Drama played out in a key House committee on Thursday night as lawmakers debated dueling measures dealing with the release of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
During a vote in the House Rules Committee, Republicans voted to advance a non-binding resolution to call for the release of some Epstein files. The rule provides no floor debate for the matter, and it is not subject to Senate passage or approval by the president.
It allows Attorney General Pam Bondi to make public all “credible” documents as well as redact or withhold portions of the Epstein files.
The vote in the committee was 9-4.
During the committee meeting, a screaming match unfolded between Ranking Member Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and GOP Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., over releasing the Epstein files.
U.S. House Rules Committee Ranking Member Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) speaks during a committee meeting after the Senate passes U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 1, 2025.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
“We know who you are hiding,” McGovern said in one exchange.
“You’re the party of child victims,” Scott said in response.
It’s not clear when the measure would be brought up for a full House vote. The resolution, which did not receive Democratic support, would not legally require the Trump administration to act.
Democrats also offered an amendment — which failed — to force the release of all materials about the Epstein investigation through a bill sponsored by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
The wrangling over the Epstein measures delayed moving forward on a vote to approve a White House request to claw back $9 billion from the federal budget, including funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
