What’s next for the Epstein files?

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After years in the system, the Jeffrey Epstein case today reaches another turning point.

The House of Representatives just passed a bill — the Epstein Files Transparency Act — that would direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, and any communications related to those cases.

It was an almost unanimous vote. Republican Clay Higgins of Louisiana was the only “no” vote.

Final vote Tuesday on Epstein files bill.

Firestorms and White House Situation Room meetings were sparked by this bill and the successful efforts to bring it to a vote, despite initial blocking by Republican leadership. President Donald Trump has done a complete 180 on the measure — from campaigning aggressively against it to saying he would sign it.

We thought this was a good time to give you a quick look at where the document is pushing and what’s coming next.

The Senate wants to move quickly. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that the Senate may vote on the bill Tuesday evening. It is expected to pass there as well.

Then, as noted above, Trump said he was committed to signing it.

But let’s talk about what happens next.

• There is a deadline. The bill requires the release of all Epstein files within 30 days.
• Beautiful print. There are some categories of information that can be redacted or redacted: personal information about victims, explicit depictions of child abuse, anything that jeopardizes a federal investigation, depictions of death or injury, and information that is properly classified to protect national security. (I pressed House Speaker Mike Johnson today to further explain his concerns about the bill.)

Watch the clip in the player above.

• What happens after the files are released? Within 15 days of dropping the document, the Justice Department must provide Congress with a complete list of all materials released and redacted, a full report on any redactions, and a list of all government officials and “politically exposed persons” named in the materials.

Now to the next pressing question.

Are there ways the Department of Justice can delay the release?

Yes. Consider one category of information a prosecutor can withhold — anything that “would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly and temporarily designed.”

This is an understandable exception. When the draft law was written, it was unlikely to include a large amount of provisions. There is no known current investigation into Epstein. Epstein himself died in prison in 2019 before he could stand trial. Maxwell was convicted and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

But last week, Trump specifically asked the Justice Department to launch a *new* investigation into Epstein on a list of individuals and entities. All of the people named, including former President Bill Clinton, are Democrats.

Some have wondered whether the Justice Department would cite this new investigation as a reason to withhold large amounts of material.

Now, one last question.

How will the material be released?

This is not yet clear. But it could follow the administration’s current preferred method, which is to hand the files over to the House Oversight Committee.

Or the administration could publish the files en masse on the Internet, as it did with the files related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

So, what happens next?

Congress finishes voting. (Watch the Senate floor here.)

Then we wait.