Lawmakers from both parties have now reportedly moved closer to forcing the Trump administration to release federal records tied to Jeffrey Epstein, in what could become one of the rarest procedural victories on Capitol Hill.
The breakthrough came Tuesday, when Democrat Adelita Grijalva won a special election in southern Arizona.
Her arrival in Washington will secure the 218th signature on a discharge petition designed to compel the Justice Department to hand over still-secret files concerning the late convicted sex offender.
That single step, though procedural, is momentous: only a handful of such petitions have succeeded in recent decades.
The measure’s unlikely champion is Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has often sparred with his own party.
For months, Massie has accused GOP leaders of shielding politically connected elites from scrutiny. “I do believe that Trump is not implicated,” Massie said. “[But] I believe that Trump is trying to protect rich and powerful people who are his friends, and that is why this material is not getting released.”
Massie’s challenge has rattled party leadership. Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and other Republican leaders have sided with President Trump in resisting the petition, even as Trump’s own position has shifted.
Last year, he pledged on the campaign trail to unseal the Epstein records. More recently, however, he dismissed the controversy as a Democratic “hoax” meant to damage him politically.
On Truth Social last month, Trump made clear he wants his supporters to abandon the effort altogether: “Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!”
The resistance has not slowed Massie. His petition has already drawn the backing of every House Democrat and three other Republicans: Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado. With Grijalva expected to sign as soon as she is sworn in, the count will reach 218.
Grijalva, stepping into the seat once held by her late father, Raul Grijalva, has vowed to endorse the petition immediately.
That move will start the clock toward a floor vote, which could come as early as late October. Still, the timing remains uncertain, complicated by a shifting House calendar as GOP leaders maneuver to push their own spending priorities.
Even with the milestone in sight, success is not guaranteed. Republican leaders may still attempt to peel away one or more of the GOP defectors before the petition is officially filed.
Johnson could also use parliamentary tools to bury the resolution, as he did earlier this year with a petition on remote voting. Such a gambit would depend on persuading the same Republicans who signed the Epstein petition to reverse course. So far, there is no indication they are willing to retreat.
If the petition survives, the House will soon face an unprecedented vote on forcing the administration’s hand — a move that could test both parties’ commitment to transparency and raise uncomfortable questions about why so many have fought to keep the Epstein files out of public view.
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