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House Republicans rail against Epstein files vote

Oct 22, 2025, 4:55am EDT
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James Comer
Al Drago/Reuters

As a book by the late Virginia Giuffre sparks new international interest in Jeffrey Epstein, House Republicans are still downplaying the need for a vote on releasing the Justice Department’s case files.

Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Tuesday that “the House Oversight Committee is already accomplishing” more than what the vote that every Democrat and four GOP rebels are pushing for.

Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said he’s “working to bring former President [Bill] Clinton in for a deposition,” but he acknowledged that lawmakers are “pretty limited to the United States,” so subpoenaing Epstein associates like Prince Andrew — discussed at length in Giuffre’s book — would be difficult.

Johnson separately signaled he still plans to allow action that would force a vote on the case files, though he remains noncommittal on swearing in the congresswoman-elect whose presence is needed to do that.

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