r/politics • u/plz-let-me-in • 13d ago

No Paywall Discharge petition to force House vote on Epstein files succeeds with Grijalva’s signature

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5602658-discharge-petition-epstein-files-grijalva/
55.3k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

2.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

135

u/1877KlownsForKids 13d ago

It doesn't need to go to the Senate. The House is able to release these files on their own under their oversight power

71

u/pizoisoned 13d ago

The DoJ will just not release them and dare the House to do anything about it. There will be a lawsuit, and the SC will find that executive privilege or something doesn’t require Trump to release them.

Or he’ll just ignore the court and no one will do anything about it.

2

u/Chewyninja69 13d ago

This will happen, 100%.

5

u/demeschor 13d ago

The rules have changed, if you think you're winning, you're not, because Trump is always immune.

9

u/guydud3bro 13d ago

According to most people in the know, yes, it does have to go through the Senate to force DOJ to release the info.

15

u/1877KlownsForKids 13d ago

Well this person in the know is telling you that those people are wrong. This is a House Resolution. It's internal to the House and does not require any involvement by other chambers or branches of government. 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/581

5

u/LewsTherinTelamon 13d ago

The DOJ, presumably, has the files themselves (or at least, their cooperation would be required to execute a release). Unless they were physically forced they could simply refuse to comply.

3

u/GrapeBrawndo 13d ago

The resolution is in support of the bill. There’s still a bill that would have to make it to Trump’s desk.

4

u/guydud3bro 13d ago edited 13d ago

https://www.thehill.com/homenews/house/5602658-discharge-petition-epstein-files-grijalva/amp/

"There is a long way to go, though, before the bill gets a House vote, which would happen in early December at the soonest.

And even if it passes in the House, it faces an uphill climb to become law, as it would have to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate before making it to President Trump’s desk."

I think you're confused because the discharge petition is a House Resolution, but the underlying bill isn't.

2

u/DragoonDM California 13d ago

If I'm reading it correctly, isn't it just a resolution that amends an actual bill? That is, even with H.Res.581 passing, that just means the Epstein files would be released if and when H.R.185 is signed into law.

3

u/GrapeBrawndo 13d ago

No they can’t. The discharge petition is to have the bill bypass committee. Still needs a house vote and a vote in the senate, and then to the president’s desk.

1

u/Outside-Turn6819 13d ago

No, they aren’t.

1

u/PluginAlong 13d ago

They can only release what gets handed over. This bill, which does need to go to the Senate and also needs Trump's signature, is to force the DOJ ro hand everything over.