Who is the one Republican who voted against releasing the Epstein files? | indy100

Almost every Republican in the US House of Representatives voted to release the Epstein files, following Donald Trump’s call on Truth Social urging his party to support the move.

"House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax," the president wrote on 16 November, adding, "I DON’T CARE! All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT".

The vote passed by an overwhelming 472–1, including support from 216 Republicans, with the US Senate also approving the legislation ahead of Trump’s signature.

However, there was one lone "no", cast by the Republican Louisiana lawmaker Clay Higgins.

“It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America,” Higgins posted on X/Twitter.

He went on to argue that the safeguarding of personal information belonging to Epstein’s victims was his primary concern.

"As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people — witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc. If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt," he continued.

Fact-checkers on X, however, have stated that the bill, H.R.4405, includes redactions protecting the names of victims and uninvolved individuals.

Although there was no signing ceremony, Trump confirmed on Truth Social that he had signed the legislation to release files relating to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019.

"I have just signed the bill to release the Epstein files!" Trump wrote on Wednesday night (19 November). "Democrats have used the ‘Epstein’ issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories."

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