There were cheers in the House of Representatives on Tuesday evening as it voted in favour of legislation ordering the US Justice Department to publicy release all files it holds on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The bill was passed overwhelmingly and came shortly after Donald Trump reiterated his claim that releasing the documents is a “Democrat hoax”.

The US President had for months opposed the release of the Epstein files but changed his tune on Monday when he said he would sign the bill. The vote in the Representatives took place at around 7pm GMT and to pass, the bill required a two-thirds majority. It was passed with 427 votes in favour, with just one voting against.

The bill will then need to pass the Senate, after which it must be signed by Mr Trump.

Financier Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial in 2019 on charges he sexually abused and trafficked underage girls.

Standing alongside some of the abuse survivors outside the Capitol on Tuesday morning, Trump loyalist and Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said: “These women have fought the most horrific fight that no woman should have to fight. And they did it by banding together and never giving up.

“That’s what we did by fighting so hard against the most powerful people in the world, even the president of the United States, in order to make this vote happen today.”

A separate investigation conducted by the House Oversight Committee has released thousands of pages of emails and other documents from Epstein’s estate, showing his connections to global leaders, Wall Street powerbrokers, influential political figures and Trump himself.

Pushing for more accountability, the survivors of Epstein’s abuse cast the current effort in Congress as a step towards accountability for Epstein’s crimes after years of government failure under multiple presidential administrations.

Mr Trump says he cut ties with Epstein years ago, but tried for months to move past the demands for disclosure. 

On Monday, he told reporters that Epstein was connected to more Democrats and that he didn’t want the Epstein files to “detract from the great success of the Republican Party.”

However, many Republicans continued to demand for the release of the files.

Jena-Lisa Jones, one of the survivors who gathered outside the Capitol, said she voted for Mr Trump and in a message to him, said: “I beg you Donald Trump, please stop making this political.”

About an hour before the vote, Mr Trump reiterated he had “nothing to do” with Epstein.

Responding to a question from a journalist, he said: “I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert and I guess I would turn out to be right.”

He said he had also “never” been to Epstein’s island.

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