Name: House set to vote on bill to force DOJ to release Epstein files
Uploaded: 2025-11-18T14:20:54.035Z
Duration: 3 min 59 s
Description: The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on Tuesday (November 18) on a bill that, if passed, would force the Department of Justice to release all files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on Tuesday (November 18) on a bill that, if passed, would force the Department of Justice to release all files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

Washington

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill that would require the Department of Justice to release all unclassified files pertaining to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The initiative has drawn support from both sides of the aisle, with survivors of Epstein's abuse joining lawmakers at a press conference to emphasize the importance of transparency and accountability.

President Trump has stated he would sign the bill if it passes both chambers of Congress. The development comes amid renewed scrutiny of Epstein's connections, with recent document releases naming several high-profile individuals, including Trump and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who has since issued a public apology and stepped back from public commitments.

House set to vote on bill to force DOJ to release Epstein files

The House of Representatives is expected to vote in a matter of hours on a bill that would force the Justice Department to release all of its unclassified files from the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Now, ahead of that vote, victims of Epstein's sexual abuse are joining lawmakers from both sides of the aisle for a press conference happening later this morning. One survivor discussed the importance of releasing the Epstein files while speaking to Major Garrett on the takeout last night. I see my 17-year-old self in those files. I see, for I think many of us survivors, looking at who we were then, with all of our hopes, all of our dreams, all the things that we were aspiring to, all the promises that he made. I think that it brings us right back to that place. I want to be able to hug my 17-year-old self and say, it's all gonna be okay. Other women will not have to go through this and mean it. And right now, I don't necessarily feel that. I think without the transparency, we don't even know what the process to accountability is, right? And we have team coverage for you on this this morning. CBS News congressional reporter Torian Small is standing by on Capitol Hill. But let's begin with Natalie Brand at the White House. Natalie, good morning. Listening to that survivor, it's clear that this represents accountability for them. President Trump addressed the controversy yesterday. What did he have to say? Yeah, good morning, Errol. President Trump is now saying that he would sign this bill if it reaches his desk. That means not only would it have to pass the House, but also the Senate. And that's been the big question. If it does pass the House, does he support it going to the Senate? Yesterday, when asked by reporters, he said, yeah, let the Senate look at it, and that he would sign it, again, if it ends up passing through Congress. Now, the president, in recent days, has also talked a lot about the probe that he's newly called for for the DOJ to once again look into Epstein's alleged ties with prominent Democrats. He continues to call this a deflection, or continues to accuse Democrats of trying to deflect from Republican priorities. Take a listen to more of his latest comments on this topic. The Democrats were Epstein's friends, all of them. And it's a hoax. The whole thing is a hoax. And I don't want to take it away from, really, the greatness of what the Republican Party has accomplished over the last period of time. So, the president, in the last couple days, made it clear that he wants to move on from this. But, again, we have this new investigation, which some lawmakers, including Republican Congressman Thomas Massey of Kentucky, are kind of questioning the motivation, saying, well, if there's this new investigation, does that mean that the Department of Justice could say it cannot release all of the documents it has, even if Congress votes to do just that? The president not really answering that question when asked on Sunday, instead criticizing Massey. But there's a lot of outstanding questions. And, you know, the recent emails, documents that were released just last week, naming some high-profile figures, including Mr. Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing. It also included former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, corresponding with Epstein in those documents released. And we have a new statement from Summers, also the former president of Harvard University. He says he's going to be stepping back from public commitments as one of his broader efforts to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me. In his statement, he says, quote, I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. Errol. Significant developments there. Natalie with the latest. Thank you.

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