House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer is leading a probe into Jeffrey Epstein's case. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., made some 33,000 pages of Epstein-related documents public in a surprise move on Tuesday evening.
The documents are the first tranche sent over by the DOJ, which Comer subpoenaed in early August as part of the panel's bipartisan Epstein probe.
The resolution was approved in a 212 to 208 vote on Wednesday, with one House Republican, Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., voting "present." No Democrat voted in favor.
But Democrats' opposition to Wednesday's vote was not unexpected given House GOP leaders' decision to pair the resolution with a "rule vote," a procedural hurdle that allows the House to debate several unrelated bills before voting on the measures themselves at a later time. "Rule votes" traditionally fall along party lines.
House leaders instead opted to deem the Epstein resolution approved upon passage of the rule, a method for fast-tracking legislation by considering the measure itself passed when the procedural hurdle is finished.
EPSTEIN ESTATE HIT WITH NEW HOUSE SUBPOENA FOR 'CLIENT LIST,' CALL LOGS
The probe itself is bipartisan, stemming from an effort during an unrelated House Oversight Committee meeting that saw both Democrats and Republicans vote to compel Comer to begin the investigation.
The vote and the Oversight Committee's release appear to be a bid to neutralize an effort by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to force a vote on their own bill directing the DOJ to release all records on Epstein.
Rep. Thomas Massie speaks to the media at the U.S. Capitol on March 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Speaker Mike Johnson previously accused Massie of politicizing the Epstein matter. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who met with the victims behind closed doors alongside Comer and members of the Oversight Committee on Tuesday, previously accused Massie of politicizing the Epstein matter.
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"I would describe virtually everything Thomas Massie says, as related to this issue, as meaningless," Johnson said, arguing that House Republicans were all committed to transparency.
Johnson is backing Comer's probe, which, in addition to subpoenaing the DOJ, also saw former Attorney General Bill Barr deposed.
Comer also sent subpoenas to multiple former attorneys general, ex-Federal Bureau of Investigation directors, and former first couple Bill and Hillary Clinton. He subpoenaed Epstein's estate late last month.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-moves-expose-epstein-files-authorizes-oversight-probe