The U.S. House is on track to vote on the release of Justice Department files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after a newly sworn-in Democrat, Rep. Adelita Grijalva, completed a bipartisan discharge petition to bypass Republican resistance. This comes after a prolonged 50-day delay in her swearing-in by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who faced accusations of delaying the process to prevent the release of the files. Grijalva, who took office after her father’s death, became a central figure in the effort to force transparency, despite her initial lack of interest in the Epstein case. The vote is expected in early December, following a legal battle over the delay.
Grijalva signed the discharge petition immediately after her swearing-in on Wednesday, delivering remarks critical of the GOP’s attempts to keep the files under wraps.