongoing federal investigation or prosecution; or depict images of death, physical abuse, or injury of any person.
Under the bill, all redactions would have to be accompanied by a written explanation published in the Federal Register and submitted to Congress.
Additionally, the measure would require the attorney general, within 15 days of releasing the files, to submit a report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees listing all categories of records released and withheld; a summary of redactions made, including the legal basis; and a list of all government officials and politically exposed persons named or referenced in the released materials, without redactions.
Trump urged Republicans ahead of the vote to support the bill.
“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 perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown,’” he said in a post on Truth Social.
