Despite a Near-Unanimous Vote, The Epstein Files Still Haven’t Been Released

An image of U.S. President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, along with the words “President Trump: Release All the Epstein Files,” is projected onto the U.S. Department of Commerce headquarters on July 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The Department of Justice asked federal judges to unseal files in the criminal cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/TNS)

On Nov. 18-19, a vote took place in the House and the Senate approving the release of the Epstein files. Despite the near unanimous decision, the files still have not been released.

The vote surrounded H.R.4405, also known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The official Congress website for Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12) states the bill requires the Department of Justice to publicize all “unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the DOJ’s possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.” This release should include logs of travel and flight, materials pertaining to Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and names of all individuals mentioned or referenced in the documents that concern the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein.

For months, President Donald Trump strongly protested the release of the files despite growing public outcry for their release and speculation that the president’s name may be mentioned in them. According to a poll by Marist University, 77% of Americans thought the files should be made public prior to the vote, albeit with the victims’ names removed.

While most Republican leaders originally deferred to Trump in support of not releasing the files, a few representatives were in favor of the transparency act. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14), a long-time Trump ally, was labeled a traitor by the president for standing with the victims.

In response to Trump’s backlash towards her, Greene stated during a press conference on Capitol Hill that she “never owed him anything” but had previously supported him regardless. She went on to call the survivors “patriots” and defended her stance.

The weekend prior to the vote, Trump reversed course, encouraging House Republicans to vote to release the Epstein files. This sentiment was echoed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who urged members to “vote your conscience.” This reversal caused a near unanimous vote for the Transparency Act in the House of Representatives, with only one representative (Clay Higgins, R-LA-3) voting against it. In the Senate, the vote was unanimous in favor of the release.

After the vote, multiple White House officials spoke anonymously with Politico. One stated that “Democrats only started talking about the Epstein files once they thought they could use it to score political points against President Trump. That will prove to be a mistake for them.”

What kind of “mistake” releasing files will cause for Democrats has yet to be revealed, as the documents still have not been released. Trump signed the bill on Nov. 19, the day after the House vote. A timetable regarding their release has yet to be shared, but there is a deadline: The Justice Department has 30 days to publish the files under this measure, making the latest release date Dec. 19.