Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was the lone House member to vote against the measure compelling release of thousands of unclassified documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein, insisting the bill remains dangerously flawed despite overwhelming bipartisan support.
Higgins said he has been a "principled 'NO'" from the start, arguing the legislation "abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure" and threatens to expose innocent people swept into past investigations.
"As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people — witnesses, family members, people who provided alibis," Higgins said in a statement on X. "Released to a rabid media, it will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt. Not by my vote."
The Epstein Files Transparency Act passed 427-1 on Tuesday after heavy lobbying from its lead co-sponsors, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. Victims of Epstein's trafficking network have backed the measure, saying full disclosure is long overdue.
Massie, speaking on the House floor, cast the vote as a victory for survivors whose lives were shattered by Epstein's crimes.
"Truth will triumph over deception," Massie said. "This is going to be a victory for survivors — the thousands who still exist, and those who aren't alive to see it."
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., shared many of Higgins' concerns, warning earlier Tuesday that the discharge petition was written so sloppily it could "revictimize" survivors and even create "new victims."
Johnson said the bill fails to provide adequate authority for the attorney general to protect victim identities — including hundreds who have never come forward — and could inadvertently release child sexual abuse materials due to an incorrect statutory citation.
He also cautioned that noncredible accusations previously dismissed by investigators could be dumped into the public sphere, destroying reputations.
"Republicans are working in earnest to deliver transparency in a responsible manner that does no further harm," Johnson said.
Despite those objections, Johnson voted yes, noting the House cannot amend the petition but the Senate can. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the upper chamber is prepared to move quickly and could pass the bill by unanimous consent.
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