In brief
In a significant bipartisan vote, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to release documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, with Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins casting the sole opposing vote. Higgins expressed concerns that the legislation jeopardizes the privacy of innocent individuals connected to Epstein's case. While the bill received overwhelming support, Higgins called for amendments to protect victims' information, raising important questions about the impact of legal proceedings on their lives.
Nearly every Republican in the US House of Representatives voted on a bill to compel the release of documents tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The lone nay came from the Republican lawmaker from Louisiana, Clay Higgins, who defied his party, saying his vote was a principled NO.
What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today, Higgins wrote on X. It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America.
The resounding vote in favor of the Epstein bill, 427-1, marks a rare moment of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill. Hours later, the US Senate also approved the legislation, clearing the way for the final act - President Trump's signature.
For Higgins, safeguarding the personal information of Epstein's many victims was the primary issue with the legislation.
As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people – witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc, he wrote on X. 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.
Higgins said he would support the bill if it were to be amended by the Senate, which Republican majority leader John Thune had already suggested was unlikely.
When a bill comes out of the House 427 to 1 and the president said he's going to sign it, I'm not sure that amending it is in the cards, Thune said before the Senate's unanimous approval for the bill on Tuesday.
The vote from Higgins is not the first time he has taken an unorthodox stance. His holdout vote follows a history of controversial comments, including inflammatory remarks regarding Haiti and social media posts deemed to incite violence.
The BBC has contacted Higgins's office for comment.
