A demonstrator holds a sign regarding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2025.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
On Wednesday, a House petition seeking a forceful vote to force the Justice Department to release the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files secured the final signatures needed to trigger the measure.
Within hours, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) announced that a full House vote on the effort would be held next week.
After a seven-week delay, Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., submitted the 218th signature needed to approve her so-called expulsion petition shortly after she was sworn into the House. Grijalva won a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of his father, Congressman Raul Grijalva, in March.
The Trump administration has been accused for months of reneging on promises to release investigative files on convicted sex offender Epstein, who committed suicide after being arrested on child prostitution charges in 2019.
Epstein was a longtime friend of President Donald Trump until they had a falling out in the early 2000s.
Even if the initiative passes the House, it is unlikely to become law. The bill must pass in the Republican-controlled Senate, and even if it survives a vote there, President Trump could veto it.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert was summoned to the White House to meet with top Justice Department and FBI officials as President Trump sought to block the House vote.
Boebert is just one of four Republican House members to sign a release petition regarding the Epstein case file. file.
“For decades, the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell have been kept in the dark, the government has ignored or ignored survivor reports of Epstein and Maxwell’s crimes, and the vast majority of those involved have still not been held accountable,” Jennifer Freeman, an attorney for Epstein victim Maria Farmer, said in a statement to MSNBC.
“There is no time to waste, and I urge members of Congress to do their part and vote for the full release of the Epstein files,” Freeman said.
House Democrats earlier Wednesday released more than 20,000 documents obtained from Epstein’s estate under subpoena.
The documents include emails and text messages in which Epstein spoke about Trump.
“I know how dirty Donald is,” Epsten wrote in an email thread in 2018 to Kathryn Remler, former White House adviser to former President Barack Obama, after she sent Epstein an article about Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen pleading guilty to campaign finance violations and agreeing to cooperate with a federal investigation into the president.
In another email released by Democrats in April 2019, Epstein told author Michael Wolff that Trump “knew the girls.” It is unclear what is meant by “knew about the girls.”
In another newly released email to his convicted co-defendant Ghislaine Maxwell in April 2011, Epstein wrote, “I want you to understand that the dog that didn’t bark is Trump.”
In the same email, Epstein added that the person identified by Democrats as his victim (whose name is redacted in the email) “spent many hours at my house” with Trump.
Epstein added that “he was never mentioned” in the message.
It’s unclear what Epstein referred to in the email as “the dog that didn’t bark.”
CNBC has not independently verified the documents released by Democrats.
President Trump has denied knowing that Epstein sexually abused underage girls and young women during his relationships with them. The president has never been charged with any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
President Trump criticized Democrats in a post on Truth Social, accusing them of using the Epstein dossier to distract Americans from the cost of the U.S. government shutdown.
“Democrats are bringing back the Jeffrey Epstein hoax, as they will do anything to distract from how bad they did with the government shutdown and many other topics,” Trump wrote.
“Only very bad or stupid Republicans would fall into that trap,” he wrote.
“Democrats have cost our country $1.5 trillion in recent acts of vicious national isolation, while putting many people at risk, and they should pay a just price,” Trump said.
“There should be no compromise towards Mr. Epstein or anyone else, and the Republicans involved should focus on opening up our country and repairing the tremendous damage caused by the Democrats!”
