A bipartisan effort to force a House vote on the release of the federal government's remaining files on Jeffrey Epstein moved closer to its goal after backers said the discharge petition had reached 216 signatures and could hit the 218 threshold once two expected Democratic special-election winners take office.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California have led the push for the petition, which would compel a floor vote on legislation directing the Department of Justice to post its remaining Epstein-related records online within 30 days, subject to exceptions to protect victims. The measure would bypass House leadership if it secures the signatures of 218 members.
Massie and Khanna have held a press conference with nearly a dozen survivors of Epstein's abuse as they sought to build support for the petition. Massie told reporters, "We don't need any more signatures. We're going to get to vacancies filled and they'll sign it," referring to two seats expected to be won by Democrats in Virginia and Arizona.
A special election for Virginia's 11th Congressional District, to fill the seat of the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, was scheduled for the coming week, with James Walkinshaw, Connolly's former chief of staff, widely expected to prevail and having told Axios he would support the petition if sworn in. A Sept. 23 special election in Arizona's 7th District is expected to return Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who has also committed to backing the discharge effort.
The petition already counts several prominent Republicans among its signers, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace. Their participation underscores the bipartisan nature of the move and complicates efforts by GOP leaders to block a vote.
Both the White House and House Speaker Mike Johnson have publicly opposed the petition. The Trump administration has sought to move past the Epstein matter, and Johnson has expressed concern about losing control of the House floor. Administration officials could still attempt to persuade Republican signees to retract their support, and House leaders could deploy parliamentary procedures to try to block or delay the measure, though proponents say the petition's growing support makes such efforts more difficult.
The legislation targeted by the petition would require the Department of Justice to release all remaining files related to the Epstein investigation, with narrowly drawn exceptions to protect victims' privacy and safety. If enacted, it would obligate the DOJ to post the documents online within 30 days.
Congressional committees have already received and published significant material. The Justice Department has turned over approximately 32,000 pages of Epstein-related documents to the House Oversight Committee, and Epstein's estate recently provided an additional trove of materials to Congress. Among the items disclosed in the estate's recent submission was material tied to Epstein's 50th birthday book that includes a letter attributed to former President Donald Trump; the administration has contended the letter is a hoax.
Federal authorities have said Epstein abused more than 1,000 individuals, and prosecutors have identified his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell as a co-conspirator; Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on charges related to sex trafficking. Advocates for survivors say additional public disclosure of records is needed to provide transparency about the scope of the crimes and potential systemic failures in their investigation.
If the discharge petition reaches 218 signatures, the bill would be eligible for consideration on the House floor irrespective of GOP leadership's preferences, forcing members to cast a recorded vote. That would place many Republican lawmakers in a position of deciding between a public vote and the political pressure from party leaders and the White House.
How quickly the petition will reach the necessary threshold hinges on the outcomes of the two special elections and whether newly sworn members sign on immediately. Backers say the expected Democratic pickups make a floor vote likely by the end of September; opponents say procedural tools and political pressure could still prevent or delay a vote.
The effort represents one of the more high-profile uses in recent years of a discharge petition, a rarely used mechanism that allows rank-and-file members to circumvent leadership and bring legislation to the floor. Supporters argue the tool is appropriate for an issue with significant public interest and serious allegations, while critics say it undermines House leadership and could be used for politically motivated disclosures.
For now, the key variables remain the final signature count, the timing of the special-election winners taking office, and whether leadership pursues procedural options to challenge or slow the petition. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and survivors of Epstein's abuse have said they will watch the outcome closely as the House moves toward a potential floor vote.