House Gets Closer to Threshold to Release Epstein Files Putting Pressure On Vulnerable Trumpian Senators

Sep 26, 2025 08:52 PM EDT, Fri

As the House inches toward vote on Epstein files, spotlight shifts to vulnerable GOP senators

Some Republicans will need to ask themselves a very important question: Will they spend all their political capital keeping the Epstein files secret?

Sept. 26, 2025, 4:55 PM EDT By Claire McCaskill

This is an adapted excerpt from the Sept. 25 episode of “Deadline: White House.”

After Democrat Adelita Grijalva secured a win Tuesday in a special election in Arizona, the House appears to be one step closer to forcing a vote on bipartisan legislation that would require the Trump administration to release its files associated with the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

For weeks, the administration and its allies on Capitol Hill, such as House Speaker Mike Johnson (T-LA4), have been trying to squash the effort to force a vote led by Rep. Thomas Massie (T-KY4. But if their attempts to stop this petition were going to succeed, they would have already succeeded by now.

These members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, have put their flag in the ground. They will keep their names on that petition. In the end, I believe they will succeed and force that vote in the House — and I also believe there will be more Republicans who join them.

Behind the scenes, Johnson does his very best to do what Donald Trump wants. That’s what he always does. But this is one situation that he can’t control. This issue is bigger than Johnson — and, frankly, it’s going to prove to be bigger than Trump.

If this vote passes the House, then it all comes down to the Senate. That’s where it gets really interesting. We now have some senators who are facing real opposition next year. In Ohio, Republican Sen. Jon Husted — who took Vice President JD Vance’s — is running against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.

You’ve also got Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine and Sen. John Cornyn in Texas, who will likely both be facing some tough opposition heading into next year. Even Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican from Mississippi, could end up with a serious Democratic opponent.

They will all need to ask themselves a very important question in the coming weeks: Will they spend all their political capital to keep the Epstein files secret?

This is not going to be a political winner for the Republican Party. And, believe me, those members of Congress know it — and they know it a lot better than Trump does.

Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri. She is currently an MSNBC and NBC News political analyst.

Allison Detzel contributed.

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