SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
In a watershed moment on Capitol Hill, both the House and Senate approved a bill to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Nearly every House member voted yes, and then hours later, the Senate set up a process to unanimously approve it. The rapid-fire progress is a far cry from when Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie began pushing for the bill months ago.
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THOMAS MASSIE: We fought the president, the attorney general, the FBI director, the speaker of the House and the vice president to get this win.
DETROW: President Trump has said he would sign the measure, marking a huge reversal. Joining us now is NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales. Hey, Claudia.
CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Hey, Scott.
DETROW: So Republicans rarely go against President Trump's wishes. How did this come together for something that was so controversial for Republicans up until just a few days ago?
GRISALES: Right. This dragged out much of the year, and this sudden resolution was striking. First, a little bit of background. Massie worked alongside California Democrat Ro Khanna, starting what's known as a discharge petition four months ago. This is an arcane procedure that skips committees and leadership to force a floor vote with signatures from a simple House majority, and they hit that mark last week. Trump fought them all the way until this past weekend as momentum shifted in their favor, and it set the stage for the House to pass it 427 to 1. And now the Senate's moving pretty fast. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer got unanimous consent to pass the bill automatically after the House sends it over. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters tonight he expects that to happen tomorrow morning.
DETROW: Quick aside, Claudia. I did not know the Senate had the ability to pass bills automatically. I learned something today.
GRISALES: Right. Exactly. And usually you see this happen with noncontroversial bills, bills that are low profile.
DETROW: Yeah.
GRISALES: This is exactly the opposite.
DETROW: Right.
GRISALES: So it was very remarkable, Republicans really wanting to turn the page on something that has taken up so much oxygen...
DETROW: Let's...
GRISALES: ...Here in Washington.
DETROW: Let's talk more about that. President Trump did an abrupt about-face, said his party should vote for this bill, after fighting it for months and in a really intense way. How did Republicans on the Hill address that huge shift?
GRISALES: Well, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he had major issues with the process, and he rejected claims this was a reversal.
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MIKE JOHNSON: Having now forced the vote, none of us want to go on record and in any way be accused of not being for maximum transparency.
GRISALES: And he said he voted yes with a caveat. He expected the Senate to amend the bill to ensure survivors' names were redacted, among other concerns. But Thune told us tonight that wasn't needed, especially after this overwhelming House vote.
DETROW: Epstein survivors were at the Capitol today. What did they have to say?
GRISALES: They told harrowing stories of the abuse they suffered, and many asked Trump to stop injecting politics into this fight. That includes Jena-Lisa Jones, who was once a Trump supporter. Let's take a listen.
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JENA-LISA JONES: I voted for you, but your behavior on this issue has been a national embarrassment.
GRISALES: She said this fight has been distressing, as Trump has gone back and forth on releasing the files. And when the bill finally passed in the House, survivors in the gallery broke out in cheers and emotional applause.
DETROW: Another big player here is Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a longtime ally of President Trump who pushed for this bill to move forward, and that led to a pretty high-profile rift.
GRISALES: Right. After that clash, Greene faced a pipe bomb scare. Her son received a death threat. Today, she said she fought for Trump for six years and gave him her loyalty for free.
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MARJORIE GREENE: I've never owed him anything, but I fought for him for the policies and for America First. And he called me a traitor for standing with these women.
GRISALES: And she says this fight has now torn the MAGA movement apart. And as a reminder, Trump and Republicans made releasing these files a top priority on the campaign trail last year, and Democrats have added fuel to this fire by pushing for this.
DETROW: What happens next?
GRISALES: President Trump is expected to sign the bill as soon as tomorrow. Then it'll be up to the Department of Justice to interpret what can and should be redacted and what can actually be released to the public. It's unclear how long that could take.
DETROW: NPR's Claudia Grisales, thank you so much.
GRISALES: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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