(NewsNation, KRON) — Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. introduced a bipartisan bill that would require the release of all files related to Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days, NewsNation has learned.
While he said he has not spoken to House Speaker Mike Johnson about it, Khanna told NewsNation’s Joe Khalil he believes the speaker might be amenable to a bipartisan measure bringing up the release of the Epstein files for a vote.
“Rep. Massie is working on the rule to ensure there is a vote. The public deserves to know where every member stands,” Khanna wrote in a post on X.
The measure marks a significant bipartisan push for full transparency on the Epstein case.
The move comes as President Donald Trump and his administration face blowback from many within the GOP base over their handling of information about the disgraced financier, and as Trump attempts to tamp down the amount of attention the issue is receiving.
The resolution says the files cannot “be withheld, delayed, or redacted” should they cause “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”
A discharge petition requires 218 signatures to bypass House leadership and force a vote on a measure. Such petitions are rarely successful, with members of the majority often hesitant to buck their own leaders, and it is rare to see a member of the majority lead the charge on such an effort.
One day after having an amendment to a cryptocurrency bill that would’ve required the Epstein files to be released, the South Bay congressman is doubling down on his efforts.
Khanna on Tuesday took to the House floor and accused Republicans of “voting to protect rich and powerful men who were abusing, assaulting and abandoning young women.”
“I will continue to fight for the release of the Epstein files,” Khanna said on X.
Khanna and House Democrats forced a floor vote on releasing the Epstein files. House Republicans voted down the procedural maneuver 211-210, with the vote falling along party lines.
Trump has spent days in damage control mode as the backlash has grown among his MAGA base over his administration’s handling of the files.
Right-wing influencers who have long pushed conspiracy theories about Epstein recently turned their fury toward the Trump administration, especially Bondi, due to a recent Justice Department memo seeking to dispel those theories.
The memo from last week said no evidence existed that Epstein had a “client list” or that he tried to blackmail powerful figures implicated in his crimes. It also concluded Epstein’s death was due to suicide, pushing back against theories that he was killed in his jail cell.
NewsNation partner The Hill contributed to this report.