House of Representatives to vote on release of Epstein files after Trump U-turn – US politics live

Move comes after Donald Trump dropped his opposition to a vote on releasing files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey EpsteinFull report: House set to vote on release of Epstein documentsExplainer: what to know about the US House voteIn July, Democratic congressmen Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie turned to an arcane procedural tactic known as a discharge petition to circumvent House leadership and compel a vote on their bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, if a majority of the 435-member House signs on.House speaker Mike Johnson went to extraordinary lengths to avoid a vote on the the measure, which splintered his conference. Democrats accused the speaker of delaying the swearing-in of Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva to prevent her from becoming the decisive 218th signatory. She signed her name to the petition moments after being sworn in last week. Continue reading…