Representative Clay Higgins was the only member of Congress to vote against a bill that would require the Justice Department to release documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana and a strong supporter of Donald Trump, has a history of promoting conspiracy theories, including those about the January 6th Capitol riot and the 2020 election.
He has also expressed support for the Three Percenters militia and characterized the charges against Trump for mishandling classified documents as a "witch hunt." Despite his past rhetoric, Higgins has been actively involved in the House Oversight Committee's investigation into Epstein, even issuing subpoenas to the Justice Department for documents related to Bill and Hillary Clinton. This investigation has been presented by Republicans as a means to push for transparency in the Epstein case and counter accusations of obstruction.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had anticipated unanimous Republican support for the bill, acknowledging his own reservations but emphasizing the desire to avoid being perceived as against transparency. However, Higgins cast his vote against the measure, explaining that he believed it violated criminal justice procedures and could harm innocent individuals by releasing investigative files to the media.
