Epstein files bill clears Senate, heads to Trump's desk

CQ-Roll Call on Nov 19, 2025

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WASHINGTON — The Senate officially cleared legislation to compel the release of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Wednesday after the House formally delivered the paperwork across the Capitol.

The bill now goes to the White House for President Donald Trump’s expected signature. The Senate had to wait for the papers to come from the House under a procedure agreed to Tuesday night by unanimous consent, when the chamber “deemed” the legislation cleared as soon those arrived.

“We’re glad the House has sent us the bill, and this means it will get to the president’s desk quickly,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the floor Wednesday. “But I want to be very clear: the job is not done. …Once the president signs the bill, he must execute it faithfully. There must be no funny business from Donald Trump.”

The bill would require the attorney general, within 30 days of the bill’s enactment, to make publicly available all Justice Department records, documents, communications and investigation material related to the department’s investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and other individuals or entities associated with Epstein. It would require the DOJ to disclose any immunity deals or plea bargains involving Epstein or his associates.

It would allow the Justice Department to withhold or redact certain materials to protect victims’ privacy and avoid jeopardizing ongoing investigations, among other limited exceptions.

It also would require the attorney general, within 15 days of making such records public, to submit a report to Congress that includes information on the materials it has released and withheld, a list of any redactions made and the legal justification for doing so, and a list of any government officials and politically exposed persons named in the investigation.

Late last week, Attorney General Pamela Bondi tapped Jay Clayton, the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to lead an investigation into Epstein’s ties to notable political figures and campaign contributors. Trump earlier on Truth Social had singled out prominent Democrats like former President Bill Clinton, ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Bondi said Clayton’s investigation wouldn’t interfere with disclosures required under the new law, once Trump signs it. Bondi emphasized that she wouldn’t hesitate to redact sensitive materials as needed.

“We will continue to follow the law with maximum transparency, while protecting victims,” she said.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., initially opposed the measure but eventually had no choice but to bring it to the floor due to a successful discharge petition from co-sponsors Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. It passed the House Tuesday on a 427-1 vote, with Johnson supporting it despite concerns he’d voiced earlier in the day.

Johnson distributed a fact sheet on the bill outlining alleged flaws with the text. The fact sheet said, among other things, that the bill’s redaction authority should be broader in order to protect the privacy of victims who’ve chosen to remain anonymous and victims of child sexual abuse. It said that the bill could compel the release of information on “innocent persons” whose reputations could be harmed, and potentially classified information harmful to national security.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the House’s lopsided vote made it unrealistic to expect changes in his chamber, and ultimately there were zero objections to quick passage.

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was the sole “no” vote in either chamber. He seized on the arguments Johnson’s fact sheet laid out in his statement explaining his opposition.

“If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt,” Higgins said.