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In a decisive move, Representative Buddy Carter of Georgia’s Coastal Empire joined 215 of his Republican colleagues in supporting the release of federal files concerning Jeffrey Epstein. The vote, which took place on Tuesday, saw an overwhelming majority in the House, with a count of 427-1, passing a measure aimed at compelling the Department of Justice to disclose “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” connected to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
This legislative push, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, was introduced by Representative Ro Khanna from California. The act makes allowances for the Department of Justice to withhold personal information about victims and any details that might interfere with ongoing investigations, with the caveat that these exceptions must be reported to Congress.
The vote followed an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who took to Truth Social on Sunday to encourage House members to approve the measure. This support added a layer of urgency and interest to the already high-profile legislative decision.
Prior to the vote, Rep. Carter had remained non-committal regarding his stance on the bill, leaving constituents and observers guessing about his eventual decision. However, when the time came for action on Tuesday, he aligned with the majority, casting his vote in favor of the measure.
Rep. Buddy Carter, who serves the Coastal Empire, has previously skirted discussions regarding how he would vote if and when the legislation made it to the House floor. Ultimately, he voted yes Tuesday.
“I’ve said all along that this is a Democrat distraction, designed to deflect from the failure of the Ossoff-Schumer Shutdown,” Carter said in a press release Tuesday. “While these games are beneath Congress, it is the Democrats– not Republicans – that have something to hide, and President Trump is leading with full transparency to ensure the American people learn the truth. It’s time to move past this and get back to building on the success of the Working Families Tax Cuts, ensuring that life is affordable again for the American people.”
She said the sudden shift in support raised concerns about political pressure outweighing victims’ voices. Lisa Gore, a sexual assault survivor, told that she wants her representatives, including Buddy Carter, to take a stand on their own, not because the president said so.
“To be honest, I was looking forward to seeing how many of the congressmen could vote on their own, like their own person, you know, and see who had their own mind to make a decision, that with it flipping so totally with the president like that, that’s something we’ll never know, expect that they just do what he says,” she told .
Though she said the House and Senate passing the legislation is a good start, she doesn’t fully trust the way it’s been handled so far.
“You know, this whole thing took years to get where we’re at and it’s going to take time to get out of this mess,” Gore said. “Hopefully it’s a step in the right direction, but you can’t be sure of that the way that everyone just flipped.”
You can read the full bill here: