Georgia lawmakers vote to release Epstein files
The fight over the Epstein files has raged for months in Congress, making Tuesday’s near-unanimous U.S. House vote to release those documents all the more remarkable.
After months of efforts by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress to prevent a vote forcing the release of more information on the sex trafficking investigation of deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, the House on Tuesday voted 427-1 to approve that plan.
The tally marked a dramatic reversal for GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill and a stinging rebuke for Trump, who had furiously tried to block the move — in part by attacking a handful of GOP rebels, which included Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome.
“He called me a traitor for standing with these women and refusing to take my name off the discharge petition,” Greene said at a news conference with Epstein’s victims outside the Capitol.
“I’ll tell you right now, this has been one of the most destructive things to MAGA,” Greene told reporters days after Trump called for Republicans to defeat Greene in her 2026 GOP primary, angered in part by her stance on the Epstein files.
All 14 members of the Georgia delegation — nine Republicans and five Democrats — voted for the bill, which GOP leaders had tried for months to avoid.
“There’s no point in resisting what the people want,” said U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee.
Trump’s 180-degree reversal came four months after he loudly labeled the Epstein furor a “Democratic hoax” and said any Republicans in Congress pushing to release the files were “stupid.”
Trump’s opposition put GOP lawmakers in a tough spot. Their supporters back home wanted the files released, but Trump, who had indicated during the 2024 campaign that he would have “no problem” with the public release of the material, suddenly did not.
Back in July, both Reps. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, and Brian Jack, R-Peachtree City, had followed the wishes of the White House and voted in the House Rules Committee against any plans designed to release the Epstein files, drawing an outcry from some constituents.
But when the vote Tuesday was called, both men voted for the bill on the House floor.
“For me, it’s about what’s right for the victims,” said Scott, who represents a district running from Macon south to the Florida line. In an interview, Scott acknowledged that many voters back home had let him know their concerns about his original vote.
“They understand that games were being played,” the Georgia Republican added.
Other state Republicans in Congress echoed that assessment.
“I want to go ahead and get this distraction behind us,” said Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Islands. “I think it’s just the Democrats playing games, and I think they’re trying to distract because they failed at closing the government down.”
Democrats certainly didn’t agree with that assessment, as they accused Republicans of trying their best to cover up any ties between Trump and Epstein.
Other than Greene, most Georgia Republicans have said very little in public about the Epstein investigation — and that continued Tuesday.
For example, even as the House was debating the Epstein bill, Reps. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, and Mike Collins, R-Jackson, were both posting on social media about illegal immigration.
Next stop for this bill is the Senate, where Democrats quickly called for a vote on the House-passed plan.
“We call on you to immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to a vote on the Senate floor,” wrote Sen. Jon Ossoff and other Democrats to Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “The victims of Jeffrey Epstein — and the American people — deserve answers, accountability and the truth.”
