In brief
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill overwhelmingly to release documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein, with a vote of 427-1. The only dissenting vote came from Republican Clay Higgins, who argued that the bill could jeopardize the safety of innocent individuals associated with Epstein's case. Despite his lone opposition, the bill gained bipartisan support and was swiftly approved by the Senate, awaiting President Trump's signature.
Nearly every Republican in the US House of Representatives voted on a bill to compel the release of documents tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The lone nay came from the Republican lawmaker from Louisiana, Clay Higgins, who defied his party saying his vote was a principled NO.
What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today, Higgins wrote on X. It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America.
The resounding vote in favour of the Epstein bill, 427-1, marks a rare moment of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill. Hours later, the US Senate too approved the legislation, clearing the way for the final act - President Donald Trump's signature.
For Higgins, safeguarding the personal information of Epstein's many victims was the primary issue with the legislation.
As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people – witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc, he wrote on X. If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt.
Higgins said he would support the bill if it were to be amended by the Senate, which Republican majority leader John Thune had already suggested was unlikely.
When a bill comes out of the House 427 to 1 and the president said he's going to sign it, I'm not sure that amending it is in the cards, Thune said before the Senate's unanimous approval for the bill on Tuesday.
Prior to the House passing the legislation, only four Republicans had joined all Democrats in signing a petition to force a vote - Thomas Massie, Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
But it achieved overwhelming Republican support after President Trump dropped his opposition to a vote.
Higgins has represented Louisiana's third district since 2017 and is widely regarded as one of the most conservative members of Congress, according to his website.
His holdout vote in the wake of 200-plus members of his party voting otherwise is not the first time he has taken an unorthodox stance.
