Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told Newsmax Thursday that the House is moving toward an unusual forced vote to release Jeffrey Epstein’s files after a discharge petition crossed the 218-signature threshold, setting up a direct challenge to leadership and intensifying demands for full transparency in the long-running case.
House lawmakers are preparing for the vote next week after months of reluctance from Republican leaders. Greene, a member of the House Oversight Committee and an early signer of the petition, said the procedural move was the only way to guarantee a floor vote on the bill.
“A discharge petition is a tool that members of Congress can use to take a bill and bring it to the House floor for a vote. That's pretty much the only way to take control from the Speaker of the House," she said.
“The Speaker of the House controls all other bills. The speaker chooses which legislation comes to the House floor for a vote. So a discharge petition requires 218 signatures from members of Congress. And once you reach the threshold of 218, that pushes the bill out, and it gets a vote on the House floor.”
Speaking on “The Record With Greta Van Susteren,” Greene said the release of the files is essential for victims and for restoring public trust.
“I think it's important for the women, and it's important for transparency. To me, it communicates to every victim of rape, every child that has been trafficked, anyone that has been caught in a horrible situation like that, that people do care about you and that there will be justice,” she said.
She added that Democrats had ample time to act when they controlled the House. “They had four years to release this stuff. So they look like hypocrites when all of a sudden, now they care about the Epstein files.”
Greene said the petition explicitly demands that the Department of Justice turn over all of its Epstein materials, which she noted differ from what the Oversight Committee has already obtained from Epstein’s estate.
“So the discharge petition is more narrow in scope, and it's asking the DOJ for all of their files. Our Oversight Committee investigation is actually broader,” she said. Some of the most discussed documents in recent weeks came from subpoenas issued by the committee, not the department.
Greene said testimony from women tied to the case consistently clears Donald Trump.
“All of the women that I have spoken to, and they have gone on record, have said Donald Trump did nothing wrong. Many of them have said he helped us, and even their attorney said he was the only one that helped,” she said.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight’s special series and President Trump’s comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.