A long-shot effort in Congress to compel the release of government files related to Jeffrey Epstein has cleared its first major hurdle.
A discharge petition, a rare procedural move allowing lawmakers to bypass House leadership, reached the required 218 signatures on Wednesday, guaranteeing that the measure will receive floor consideration in the coming weeks.
Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) became the decisive 218th signatory shortly after being sworn into office, joining every House Democrat and four Republicans: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).
Grijalva added her name on the House floor amid applause from Democrats and survivors of Epstein’s abuse watching from the gallery. “Just this morning, House Democrats released more emails showing that Trump knew more about Epstein’s abuses than he previously acknowledged. It’s about time for Congress to restore its role as a check and balance on this administration and fight for we, the American people,” she said in her first speech. She added, “Justice cannot wait another day.”
The petition aims to bring forward a bipartisan bill introduced by Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) that would require the Department of Justice to release unclassified materials tied to Epstein, his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and others linked to his criminal activities. Sensitive information such as victims’ identities or explicit materials would remain protected through redactions.
While the petition’s success marks a historic milestone, discharge petitions rarely reach the required threshold — procedural and political challenges remain. Under House rules, the measure must “ripen” for at least seven legislative days before lawmakers can formally demand a vote.
Even then, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and GOP leadership could move to block or delay the vote through procedural maneuvers, as they did earlier this year with a separate discharge petition.
A White House official previously warned that signing the petition would be considered a “very hostile act to the administration.” Nonetheless, the four Republicans who broke ranks resisted pressure from the White House and top GOP leaders to withdraw their support.
CNN reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel planned to meet with Boebert on Wednesday, while President Trump personally reached out to Rep. Mace earlier in the day. Both lawmakers ultimately stood by their signatures.
Khanna expressed optimism that a final vote on the Epstein records would gain broader bipartisan backing. “I believe we’re going to get 40, 50 Republicans voting with us on the release. And if we get that kind of overwhelming vote, that’s going to push the Senate, and that’s going to push the release of the files from the Justice Department,” he said.
Despite growing momentum, the measure faces an uphill climb in the Republican-controlled Senate. Even if it clears Congress, it would still need President Trump’s approval.
Speaker Johnson has dismissed the bill as “moot,” pointing to the ongoing investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has already reviewed materials from the Department of Justice and the Epstein estate. The committee also interviewed former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who oversaw Epstein’s controversial 2008 plea deal.
Fresh disclosures from the committee on Wednesday intensified partisan tensions. Democrats released new emails alleging that Trump “knew about the girls,” while Republicans accused them of political spin. “These emails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “Jeffrey Epstein was a member at Mar-a-Lago until President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out, because he was a pedophile and he was a creep.”
Later that evening, the committee made public 20,000 pages of new documents from the Epstein estate, ensuring that the political and legal debate surrounding Epstein’s network, and who knew what — is far from over.
Epstein–Trump Timeline: Key Moments and Connections
(The following chronology highlights publicly reported interactions and statements involving Trump and Jeffrey Epstein over the years, based on media reports, legal documents, and official investigations.)
1980s
Trump and Epstein met around the time Trump bought Mar-a-Lago in 1985, when Epstein was also living in Palm Beach, according to Trump, who told New York magazine in 2002 he had known Epstein for “15 years,” calling him a “terrific guy,” and adding “it is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
1992
Trump and Epstein were spotted laughing together at a party Trump threw at Mar-a-Lago, according to NBC footage of the event unearthed in 2019.
1992
At a “calendar girl” party at Mar-a-Lago where Trump invited just two other guests, Florida businessman George Houraney and Epstein, Houraney’s girlfriend at the time, Jill Harth, said Trump forcibly kissed and fondled her and restrained her from leaving a bedroom. Harth also said Trump crawled into bed with another 22-year-old woman at the party, according to a 1997 lawsuit Trump settled with Harth (he has denied her allegations), The New York Times reported.
1993
Trump flew on Epstein’s private jets four times that year, according to flight logs made public during Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial, The New York Times reported.
1993
Photos released by CNN showed Epstein attended Trump’s 1993 wedding to Marla Maples at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Months earlier, another CNN photo showed Epstein and Trump together at the opening of the Harley Davidson Café in Manhattan.
1993
Trump groped model Stacey Williams when Epstein brought her to Trump Tower, she alleged in a 2024 interview with The New York Times. Trump’s 2024 campaign denied the claim as “unequivocally false” and politically motivated.
1994–1995
Flight logs show Trump took additional flights on Epstein’s jets. Maria Farmer told the FBI that Trump arrived at Epstein’s office late at night and “started to hover over” her before Epstein told him, “No, no. She’s not here for you,” The New York Times reported.
1997
Trump signed a note in his book “Trump: The Art of the Comeback,” addressed to Epstein, that read, “To Jeff—You are the greatest!” The New York Times reported. That same year, the two were photographed at a Victoria’s Secret event.
1999–2000
CNN footage showed Trump and Epstein socializing at another Victoria’s Secret event. Around this time, Virginia Giuffre, who later accused Epstein and Maxwell of trafficking her, was working at Mar-a-Lago when she was recruited by Maxwell.
2003–2004
According to a 2025 Wall Street Journal report, Trump allegedly sent Epstein a birthday card that read “may every day be another wonderful secret,” which Trump denied and later sued over. Their friendship reportedly ended in 2004 after Trump outbid Epstein for a Palm Beach mansion.
Pre-2006
The two appeared in a photo with singer James Brown, who died in 2006, according to The New York Times.
2010–2011
In resurfaced footage, Epstein acknowledged socializing with Trump but declined to answer whether minors were present. In emails, Epstein described Trump as the “dog that hasn’t barked” and said he “spent hours at my house” with a victim.
2015–2017
Trump’s name appeared circled in Epstein’s “little black book.” In later emails, Epstein mocked Trump’s intelligence and exchanged remarks about him with figures like Michael Wolff and Larry Summers.
2019
Epstein allegedly told Wolff, “of course [he] knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop,” implying Trump knew of Epstein’s conduct but wasn’t directly involved. Epstein added that Trump asked him to resign from Mar-a-Lago but had “never been a member ever.”
2019–2025
Emails and communications between Epstein and former Trump associates, including Steve Bannon, surfaced in investigations and reports, showing that discussions of Trump’s ties to Epstein continued even after Epstein’s death.
