Washington, Nov 19 : The US House of Representatives voted 427-1 to require the Justice Department to release files related to its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019. The measure now moves to the Senate.

Lawmakers from both parties engaged in sharp debate ahead of the vote, accusing one another of delaying public access to the documents.

Speaker Mike Johnson supported the measure but criticised Democrats for pushing it forward now. â??This is a show vote,â?? he told lawmakers. â??Theyâ??re making a show of it.â??

He also defended US President Donald Trump, saying, â??The president had nothing to do with this, and he had nothing to hide.â??

Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican sponsor of the bill, urged Trump to direct the Justice Department to release the records immediately rather than wait for the legislative process to conclude.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene raised concerns that even with a new law, the Justice Department could keep some material â??tied up in the investigation.â??

Trump, speaking at the White House during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, again rejected any connection to Epstein. â??I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein,â?? he told reporters. â??I threw him out of my club several years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert.â?? He added, â??I never went to his island.â??

After months of opposing the release of all the Epstein documents with the government, Trump retreated on Sunday and said his partyâ??s members of the House of Representatives can vote for legislation to open the trove of files.

â??Itâ??s a Democratsâ?? problem. Democrats were Epsteinâ??s friends, all of themâ??, Trump asserted.

On Monday, Former US Treasury Secretary and former Harvard president Larry Summers announced he would step back from public commitments after emails showed that he maintained friendly ties with Epstein long after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution in 2008.

In a statement, he said he felt â??deeply ashamedâ?? and accepted â??full responsibilityâ?? for what he called a â??misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.â??

Last week, the House Oversight Committee released thousands of pages of emails from the Epstein estate. Democrats on the committee published three messages, including a 2011 email in which Epstein wrote to Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump â??spent hoursâ?? with one of the victims.

Republicans accused Democrats of selective disclosure and released more than 23,000 additional pages.

The White House dismissed their relevance, stating the emails â??prove literally nothing.â??

Trump has repeatedly denied any involvement in Epsteinâ??s activities.

/IANS