Epstein files vote: Andrew in 'trouble' as all files naming him could be released

More files relating to the disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein will be released, as Congress passed a bill forcing the Justice Department to publish all files within 30 days

Donald Trump’s effort to keep the Epstein files secret backfired spectacularly after the House of Congress voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation to release all files relating to Jeffrey Epstein.

The final vote came in at 427-1 in favour of passing the bill. 216 Republicans and 211 Democrats voted in favour of passing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, with just one Republican voting against passing the bipartisan bill. The move ensures that the scandal engulfing Andrew Mounbatten Windsor has deepened considerably, as America moves a step closer to all documents bearing his name becoming public.

A Capitol Hill source told the Mirror: “This vote puts the former Duke in even deeper trouble. The release of these files risks dragging every uncomfortable detail back into the spotlight and will heap fresh embarrassment on the Royal Family. They’ve spent years trying to draw a line under this saga, now it’s all coming roaring back.”

Andrew was stripped of all his royal titles over his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Tonight, the chamber backed the measure 427-1, with only Republican Clay Higgins, a loyal presidential ally, arguing that the documents should remain sealed.

The scale of the vote now places intense pressure on the Republican-controlled Senate, which must decide whether to advance the bill. Senior party figures insist they support transparency, but have yet to confirm whether the legislation will be brought to the floor.

“We’ll take a look at that,” Majority Whip John Barrasso said, “But we want transparency and accountability.”

The legislation would force the US Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to publish, in a searchable and downloadable format, all unclassified records, emails, notes and internal Justice Department communications relating to Epstein and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. It also covers flight logs, travel data and documents identifying individuals and entities connected to Epstein.

Records would have to be released within 30 days of the bill becoming law, with the attorney general permitted to redact information that identifies victims or jeopardises active federal investigations. Ahead of the vote, co-authors Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna, joined by MAGA firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene, held an emotional press conference alongside more than a dozen Epstein survivors, calling on senators to act swiftly.

Khanna said: “You had Jeffrey Epstein, who literally set up an island of rape - a rape island - and you had rich and powerful men, some of the richest people in the world, who thought that they could hang out with bankers, buy off politicians and abuse and rape America’s girls with no consequence.” He added: “Because survivors spoke up, because of their courage, the truth is finally going to come out. And when it comes out, this country is really going to have a moral reckoning.”

Massie said he supported minor Senate changes aimed at further protecting victims, but warned against any alterations that could delay or restrict disclosure. “If you want to add some additional protections for these survivors, go for it,” he said. “But if you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people ... Do not muck it up in the Senate.”

Momentum behind the measure had been growing for days. A discharge petition, which allows rank-and-file members to bypass leadership, quickly gathered support from all House Democrats and a rapidly increasing number of Republicans. Trump had quietly attempted to slow the effort, leaning on some Republican women to withdraw their signatures, but once it became clear that the vote would succeed, Trump abruptly reversed his stance.

On Sunday night, he posted on Truth Social, urging Republicans to support the bill - a dramatic shift after weeks spent resisting it after realising his efforts to block them were futile. Many saw it as a desperate move to save face. Trump, who had previously backed releasing the documents before his re-election bid but then reneged once back in office, said on Monday he would sign the legislation if it reached his desk, insisting it would help the party move on and refocus on economic issues.

“Some of the people that we mentioned are being looked at very seriously for their relationship to Jeffrey Epstein, but they were with him all the time, I wasn’t. I wasn’t at all,” he said in the Oval Office. But his posture drew criticism from survivors. Standing outside the Capitol, Jena-Lisa Jones accused Trump of politicising their trauma.

“I beg you, President Trump: Please stop making this political,” she said. “It is not about you, President Trump. You are our president. Please start acting like it. Show some class, show some real leadership, show that you actually care about the people other than yourself.” Jones, a Trump voter, added: “Your behaviour on this issue has been a national embarrassment.”

Asked about the criticism, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said: “Democrats and the media knew about Epstein and his victims for years and did nothing to help them while President Trump was calling for transparency, and is now delivering on it with thousands of pages of documents as part of the ongoing Oversight investigation.”

Mounbatten Windsor was stripped of his Prince and Duke of York titles, losing his remaining royal privileges after the posthumous publication of a memoir by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims. Giuffre accused Andrew of sexual assault and sued him in 2021. The case was settled out of court for a sum believed to be around £12 million. Andrew has denied the allegations and all wrongdoing.

Ms Giuffre, who took her own life earlier this year, had claimed that as a teenager she was trafficked by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions - allegations he has always denied. Her family welcomed the King’s decision to strip Andrew of his titles, saying: “An ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family, brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage.”

Trump and Epstein have long been associated, with Trump once describing the disgraced financier as a "terrific guy" who "likes beautiful women as much as I do, many of them on the younger side." The comments have resurfaced repeatedly since Epstein's arrest in 2006 and his death in 2019.

The president has since claimed he cut ties with the sex offender before the financier first faced charges, insisting he had “nothing to do with him.” But critics say the shifting story - coupled with repeated attempts to block the release of the files - has raised more questions than answers.

Trump also promised during his 2020 campaign that he would release all Epstein documents if elected. Such promises were never fulfilled, with him labelling the documents a “hoax”, further fuelling suspicion surrounding his resistance to publication. Trump’s initial refusal to support releasing the files has triggered one of the fiercest internal battles within the MAGA movement since he took office.