Washington [US], November 18: The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote as soon as Tuesday to force the release of investigative files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with passage seen as all but guaranteed after President Donald Trump dropped his longstanding opposition.
Trump's reversal late on Sunday came days after a House petition gathered enough support to force a vote, a rare instance of House Republicans defying the president's wishes.
Until the weekend, Trump and his staff had lobbied hard to prevent any further release of files from the criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into Epstein, a wealthy New York financier who was, for a time, friends with Trump.
Democrats, and even some of Trump's supporters, say there is nothing hoax-like in the release of authentic Justice Department records. Epstein was convicted on several Florida state and federal charges related to his sexual abuse and trafficking of teenaged girls. He died in a federal jail cell in Manhattan in 2019 in what was ruled a suicide, a few weeks after he was arrested on new federal charges of sex trafficking children.
If the House passes the measure, it would move to the Senate, which would also need to vote on it before sending it to Trump to sign. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune's office could not be reached for comment on what he planned to do about the bill.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation
