Here’s what happens next as Congress votes to release the Epstein files

Congress approved the bill last night

The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass the bill, with only one Republican voting against it.

Senate has also fast-tracked the bill, meaning that it will be automatically passed when it arrives and then go straight to Donald Trump’s desk for approval.

Despite initially opposing the release of the files, Trump announced he had U-turned on his position, saying the files should be released now “because we have nothing to hide”.

What will happen next with the Epstein files?

In order for the Epstein files to be released, it needs to be signed into law by President Donald Trump.

After that happens, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has 30 days to release all unclassified documents that relate to its investigation into convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

This included flight logs and travel records, as well as individuals who are named or referenced in connection to the investigation.

The DoJ will also have to release files relating to the investigation into Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years for helping Epstein abuse teenage girls.

The bill allows for the details of victims to be withheld, but says that none can be held back for the sake of "embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity".

Additionally, the bill allows for materials "that would jeopardise an active investigation" to be withheld from being released.

Will Trump support the release of the files?

Despite initially opposing the release of the files, Trump has U-turned on his position and said they should be released.

He said that he would sign the bill into law if it reached his desk, but he could have ordered the files to be released even without a congressional vote, similarly to how he did for the files associated with the assassination of John F Kennedy.

However, even if Trump vetoed the bill, Congress could override him by getting a two-thirds majority in a vote in the House and the Senate.

Despite saying he would pass the bill, Trump appears to be bitter about the amount of attention being paid to the files.

When asked by a reported why he was waiting for Congress to release the files rather than doing it himself, Trump responded: "I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein.

"I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert."

Trump has always denied any links to Epstein’s sex abuse or trafficking.

Could anything else prevent the files from being released?

Presuming Trump agrees to sign the bill into law, the Epstein files should in theory be released.

That is aside from anything that could jeopardise an "active investigation".

Concerns have been raised that Trump seeking a new investigation into Democrats' ties to Epstein could lead to this, and block the release of new documents.

Thomas Massie claimed that the investigation may be a "last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files".

"If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents can't be released," he told ABC News.

"So, this might be a big smokescreen, these investigations, to open a bunch of them, as a last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files."

Experts have also issued similar warnings.

Jonathan Entin, constitutional law professor at Ohio's Case Western Reserve University, said: "If, in fact, this is a serious investigation, presumably the prosecutors will not want everything out there while they're sorting out whether they bring charges."