Democrats and Republicans alike were hoping for a clean unanimous vote Tuesday to force the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s docket. However, one member of Congress, Republican Congressman Clay Higgins of Louisiana, did not participate in the agreement.
His only dissenting opinion highlighted his history of advocating on the extreme ends of the Republican Party.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the bill by an overwhelming margin of 427 members, including 216 Republicans. The bill then went to the Senate, where it was approved unanimously, clearing the way for it to be sent to President Donald Trump for his signature.
Here’s what we know:
Who is Clay Higgins?
Mr. Higgins has served as Louisiana’s 3rd Congressman since 2017. He is known as one of the most far-right members of the House of Representatives and often takes positions outside the Republican mainstream. He is also an ardent supporter of Trump.
Higgins has been in the national spotlight for years, often due to controversy. Before joining Congress, he worked in law enforcement, where he faced several misconduct charges. He then became famous online for his dramatic and harshly-spoken “Crime Stoppers” videos, which went viral and helped launch his political career.
His straightforward style continues in Washington. In 2020, he posted a message on Facebook threatening to use force against armed protesters, along with a photo of a black demonstrator carrying a long gun. “Once we recognize the threat…you will not leave,” he wrote. Facebook later deleted the post.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Higgins has been openly skeptical about the virus, claiming that the Chinese Communist Party created and weaponized it.
In 2021, Higgins claimed that a “ghost bus” — an unmarked vehicle he said carried undercover agents and provocateurs — was sent to the Capitol on Jan. 6 to spark a riot. January 6 was the day a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to stop the certification of the 2020 election. There has never been any evidence to support Higgins’ claims.
Higgins faced backlash again in 2024 when he made offensive comments about Haitian immigrants, echoing remarks President Trump made about the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, including the president’s unsubstantiated claims that Haitian immigrants were eating pets.
Higgins called Haiti “the worst country in the Western Hemisphere.” After members of the Congressional Black Caucus confronted him, he deleted a post about Haitians eating pets and said he was referring to gang members, not all Haitians.
Mr Higgins was accustomed to public criticism before entering parliament. He resigned from the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office in 2016 after facing backlash over his hard-line anti-crime videos.
Higgins is the seventh of eight children. He was born in New Orleans and moved with his family to Covington, Louisiana when he was six years old.
In 2017, he said he worked 16- to 18-hour days, sometimes sleeping on an air mattress in his Washington, D.C., office.
Higgins has been married four times. He currently lives in Port Barre, Louisiana with his fourth wife, Becca.
Why did Higgins object?
Mr Higgins had previously expressed support for the commission’s investigation and was the lead investigator.
However, in a post on X, Higgins explained why he opposed the move, citing the possibility that innocent people could be wrongly implicated if the files were made public, and maintained that he had opposed the release of the documents from the beginning.
“I have said ‘no’ on principle to this bill from the beginning. The mistakes of the bill three months ago are still wrong today. It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedures in America. As written, this bill exposes and harms thousands of innocent people, including witnesses, people who provided alibis, and family members,” Higgins wrote. “If enacted in its current form, this type of wholesale disclosure of criminal investigative files released to a fanatical media would undoubtedly harm innocent people. It was not my vote.”
His concerns were similar to those expressed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of Congress. Supporters of the bill pushed back, arguing that those concerns were unfounded and that safeguards were already built in to prevent the release of sensitive information.
“The Oversight Committee has conducted a thorough investigation and has already released well over 60,000 pages of documents from the Epstein case. That work will continue, providing all legitimate protections to innocent Americans. If the Senate amends the bill to adequately address the privacy of victims and other Americans who are named but not involved in the crime, I will vote yes when the bill returns to the House,” he added.
But in reality, the file release bill includes redactions that reveal the identities of witnesses, victims, their families, and whistleblowers.
After voting, Higgins appeared to raise his cellphone just before voting closed and take a photo of the House voting committee listing the votes against him.
In principle, I said “no” to this bill from the beginning. What was wrong in the bill three months ago is still wrong today. It would abandon 250 years of criminal justice procedures in America. As written, this bill protects thousands of innocent people, including witnesses and…
— Rep. Clay Higgins (@RepClayHiggins) November 18, 2025
