The US House has officially voted in favour of the Justice Department releasing all Jeffrey Epstein files.
In today's (18 November) overwhelming vote, the US House voted 427-1, meaning the bipartisan bill will have to pass the Senate before President Donald Trump can sign it into law.
Despite the President going back and forth on his stance when it comes to the files, his name was mentioned numerous times in emails sent by the American financier naming him, even suggesting that he 'knew about the girls'. Trump never received or sent any emails and hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing.
Epstein, a convicted paedophile and sex offender who died by suicide in a New York prison cell six years ago while awaiting trial, has been one of the main topics of discussion since Trump began his second term in office.
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Trump said on Sunday night (16 November) that the Republicans in the House of Representatives should vote to release the files as 'we have nothing to hide'.
He'd said in a previous statement following the email's release, which he claimed was a distraction driven by the Democrats from 'all of their bad policies and losses'.
What happens next?
Following the almost unanimous vote from the US House of 427-1, the Justice Department is now compelled to release all of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
But this isn't all, as it must now go to a vote in the US Senate, which consists of two Senators from each state, totalling 100.
While a simple majority of 51 votes is usually needed to pass a bill, a 'supermajority' of 60 votes is often required to end a filibuster and force a final vote, according to the official Senate website.
A simple majority can win on a direct vote, but there is the possibility that a minority of 41 senators can block the legislative process.
If the votes are in favour of releasing the files, Trump will have no choice but to sign it into law.
What has Trump said about the Epstein files previously?
He took to social media after emails containing his name were leaked, saying: "The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects. Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap."
He went on to claim the Democrats cost the US $1.5 trillion with the government shutdown, adding: "There should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else, and any Republicans involved should be focused only on opening up our Country, and fixing the massive damage caused by the Democrats!"
The 79-year-old has long said that he cut ties with Epstein years ago and has denied any connection to Epstein's crimes.
What have others said about releasing the files?
Survivors of Epstein's crimes spoke at a news conference at the US Capitol earlier, as Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also criticised the President, claiming the 'Epstein problem' has 'ripped MAGA apart'.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson previously said on Sunday that the calls to release the files were the 'entire game plan' for the Democrats.
Over 20,000 pages of documents were released last week.
Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Crime
Joshua Nair