In a significant development in the ongoing saga surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a bipartisan effort to compel the Justice Department to release previously withheld materials related to Epstein secured the crucial final signature it needed on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. This milestone came after House Speaker Mike Johnson delayed the swearing-in of a newly elected Democrat, Rep. Adelita Grijalva, for seven weeks—a move critics viewed as an attempt to stall the transparency initiative.
The measure, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, was introduced in July by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The bill aims to force the release of documents connected to all investigations into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking. Despite growing public pressure and increasing scrutiny of the Trump administration’s handling of Epstein-related files, House GOP leaders have opposed bringing the legislation to the floor for a vote.
To circumvent leadership opposition, Khanna and Massie initiated a discharge petition—a procedural mechanism that allows members of the House to bypass leadership and bring a bill to the floor if they can secure a majority of signatures (218 members). This bipartisan petition has drawn support from all House Democrats and four Republicans, including Massie himself, along with GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.
The final two signatures came from Democrats elected in special elections held in September in Virginia and Arizona. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, newly sworn in on Wednesday to fill the late Raul Grijalva’s seat, promptly signed the petition. Grijalva highlighted the presence of Epstein survivors in the House gallery during her swearing-in and emphasized the urgency of Congress restoring its oversight role. “Just this morning, House Democrats released more emails showing that Trump knew more about Epstein’s abuses than he previously acknowledged,” she said. “It’s past time for Congress to restore its role as a check and balance on this administration and fight for we, the American people.”
The House had been on a recess since September 19, following a vote to pass a Republican bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown. Although originally scheduled to return to session in late September, GOP leaders extended the break into November, a move viewed by supporters of the petition as a tactic to delay Grijalva’s swearing-in and, by extension, the petition’s progress. With Grijalva’s signature now secured, the procedural clock starts ticking: after seven legislative days, a member can move to bring the petition to the floor, and leadership then has two legislative days to schedule a vote. This means a vote could potentially take place as early as December.
Whether the Senate would act on the bill if it passes the House remains uncertain. However, Rep. Khanna expressed optimism, predicting significant bipartisan support. “I believe we’re going to get 40, 50 Republicans voting with us on the release,” he told reporters. “And if we get that kind of overwhelming vote, that’s going to push the Senate and it’s going to push for a release of the files from the Justice Department.”
In September, Massie revealed that GOP leaders were in “full panic” over the discharge petition and had “actually threatened” some cosigners politically, though he clarified there was no physical intimidation. The bipartisan legislation mandates the release of flight logs, travel records, names of individuals and entities referenced in any Epstein case, as well as internal Justice Department communications—all within 30 days. It also seeks documents related to the destruction, deletion, or concealment of any materials tied to Epstein and his associates, along with records concerning Epstein’s death.
Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, has opposed the bill, arguing that it fails to adequately protect victims. He described the discharge petition as “unnecessary,” pointing instead to the ongoing investigation by the House Oversight Committee into the Epstein case. This committee has already released tens of thousands of Epstein-related documents, including a new batch unveiled on the same day Grijalva signed the petition.
Hours before her signature, the Oversight Committee’s Democrats released emails exchanged between Epstein and others that referenced President Donald Trump. Among these was a 2011 email from Epstein to Maxwell stating that Trump "spent hours at my house" with one of Epstein’s victims, whose name was redacted. Another 2019 email from Epstein to author Michael Wolff claimed Trump “