House Republicans Block Epstein Files Release

In a move likely to anger conservatives, House Republicans have blocked an attempt to pressure the Department of Justice to release all documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, voting down an amendment to a major cryptocurrency bill.

California Rep. Ro Khanna (D), who authored the measure, had sought to attach it to a procedural vote on the GENIUS Act, which establishes the first federal regulatory framework for stablecoins, and a defense funding bill.

The House Rules Committee, however, narrowly voted 6–5 against including the amendment.

“The question with Epstein is: Whose side are you on?” Rep. Khanna told Axios ahead of the vote. “Are you on the side of the rich and powerful, or are you on the side of the people?” He vowed to reintroduce the amendment “again and again and again.”

The amendment would have required Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) to publish all Epstein-related documents on a public website within 30 days of the bill’s passage.

House Republicans objected to the amendment’s relevance to the cryptocurrency and defense measures. “We’re talking about crypto, Jim. We’re talking about regulations,” said Rep. Ralph Norman (R), who nonetheless crossed party lines to support Rep. Khanna’s amendment. “The public’s been asking for it … I think the president will do the right thing.”

Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern (D), the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, accused Republicans of hypocrisy. “This is about trust. Republicans said, ‘Trust us. Vote for us and we will release these files.’ Well here we are. They’re backtracking,” Rep. McGovern said.

Texas Rep. Chip Roy (R), who is not shy of breaking from the GOP, did not vote. Meanwhile, North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx (R), the committee chair, vowed that “what’s appropriate will be released when it is time for the president to release it.”

A second Democratic resolution demanding an FBI report on alleged suppression of Epstein evidence also failed.

The fallout related to the Epstein files has been swift with conservatives calling for the removal of Attorney General Bondi, and questioning the integrity of Director of FBI Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino.

President Donald Trump (R) has also faced criticism after downplaying public outcry over the files.

In a recent social media post, the president called Epstein “a guy who never dies,” and suggested that his supporters should move on from the ordeal.