On this vote, the years are four hundred and twenty seven, the nays are one two thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.
This week we saw something almost unprecedented in American politics, a unified Congress as all but one person invited to have the Epstein files released.
We do not see votes like that here in the US House of Representatives, where it's just completely lopsided.
Reported by Erickson was on Capitol Hill wants to get unfollowed.
What the House and Senate here in DC we're voting on this week was this very targeted bill to force the Justice Department to release a wide array of files both from Jeffrey Epstein, but also more importantly, all the investigative files from the Justice Department in the many many years that federal officials have been tracking Jeffrey Epstein, going all the way back like more than a decade.
These documents have plague Donald Trump since he campaigned to release them while running for his second term as president, then backtracked after his victory, sparking a mess revolt from his otherwise loyal Megabase. In yet another blistering post on social media, Trump said those who keep asking questions are
weaklings and said I don't want their support anymore. After months of trying to block their release, and after increasing pressure from within his own party, Trump changed course in the most spectacular reversal of his presidency.
You know, there has been a lot of commentary from wawmakers up here that that is why the president switched his position this past weekend on the release of these bills, because he could kind of see where the ball was going in relation to the vote here within his own party.
I'm Daniel James, and you're listening to seven. I am today US political correspondent for rout Is bio Ericson on the Republican Revolt. I just had damaging the files to be for President Trump. It's Friday, November twenty one, So what exactly is expected to be in leys files?
We don't exactly know what is going to be in the files. I've been running around Capitol Hill for the last few weeks and months because it's really a four month long pursuit of this bill, even though the voting went so fast this week, and I keep asking lawmakers what do you want to see in these files? And how many files are there? And no one really has
any clarity on what files they're going after. But when I was speaking with one of the Republicans, Thomas Massey, who have led this charge, He's from Kentucky and he's really drawn the ire of President Trump for years now. He's leading this effort to kind of force the Republicans to vote on this.
We thought the president, the Attorney General, the FBI director, the Speaker of the House, and the Vice president to get this win.
I asked him, what are you looking for? And he said, it's not really about the number of documents or the number of Epstein files, but what they really want are the names of people and potentially alleged co conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein. And some lawmakers have promised that if and when the public gets these names of individuals that potentially committed crimes alongside Epstein, that they will read those names aloud on the US House floor.
The ultimate thing that we could do is read the names on the floor of the House, and that could happen.
But what needs to happen is the FBI.
Needs And why that is significant is because lawmakers, in their role as a representative, have more freedoms to not be sued for slander. Here in the United States, it's called the speech and Debate clause.
So, as you mentioned by, we saw something that is practically on theheard of on Capitol Hill these days, and that was bought partisan sheep. So tell me more about the Republicans who win against Trump.
Oh, you've heard that the US is and that bipartisan up here.
He's come across my desk.
Oh, yeah, it's just once or twice the Republicans who are going against him, while at first it was only a handful. For instance, Thomas Massey, who's kind of more of a libertarian streak, and he says his principles tell him not to support things in the Trump administration, even though he is from a very Republican state Kentucky. But he's really kind of been able to bring along with him some more friendly people to President Trump, at least in the past. One is Marjorie Taylor Green.
But I fought for him, for the policies and for America First, and he called me a traitor for standing with these women and refusing to take my name off the discharge petition.
And two other Republican women in the US House also signed on to this effort to try to force House Republican leadership to bring this bill to the floor.
Do I want the Epstein files released?
Absa freculutely.
That is why I was on the discharge petition, that is why I did not remove my name, And I'm going to vote in phase to speak on the floor. And I want to thank my colleagues Congressman Massey, Marjorie Taylor Green, and Lauren Bobert, the four of us making history today over the discharge petition and delivering justice for those who have desperately fought for it for in some cases almost thirty years, and.
For months now seems Lockey's Donald Trump has been signed the focus on those files was a Democrat hoax and a distraction. He's now trying to take back control of the narrative, and so he wants them released that he has nothing to hide. But how damaging could the actually belief it Trump by.
It's still a little mixed messaging coming from the White House, to be honest, because as you said, he is calling this a Democratic hoax and saying they're trying to go after him and Democrats are trying to use this for a political play here. But on the other hand, he's saying that the files should be released, and the rebuttal from lawmakers, not just the ones who've been speaking out against him, but it was like, Okay, if you think the files should be released, you have the unilateral power
to release these files. Right now. People keep reminding him that you know him and his Justice Department that they could release them if they wanted. It is unclear, though, what damage or embarrassment lies in these files for Donald Trump. The American people are kind of aware that Trump is
associated with Jeffrey Epstein. No one has said, though, that he has committed any type of crimes or alleged any type of crimes here, And I don't know if that's going to be in these files because it's very hard
to know what the files are you run about. But let me tell you something about just American opinion over here, is that at Reuter's here in the US, we released a poll this week about Americans feelings and kind of questioning some of these moves with the Epstein files, and seventy percent of Americans in this poll, and that includes sixty percent of Republican voters believe that the government, which is the Trump administration, is hiding Epstein's alleged client lists
for some type of political element here.
Coming up now, Trump's Justice Department could still stop the Epstein files from being released.
We do have some major breaking news as we come on the air tonight, because President Trump has now signed the Epstein Files Bill into a law, the final step to force the Justice Department to turn over everything it has on Epstein.
By Donald Trump has now signed the bill, So it's now up to the Department of Justice to release the special files.
But is it.
Possible that Trump could still block that from happening.
So the bill says the files must be released within thirty days. There are some carveoutes though, already in the bill, and one of those carveoutes is any files that would potentially interact with or impede an ongoing investigation. And why that is important is because last week President Trump launched and investmentstigation. You know, this is not normal, by the way, like presidents in the past weren't launching investigations through their
own Justice Department by themselves. He's argued that Attorney General PAMBONDI should investigate high profile Democrats connections to Epstein, and that investigation supposedly was started, and the Attorney General was asked about that actually, and she said to reporters that this investigation that is now started has already found new information related to it.
What changed since then that you launched this investigation?
Information that has come for information.
There's information that new information, additional information.
So there's already some groundwork that potentially the Justice Department could use to withhold some files.
So is there a political risk given with public sentiment, is that in the US at the moment, for Donald Trump to be saying to be middling in the relays of those files.
Is it a political risk? That's hard for me to say, But I think there are political ramifications of this release and this whole kind of period here of fighting over these Epstein files. For instance, before the vote of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, she said that this episode has ripped MAGA apart. MAGA being the Make America Great Again movement.
Watching this actually turn into a fight has ripped MAGA apart.
And I think that is pretty significant because loyalty is the core of MAGA and if maga's actually ripped apart, I don't know what that means for the twenty twenty six mid term elections, or what that means for the next presidential election in twenty twenty eight.
I mean, just to that point, Bi, I mean, this is one of the stroking developments in the saga is saying ky Republican l turn on Trump. So do you think this marks the start of a turning point where we will see them more embolden to spaghette against in one other issues?
I'm not going to hold my breath because up here on Capitol Hill, for the whole year, on a whole range of issues, Republicans have been in lockstep with the president, whether that's the international tariffs that even are impacting some Republican states more than others, whether that is the tax plan, whether that is foreign policy. Republicans at large have not challenged the president and have done little oversight of his actions. So I don't know if there's going to be a
transfer ability from here on out. However, there you know, there's a cachet now for someone like Marjorie Taylor Green to keep speaking out. You know, this isn't the only issue that she's spoken out with within the last few weeks. Now she is going after the administration on some healthcare subsidies, and she is criticizing the US's approach with the Israel and GAZO. So I anaturally someone like her, maybe more in Bolden. I don't know if more rank and file will be.
And by of course, this political storm is not just going to impact Donald Trump. Many of Epstein's victims were in Washington watching as this fight was happening. So what will this mean for them? Will I ever say justice?
This was me at fourteen years old. I was a child, I was in ninth grade. I was hopeful for life and what the future had held for me. He stole a lot from me, uh bye at fourteen, So just a little.
I think it really is in the hands of the Trump administration right now where this goes. And you know, speaking with some of the Epstein survivors after the vote up here on Capitol Hill, they were saying that this is kind of one of their last pushed for accountability.
Here individually, our voices were whispers. Together they've become impossible to ignore. We are encouraged to see elected officials from both parties. Thank you come together and finally take action to release the files. I'll leave it there.
Thank you, because for listeners who have been following this, especially in the last few years, a lot of accountability was kicked down the road and so this public accountability, they say, is more important for the survivors Epstein survivors who we saw up here on Capitol Hill, and they think just the release of these files. They were telling me, some of them were telling me, is the accountability that they're looking for.
Alone, Yes, we are afraid, but together we are feared.
Thank you.
It's outside of court, of course, but it's in the court of public opinion, which obviously means a lot.
Boh, it's fascinating stuff. Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you for having me.
Also in the news, Taka is set the host COP thirty one next year after a long standoff with Australia, Climate Minister Chris Bowen has conceded hosting responsibilities, but will lead negotiations at the next climate summit. Australia has also negotiated for them to be a pre COP event hosted by a Pacific island nation. A New South Wales police use pepper spray on an eighty seven year old nursing
home resident on Wednesday night. They have confirmed the man reportedly threatened to harm other residents and himself, prompting police to be called. When they arrived, police reportedly told him to drop a metal ornament he was holding. When he refused, they use pepper spray. An investigation will now be conducted. I'm Daniel James. This is seven am. See tomorrow und