Washington, Nov 19 (NationPress) The US House of Representatives cast a resounding vote of 427-1 to mandate the Justice Department to unveil documents concerning its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who passed away in federal custody in 2019. The legislation is now headed to the Senate.

In the lead-up to the vote, lawmakers from both political parties engaged in vigorous debates, accusing each other of obstructing public access to the files.

Speaker Mike Johnson backed the measure but criticized Democrats for advancing it at this time. “This is a show vote,” he remarked to fellow representatives. “They’re just putting on a show.”

He also defended former President Donald Trump, asserting, “The president had no involvement in this, and he had nothing to conceal.”

Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican bill sponsor, urged Trump to instruct the Justice Department to release the records without delay instead of waiting for the legislative process to play out.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed concerns that even with new legislation, the Justice Department might still keep some materials “entangled in the investigation.”

Trump, during a White House meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reiterated his disconnection from Epstein. “I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein,” he told the press. “I expelled him from my club years ago because I deemed him a sick pervert.” He added, “I never visited his island.”

Following months of resisting the release of all Epstein-related documents, Trump shifted his stance on Sunday, allowing House members from his party to vote in favor of legislation to disclose the files.

“This is a problem for the Democrats. They were all friends with Epstein,” Trump asserted.

On Monday, former US Treasury Secretary and Harvard president Larry Summers announced he would withdraw from public engagements after emails revealed that he maintained amicable relations with Epstein long after the financier admitted to soliciting prostitution in 2008.

In his statement, he expressed feeling “deeply ashamed” and accepted “full responsibility” for what he termed a “misguided choice to continue interactions with Mr. Epstein.”

Last week, the House Oversight Committee published thousands of pages of correspondence from the Epstein estate. Democrats on the committee released three messages, including a 2011 email where Epstein claimed Trump “spent hours” with one of the victims.

Republicans accused Democrats of selective disclosures, subsequently releasing an additional 23,000 pages.

The White House dismissed the significance of these emails, stating they “prove literally nothing.”

Trump has continuously denied any involvement in Epstein’s activities.