The House is set to vote in the coming weeks on a new effort to disgorge Justice Department files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after lawmakers completed a petition forcing the legislation to the floor.
Rep. John Garamendi of California signed the 218th and final signature on a discharge petition Wednesday, triggering a process that sidesteps House Republican leaders and could force a vote later this month.
The underlying bill, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, allows survivors of Epstein’s abuse and state attorneys general to file federal lawsuits against the Justice Department to force the release of additional materials related to Epstein, among other measures. It also gives members of Congress the ability to demand unredacted files from the department.
Four Republicans previously signed the petition: Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.
Massie, who introduced the bill, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Garamendi.
It is a followup to the original Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed in November 2025 after a long effort by Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force the release of DOJ files related to Epstein.
The department subsequently released a large trove of documents, but lawmakers and victims called the disclosure late and incomplete.
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