Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat and an original sponsor of the petition calling for a vote on the files’ release, said on Sunday that he expected more than 40 Republicans to vote in favour.
Republicans hold the majority in the House, with 219 seats, versus 214 for Democrats.
Khanna, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, said the measure is not about Trump but about accountability for all the powerful individuals who allegedly participated in abusing thousands of victims.
“This is not partisan. They all need to be held accountable. The Epstein class needs to go,” Khanna said.
The battle over disclosure of more Epstein-related documents, a subject Trump himself campaigned on, has opened a rift with some of his allies in Congress.
Trump late on Friday withdrew his support for Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, long one of his staunchest supporters in Congress, following her criticism of Republicans on certain issues, including the handling of the Epstein files.
In an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” program on Sunday, Greene said she did not believe the as-yet-unreleased files would implicate the president, but she renewed her call for further transparency.
“I don’t believe that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have done anything wrong,” she said.
Source: CNA
