Epstein files vote expected in House on Tuesday after Trump’s sudden shift

Geoff Bennett:

Welcome to the "News Hour."

The House of Representatives is gearing up to vote on a bill that would force the Department of Justice to release its files in the case of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein following an apparent shift from the White House.

Amna Nawaz:

President Trump is now urging his party to move forward with the vote after a few key Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the measure.

Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins begins our coverage.

Lisa Desjardins:

Last night from President Trump, conflicting reactions and news around convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On the tarmac, a refusal to answer.

President Donald Trump:

Fake news like you, they just keep bringing that up to deflect from the tremendous success of the Trump administration.

Lisa Desjardins:

But, on social media, a 180. Trump wrote that House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files held by DOJ, declaring: "We have nothing to hide."

And then today, he was asked, would he sign the Epstein file bill if it passes?

Donald Trump:

Sure I would. Let the Senate look at it, let anybody look at it. But don't talk about it too much, because, honestly, I don't want to take it away from us.

Lisa Desjardins:

That stance is a reversal, following weeks of intense work by the White House to twist arms to prevent the bill from passing, this because four House Republicans joined with Democrats on what's called a discharge petition to force that vote.

And now one of them, former Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, is a Trump target. The president withdrew his endorsement of her in a TRUTH Social post late last week, saying she complains too much. In recent weeks, Greene has split with Trump and GOP leaders on more issues, including health care subsidies and handling of the government shutdown, which ended up being the longest in American history.

The Georgia congresswoman was once one of the president's fiercest allies on the campaign trail.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA):

We have once again nominated for president the founding father of the America first movement, Donald John Trump.

(Cheering)

Lisa Desjardins:

And in the Capitol, where she wore a Trump cap in the House chamber, and she famously had him on her cell phone during the 2023 GOP speaker fiasco.

But now Trump is sharply attacking her, as he would an enemy.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene:

Unfortunately, it has all come down to the Epstein files.

Lisa Desjardins:

Representative Greene appeared on CNN yesterday. She reiterated her calls for transparency. And she has posted and said that Trump's words have sparked significant new threats against her.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene:

The most hurtful thing he said, which is absolutely untrue, is, he called me a traitor. And that is so extremely wrong, and those are the types of words used that can radicalize people against me and put my life in danger.

Lisa Desjardins:

The president was asked about that last night.

Donald Trump:

Her life is in danger? Who's that?

Question:

Marjorie Taylor Greene, she says…

Donald Trump:

Marjorie "Traitor" Greene. I don't think her life is in danger. I don't think — frankly, I don't think anybody cares about her.

Lisa Desjardins:

This as voices of those harmed by Epstein have new reach.

Woman:

It's time to bring the secrets out of the shadows. It's time to shine a light into the darkness.

Lisa Desjardins:

Over the weekend, several survivors of Epstein's abuse released a public service announcement demanding that Congress force release of all the files.

Adding to the headlines, a congressional committee released a trove of Epstein e-mails last week in which Trump was mentioned as having known about "the girls." The White House insisted he did no wrong, and the president has long dismissed the controversy as a smear campaign.

But support for releasing the files is growing and the full House could vote as soon as tomorrow.

Just in the past few minutes, Speaker Johnson confirmed and his office has confirmed to me that the vote is expected now in the House tomorrow. Also tomorrow, Epstein survivors plan a press conference on Capitol Hill — Amna.

Amna Nawaz:

Lisa, it was, as you said, a 180 by the president. We don't often see that from President Trump. How is that reversal going to impact that expected House vote on releasing the files tomorrow?

Lisa Desjardins:

Well, I think this is an admission of really the state of play in the House. This was going to pass.

And Thomas Massie, the Republican sponsor of that discharge petition, felt he could get two-thirds vote to override the president. So this is a kind of fait accompli that the president is admitting to here, but now it becomes even easier for Republicans to sign on board.

And you wonder, if this might be even a near-unanimous bill, which was not at all what we expected in the House as it takes its vote.

Amna Nawaz:

The House is one thing. The Senate is different, as you know. How does this look in the Senate?

Lisa Desjardins:

Well, working and talking with Majority Leader John Thune's office today, they said they were waiting for the House to figure out their timing. But I have to tell you, talking to Republican senators, they were uncomfortable because they also generally wanted to pass this.

I think this is also on a glide path there. So an important factor, once the Senate votes, it then goes to the president, who, as you heard just today, said he will sign it.

Now, this bill means in 15 days, no longer, will those files be released. It demands in that timeline, within two weeks, the files be released.

Amna Nawaz:

Meantime, we saw the president has now forced an investigation of Democrats related to Jeffrey Epstein, including former President Clinton. What do we know about that? And how does that factor in this?

Lisa Desjardins:

This is something prosecutors, in particular, former prosecutors, are paying attention to, because there is a potential that the Justice Department could say, we can't release these files because there is an ongoing investigation.

And that is something that the bill itself allows for. So we're watching to see if this is what might happen here. But all of that aside, at the same time, President Trump has the ability to release these files now.

We spoke to a former prosecutor Jessica Roth about this.

Jessica Roth, Former Federal Prosecutor:

Historically, presidents didn't involve themselves in such decisions by the Department of Justice about what files to release.

But given that this president has involved himself in a very direct way with decisions made by the Department of Justice, it really begs the question why he has chosen not to exercise that kind of direct control over the Department of Justice decision-making in this particular context.

Lisa Desjardins:

Trump putting this on Congress, even though he has some of this power himself.

Amna Nawaz:

Meanwhile, I have to ask about Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Lisa Desjardins:

Yes.

Amna Nawaz:

You have covered her since she entered Congress. What should we understand about her break with the president?

Lisa Desjardins:

This is quite a wild break. I think it tells us that defining MAGA is not something anyone other than Trump can do right now.

She has obviously split from him, but I will tell you, I have noticed in the last day, she has not posted anything on social media. For all of her open rebellion against him in the last few days and weeks, now she has gone silent.

At the same time, it's interesting how Democrats view all of this. They think in the end, the Epstein files show vulnerability for Trump, and maybe that's why he's resisted them so much. Whatever it says about him, they think it shows that he has some kind of corrupt tendencies. They might be able to bring that up in the next campaign.

However, I think everyone agrees the economy is still going to be front and center next year.

Amna Nawaz:

Always is.

Lisa Desjardins with the very latest, thank you.

Lisa Desjardins:

You're welcome.