The United States House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly (427 to 1) to allow the Department of Justice to release more files related to the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The legislation, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, will now go to the Senate for a vote.

US President Donald Trump has been under fire in recent months for his close relationship with Epstein, its duration and his reluctance to shed more light on the case, despite campaign promises. The issue has significantly strained the US president's relations with some of his most ardent supporters.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll in October found that only four in 10 Republicans approve of Trump's handling of the issue, well below the nine in 10 who approve of his overall performance. Trump has said he has nothing to do with Epstein's alleged crimes and has recently begun calling it a Democratic hoax.

The MP who voted no

The only negative vote on the legislation came from Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican who is a staunch Trump supporter and chairman of a House subcommittee that initiated proceedings on the Epstein files.

The Trump Retraction

It is noted that the American president recently changed course on the issue, abandoning his opposition to the release of the files: Republicans in the House of Representatives should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, the American president wrote on Sunday.

Donald Trump appears to be caught up in the Epstein scandal, House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries said at a press conference on Monday. He backed down. It's a complete and total surrender, he said.

Epstein pleaded guilty to sex crimes in Florida in 2008 and served 13 months in prison. The U.S. Department of Justice charged him in 2019 with sex trafficking of minors. Epstein pleaded not guilty and reportedly committed suicide later that year before his trial.