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AFTER MONTHS OF GOP STALLING AND OVERWHELMING COMMUNITY SUPPORT, CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN’S RESOLUTION TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES AND HOLD PREDATORS ACCOUNTABLE PASSES HOUSE

November 18, 2025

After Months of GOP Stalling and Overwhelming Community Support, Congressman Pat Ryan’s Resolution to Release the Epstein Files and Hold Predators Accountable Passes House

The resolution passed the House amid mounting evidence confirming President Trump’s close relationship with Mr. Epstein – including his DOJ’s sudden transfer of convicted child-sex-trafficker and Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security prison – raising questions about the President’s potential involvement in Epstein’s crimes

Ryan slammed Speaker Johnson for his overt efforts to delay the vote, and called on his New York Republican colleagues to get the effort over the finish line

Amid the delay, Ryan released a community survey asking if his constituents wanted to see the files released and predators held accountable; hundreds of community members responded, unanimously calling for the release of the files 

WASHINGTON, DC  –  Today, Congressman Pat Ryan’s resolution forcing the complete release of all the government’s files relating to Jeffrey Epstein passed the U.S. House after months of stalling by Republican Leadership. 

Ryan’s resolution passed the House amid mounting evidence confirming President Trump’s close relationship with Mr. Epstein – including his DOJ’s sudden transfer of convicted child-sex-trafficker and Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security prison – raising questions about the President’s potential involvement in Epstein’s crimes.

Ryan slammed Speaker Johnson for his overt efforts to delay the vote, and called on his New York Republican colleagues to get the effort over the finish line

Amid the months-long delay, Ryan released a survey to his NY-18 constituents asking “Should the Trump Administration uphold its promise of transparency and release the Epstein files?” The survey received an outpouring of responses, with hundreds of constituents unanimously calling for the Epstein files to be released and predators to be held accountable.

“Bringing predators to justice – no matter who they are – is not a political issue. It is a simple question of law and order. I’m proud to have led this effort as it finally passes out of the House, after months of partisan stalling at the expense of the American people,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “Our community has spoken – and I won’t stop fighting for the transparency they have clearly demanded. Now it’s time for the President to listen. The ball is in Trump’s court, and if he tries to delay or subvert the will of the American people you better believe I’ll keep pushing with every lever at my disposal. That’s what the American people are demanding, and that is what they deserve.”  

When Congressman Ryan’s bipartisan resolution was first introduced, Speaker Johnson called the House into an early recess to avoid voting on transparency. The stalling came amid repeated threats from the President and his allies to stop talking about what Trump has dubbed the “Epstein Hoax,” with one Administration official going so far as to suggest that support for the resolution would amount to a “hostile act” toward the White House. Speaker Johnson then proceeded to keep the House out of session for 54 days to avoid swearing in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, whose swearing in would have provided the final necessary signature on an effort to force the release of the files. 

The week prior to Speaker Johnson’s call for an early recess to avoid voting on transparency, Congressman Ryan questioned Trump’s Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, at a hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Ryan asked Secretary Duffy if he, as a senior member of the President’s cabinet, would commit to a transparent conversation about the release of the files in front of the American people. Duffy dodged the question, bizarrely seeming to imply that the files haven't been released because people who only had a layover on the notorious island could be mistakenly implicated, and that he wanted to “protect” the identity of the children involved. The full exchange can be viewed here

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