Congress Orders Trump to Release the Epstein Files

Congressional Republicans on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill to release all of the files related to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a bill that President Trump spent months trying to kill.

The Times correspondents Anni Karni and Carl Hulse explain how a rebellion started by a handful of Republican lawmakers became a partywide mutiny, and Representative Thomas Massie talks about his role in bringing about the vote.

Guest:

• Annie Karni (https://www.nytimes.com/by/annie-karni) , a congressional correspondent at The New York Times.
• Carl Hulse (https://www.nytimes.com/by/carl-hulse) , the chief Washington correspondent for The Times.
• Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky.

Background reading: 

• The vote to approve was a stunning turn (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/us/politics/house-vote-epstein-files.html) for an effort that Republican leaders had worked for months to block.
• For Mr. Trump, the Epstein scandal is the story that won’t go away (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/us/politics/trump-epstein-files.html) .

Photo: Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

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