In a historic vote, the US Congress passed the bill to release files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein‘s case in a 427-1 vote on Tuesday.
While the highly-anticipated bill was expected to get bipartisan approval amid the months-long raging controversy, national attention soon shifted to Congressman Clay Higgins, who was the only one to vote against its release.
Who is Clay Higgins?
Higgins, a Republican, has represented Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District since 2017. A strong Trump supporter, he is known as one of the most far-right members of the House and often takes positions that fall outside the Republican mainstream, Al Jazeera reported.
Higgins is the seventh of eight children. He was born in New Orleans, and his family moved to Covington, Louisiana, when he was six. He has also been married four times.
Higgins’ background in law enforcement
According to a Mother Jones report, Higgins had worked in law enforcement prior to entering Congress, During his law enforcement career, he reportedly faced several misconduct complaints. He later became well-known online for his dramatic, tough-talking Crime Stoppers videos, which helped boost his political career.
Why did Higgins vote against Epstein file release?
In a post on X, Higgins claimed that innocent people could be implicated if the files are released, stating that he had been opposed to the move from the start.
“What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today. It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America. As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people – witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc,” Higgins wrote on X.
Epstein files: Similar stance by other lawmakers
US House Speaker Mike Johnson and other lawmakers had also voiced similar concerns but supporters of the bill pushed back, saying those fears were unfounded and that safeguards were already included to prevent any sensitive details from being released, according to Al Jazeera.
What’s next for the files?
The Oversight Committee is already conducting a thorough investigation into the matter, which has seen the release of over 60,000 pages of documents from the Epstein case.
That effort is expected to continue, while the bill, now in Senate, is expected to send it over to President Donald Trump for his signature.
The released files would include redactions of portions which would reveal the identities of witnesses, victims, their families and whistle blowers.