President Trump and other administration officials reached out to key Republicans who have signed on to an effort to force a vote on releasing files about Jeffrey Epstein in the hours before the push was set to succeed on Wednesday.
CNN reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel planned to meet with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).
Trump also called Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) on Wednesday morning, but she missed his call and had been playing phone tag with him as of early Wednesday afternoon, a source told The Hill, adding that there had not been outreach from White House staff.
Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) became the 218th signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on the release of the files shortly after she was sworn in on Wednesday around 4 p.m. Eastern. A discharge petition allows lawmakers to bypass leadership and force a vote on a bill.
Boebert later confirmed the meeting as the discharge petition succeeded with Grijalva’s signature.
“I want to thank White House officials for meeting with me today. Together, we remain committed to ensuring transparency for the American people,” Boebert said in a post on X.
A discharge petition succeeds, and signatories are locked in, as soon as it reaches 218 signatures — but members can remove their names up until that point.
With Grijalva’s signature, a vote will likely take place in December — unless GOP leadership squashes it through other procedural maneuvers.
Asked during a press briefing Wednesday why the administration felt the need to meet with Boebert, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued it showed a willingness to be transparent.
“Doesn’t it show transparency that members of the Trump administration are willing to brief members of Congress whenever they please?” Leavitt said.
“Doesn’t that show the level of transparency when we are willing to sit down with members of Congress and address their concerns?” she continued, adding that she would not detail “conversations that took place in the Situation Room.”
All other Democrats and four Republicans have signed the petition: Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Boebert and Mace.
Mace told The Hill on Wednesday morning she would not remove her name from the discharge petition to release Epstein files, despite online rumors circulating that she might. She is running for governor of South Carolina in a crowded primary in which Trump has not yet endorsed.
Mace’s personal stories of domestic and sexual violence have been a major part of her political motivation and identity, which she has referenced as she’s explained her support for releasing more materials related to Epstein.
Updated at 5:04 p.m.