The US House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a bill that would force the Justice Department to publicly release files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The House voted 427-1 to pass the measure, meaning the bill will now move to the US Senate.
In the Senate, Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. It will likely take 60 votes for the bill to move to its final passage.
US President Donald Trump would then need to sign the bill, if it makes it through the Senate.
The bill would likely allow information about Epstein’s victims or continuing federal investigations to be redacted.
However, the department would not be allowed to redact information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary”.
Pressure has been mounting for some time over the release of the documents, with claims of a cover-up coming from both Republicans and Democrats.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail while awaiting trial in 2019. He faced charges that he sexually abused and trafficked underage girls. Since his death, many more have said they were abused by him.
The Epstein files refer to what is thought to be thousands of documents connected to the investigation into his activities.
The files are believed to include flight logs from Epstein’s private jets, emails, estate records, court documents, and internal Department of Justice communications, as well as information about the investigation into his death in prison.
They are understood to detail Epstein’s movements, associates, and decisions made during his prosecution, as well as materials related to his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a jail sentence.
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