Epstein Files Fight Escalates as Petition Hits 218 and Democrats Release Emails Mentioning Trump
The fight over the Jeffrey Epstein files reached a new pitch in the House this week, as a bipartisan discharge petition secured the 218 signatures needed to force a vote on a second Epstein records bill — and, a day later, House Democrats released three emails from Epstein’s estate in which the late financier wrote that President Donald Trump “knew about the girls.”
The two developments, landing within 24 hours of each other, have turned a long-running disclosure battle into one of the most consequential tests of the lame-duck Congress. The petition now compels House leadership to schedule a vote, while the emails have reignited the fiercest argument in the files fight: what Trump knew about Epstein, and when.
A Petition That Bypasses Leadership
Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, announced on Wednesday, November 11, that his discharge petition for the Epstein Files Transparency Act II had reached the required 218 signatures — a majority of the House. Representative John Garamendi, a California Democrat, supplied the decisive signature, a day after Representative Adam Smith of Washington signed on.
All 214 House Democrats signed the petition, along with four Republicans: Massie himself, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who backed last year’s petition, did not sign this one.
“This morning we reached the required 218 signatures on my discharge petition for Epstein Files Transparency Act II,” Massie wrote on X.
A discharge petition is one of the few tools rank-and-file lawmakers have to force a vote over the objections of House leaders. Reaching 218 signatures does not produce a vote immediately. Under House rules, the motion sits on the calendar for at least seven legislative days, after which a signer can call it up — and the Speaker then has two legislative days to schedule it. With the Thanksgiving recess approaching, the earliest floor action is expected in early December, possibly December 2 or 3.
What the Second Bill Would Do
The Epstein Files Transparency Act II, designated H.R. 9694, was introduced on July 15 by Massie with Democratic Representatives Ro Khanna of California and Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico. It targets what its sponsors say are gaps in the first Epstein files law.
The bill would allow Epstein’s victims, state attorneys general, district attorneys, and members of Congress to sue the U.S. attorney general for unlawfully withholding, redacting, delaying, or failing to publish Epstein-related records. It would also give members of Congress the ability to demand unredacted files from the Justice Department.
Massie has argued for months that the department is still holding back material. In a July statement quoted by CBS News, he said: “The Department of Justice continues to unlawfully withhold over 3 million Epstein files.”
The first Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed by Trump on November 19, 2025, after an earlier Massie discharge petition forced that vote. The House passed it 427 to 1. The Justice Department subsequently released roughly 3.5 million pages of documents in January 2026, along with about 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. Lawmakers and victims’ advocates called the disclosure late and incomplete, and the new bill is built directly on that complaint.
Three Emails, Released a Day Later
On Wednesday, November 12, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three emails from Epstein’s estate that mention Trump. The emails are part of a batch of about 23,000 documents the estate provided to the committee.
The most pointed is the shortest. In a January 31, 2019, email to author Michael Wolff, Epstein wrote: “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.” The reference is to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, who was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and is serving a 20-year sentence.
In a second email, dated April 2, 2011, Epstein wrote to Maxwell: “that dog that hasn’t barked is trump,” adding that a victim — her name redacted in the Democratic release — “spent hours at my house with him, he has never once been mentioned.”
The third email, dated November 6, 2016, went to British politician Peter Mandelson and said, “In the donald white house.” That claim cannot literally be true: Trump was not inaugurated until January 20, 2017, and the White House at the time belonged to President Barack Obama.
The emails are short and cryptic, and that ambiguity is now at the center of the argument. They show Epstein believed Trump knew about his activities and told at least three people so. They do not, on their face, establish that Trump took part in any wrongdoing — a point the White House made within hours of the release.
The White House Pushes Back
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Democrats “selectively leaked emails to create a fake narrative” and declared: “These emails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong.”
Leavitt noted that the victim named in the 2011 email was the late Virginia Giuffre, who she said repeatedly stated that Trump was not involved in wrongdoing. Giuffre accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual encounters with a number of his rich and powerful friends.
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Republicans on the Oversight Committee answered the Democratic release the same day with volume of their own: more than 20,000 pages of estate documents, released without highlighting any particular document. The most pointed reaction came from Epstein’s survivors. Accuser Annie Farmer called for the full release, saying survivors deserve more than “a trickle of information.”
Background: A Disclosure Fight That Has Run for Years
Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, and the incomplete record has fueled years of speculation. Just a day before the petition reached 218, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released a 137-page report on the federal government’s handling of the Epstein and Maxwell investigations, faulting the Trump administration and the Justice Department for missing disclosure deadlines and concealing the names of alleged co-conspirators while failing to adequately protect victims. The report followed a 15-month investigation that included 19 interviews and depositions.
Trump has warned Republicans against joining the push for more disclosure, calling it the “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.” Speaker Mike Johnson has said the House will vote next week on a bill compelling the Justice Department to release all of the files — a commitment that now sits alongside the petition-driven path to a vote on the second bill.
Why This Matters
The emails matter for three reasons. First, they put Epstein’s own words about Trump into the public record for the first time. Second, they sharpen the pressure on the coming votes: Republicans who vote against the release will be asked why, and Democrats who vote for it will be asked whether they are acting on three cryptic emails. Third, for the survivors, the episode shows how far the disclosure fight still has to go — years after Epstein’s death, the public still receives his files in fragments, chosen by one party or the other.
For the House, the petition is also a test of leadership. It is the second time in a year that a discharge petition has forced an Epstein files vote over the objections of the Speaker, and it arrives in a lame-duck session with only weeks left before the 119th Congress ends on January 3. All pending petitions expire then, and Senate Republican leaders could still decline to consider the measure.
Latest Developments
- The discharge petition reached 218 signatures on November 11, with Representative John Garamendi supplying the final signature.
- Under House rules, November 30 is the first day any signer can call up the petition on the floor; floor action is expected as early as December 2 or 3, after the Thanksgiving recess.
- House Oversight Democrats released three Epstein emails mentioning Trump on November 12; committee Republicans released more than 20,000 pages of estate documents the same day.
- The White House denounced the email release as a “smear,” while survivors renewed calls for a full release.
- If the bill passes the House, it must still pass the Senate before the current session of Congress ends in January, and be signed by the president.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Epstein emails say about Trump?
In a January 2019 email to author Michael Wolff, Epstein wrote: “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.” The emails do not say what Trump knew, or when, and they do not establish that Trump took part in any wrongdoing.
Who released the emails?
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released the three emails on Wednesday, November 12, 2026, from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate. They are part of about 23,000 documents the estate provided to the committee.
How did the White House respond?
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the release a “smear,” saying Democrats “selectively leaked emails to create a fake narrative” and that the emails “prove absolutely nothing.”
When will the House vote on the Epstein files bill?
Under House rules, the earliest a signer can call up the discharge petition is November 30, and floor action is expected as early as December 2 or 3, after the Thanksgiving recess. Speaker Mike Johnson has also said the House will vote next week on a bill compelling the Justice Department to release all of the files.
The Epstein files fight has now produced two forced votes in a year, three newly public emails, and a stack of competing document releases — and still no full public record. The coming vote will show whether the bipartisan coalition that forced the issue can hold together under pressure from the White House, and whether the Senate will take it up before the clock runs out on this Congress.
Sources
- ABC News — discharge petition reaches 218 signatures
- CBS News — petition for new Epstein files bill gets enough support for vote
- The Washington Examiner — Representative John Garamendi supplies the 218th signature
- The Wall Street Journal — Massie discharge petition and floor timeline
- Roll Call (via Australian National Review) — House members force new vote on Epstein files
- Associated Press (via Pioneer Press) — Democrats release Epstein emails
- House Oversight Committee Democrats — three Epstein emails mentioning President Trump
