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Will US House vote on Epstein files release? Trump officials meet Lauren Boebert as Dems mount pressure
The House returns to vote on a spending bill and may table a measure to force DOJ to release Epstein files, hinging on GOP Reps. Boebert and Mace’s votes.
With the US House of Representatives returning to session after a recess to vote on a new spending bill to end the government shutdown, the Epstein files are back in focus.
On Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson will swear in newly elected Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva into the House. It would mean that the House would now have enough votes to table a discharge petition forcing a vote on a bill compelling the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files.
However, whether or not the bill is tabled in the House depends crucially on the votes of two Republican House Representatives- i.e. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.
According to multiple reports citing sources familiar with the conversations inside the Trump administration, Trump's officials have reached out to both Boebert and Mace in an effort to block the bill from coming onto the floor. If Boebert and Mace, both of whom have joined the Democrats' discharge petition around the Epstein files, withdraw their votes, the bill will not be tabled in the first place.
The report on Trump officials putting pressure on Lauren Boebert was acknowledged by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in the White House press briefing earlier on Wednesday.
“Doesn’t that show the level of transparency when we are willing to sit down with members of Congress and address their concerns?” she said, adding that she will not go into the details. However, in what could prove crucial in the later stages, CNN reported, citing a source close to Boebert, that she is not expected to withdraw her support despite pressure from Trump.
Later today, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel are expected to meet Boebert.
What's Next If The House Passes The Bill?
If the House passes the bill compelling the Trump administration to release all documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, it would next go to the Senate. If the bill is approved in the Senate, it will then go to President Donald Trump for his signature to be enshrined as a law.
Once Trump votes, the DOJ and other federal agencies will be compelled to make public all the materials related to the investigation into Epstein and his associated-cum-partner, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Also read: Nick Fuentes issues chilling three-word warning amid Epstein's Trump email row
House Democrats Release Epstein Emails Mentioning Trump
In another major update in the potential release of the Epstein files, the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released emails of Epstein that referenced President Trump. In the emails, Epstein allegedly admits that Donald Trump "knew about the girls" and "spent hours" with one of the victims at Epstein's home.
Reacting to the emails, Trump accused the Democrats of bringing up the "Epstein hoax" again.
“The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects,” he said.
