WASHINGTON — Just hours after U.S. House representatives voted 427-1 to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the U.S. Senate also passed the bill by unanimous consent after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s request.
If President Donald Trump signs it into law -- as he had suggested he would -- it will order the Justice Department to release the records related to the sex offender’s prosecution.
Republican Rep. Clay Higgins, of Louisiana, who was the only dissenting House vote, released a statement on X.
“This type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt,” Higgins wrote adding that if the Senate amends the bill to “properly address privacy of victims and other Americans, who are named but not criminally implicated, then I will vote for that bill when it comes back to the House.”
Trump, who hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on Tuesday at the White House, released a statement on Truth Social.
“I don’t care when the Senate passes the House Bill, whether tonight, or at some other time in the near future, I just don’t want Republicans to take their eyes off all of the Victories that we’ve had,” Trump wrote.
The president’s list of accomplishments included “THE GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, Closed Borders, No Men in Women’s Sports or Transgender for Everyone,” and “delivering a HUGE DEFEAT to the Democrats on the Shutdown.”
Trump dismissed U.S. intelligence reports that the 40-year-old Saudi prince may have had some culpability in the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.
“You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,” said Trump, who insulted an ABC News reporter at the Oval Office and a Bloomberg reporter on Air Force One after they both asked him about the Epstein files.
Related story: Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack gets emotional about Epstein files
Here are some of the reactions by U.S. House representatives from Florida:
REPUBLICANS
Rep. Carlos Gimenez: “I voted yes to release the Epstein files. The American people deserve full transparency and have a right to know the truth. It’s time to put this issue to rest once and for all so we can get back to governing and delivering real results for the American people,” Gimenez wrote on X.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar: “Ahead of the House vote, I met with survivors of Epstein’s abuse, courageous women whose voices have been ignored for far too long. Their strength is a reminder of why transparency and accountability must come first. No more secrets. No more protection for the powerful,” Salazar wrote on X.
Rep. Mario Diaz Balart: “House GOP have led the charge under Chairman Rep. JamesComer‘s leadership, the GOP oversight has released over 65,000 pages of documents, subpoenaed key players, and demanded full disclosure from the DOJ – while protecting the victims. This bill, while flawed, continues to deliver on transparency and justice for victims, and today’s vote continues ongoing efforts to hold offenders accountable," Diaz Balart wrote on X.
Rep. Scott Franklin: “Transparency is essential, but victims must be protected at every step. Today’s vote moves us in the right direction on both,” Franklin wrote on X, adding a statement urging the Senate to strengthen provisions.
“Releasing these records must be done carefully to uphold due process,” Franklin wrote.
Rep. Greg Steube: “The American people deserve transparency and I hope this vote will be another step towards justice for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” Steube wrote on X.
Rep. Vern Buchanan: “House GOP voted to unseal the Epstein files because the American people deserve the truth. Today’s vote was about transparency, accountability and protecting victims,” Buchanan wrote on X and released a statement.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna: “Some used the Epstein files to smear POTUS instead of bringing justice to the victims, which tbh is super gross. I look forward to the continued investigations into this with GOP oversight. They deserve justice,” Luna wrote on X.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis: “I fully support complete transparency regarding the Epstein files and unwavering justice for the victims. No individual, regardless of wealth, power, position, or political party, should ever be shielded from accountability,” Bilirakis wrote on X in a statement.
Rep. Mike Haridopolos: “Today, I voted in favor of releasing the Epstein files because the American people deserve full transparency and accountability. No exceptions, no special treatment,” Haridopolos wrote in a statement on X.
Rep. Randy Fine: “Transparency is being restored. Epstein Files are getting released. Moral of the story, don’t be a panican! Trust President Trump,” Fine wrote on X.
Rep. John Rutherford: “Sunlight is the best antiseptic. I believe these files must be released while also taking into account the importance of protecting innocent victims and guarding against innuendo,” Rutherford wrote in a statement on X.
Rep. Kat Cammack: “Many years from now she will know that she was a part of the movement to release the Epstein files, but more importantly take a stand against the pedophiles and the corruption and the absolute abuse of power,” Cammack said in a video she shared on X showing her holding her three-month-old baby daughter, Augusta Dair Cammack.
Rep. Jimmy Patronis: “This could have been done during the Biden Administration, but they didn’t want these records out cause it will probably look bad for many of their friends,” Patronis wrote on X.
DEMOCRATS
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz: “Trump – who can release them right now – will try to bury the truth. We’ll keep demanding accountability, transparency and justice for these brave survivors," Wasserman Schultz wrote on X.
Rep. Frederica Wilson: “Americans deserve the truth. Survivors deserve peace. And the perpetrators must be brought to justice. I’m not here to shield pedophiles or hide information from the American people. It’s time to make the files public,” Wilson wrote on X.
Rep. Lois Frankel: “No more secrecy, no more excuses. The survivors and the American people deserve the truth,” Frankel wrote on X.
Rep. Kathy Castor: “The American people deserve the truth and I stand firmly with the brave survivors,” Castor wrote on X.
Rep. Maxwell Frost: “The American people, and especially the survivors, deserve transparency and the full truth,” Frost wrote on X.
Rep. Darren Soto: “Florida must remain a place where our children are safe. We will not tolerate protecting predators in our state,” Soto wrote on X.
Related video: Florida victim addresses reporters before U.S. House vote
Related story: Jeffrey Epstein wrote to Deepak Chopra about Trump, congressional records show
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