Epstein Files Controversy Grips Capitol Hill as Sen. Tillis Demands Immediate Release

North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis has intensified his calls for the immediate release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, pushing back against House leadership and President Donald Trump as the controversy continues to disrupt legislative proceedings on Capitol Hill.

Speaking at an Axios event on Wednesday, Tillis defiantly declared, “release the damn files.” He asserted that the prolonged saga surrounding the files would persist “all the way through next year’s election” and that full disclosure was the only path forward. “The promise to release the files during the campaign was either overplayed and we got a nothing burger if the files get released, or it’s something really disturbing and that’s actually an even more compelling reason to release it,” Tillis stated.

His comments come as the Epstein files drama has notably paralyzed the House floor. On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced he would prematurely end the legislative session before Congress’s August recess and postponed a committee vote on bipartisan legislation aimed at releasing the files. Tillis dismissed the notion that an early House departure would alleviate concerns, likening the issue to “zombies in ‘The Walking Dead’: every time you think you’ve killed it, another one is just going to come running out of the closet after you.”

While Speaker Johnson has expressed a desire for the files’ release, he cited concerns about harming victims. However, Tillis countered this argument, suggesting that victim protection could be easily managed through redaction of names and personal details, dismissing such concerns as a “fake” reason to obstruct transparency.

President Trump has ordered the Justice Department to seek approval for the release of grand jury testimony from the Epstein probe, despite having previously lashed out against calls for the files. Meanwhile, House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer downplayed the entire matter, labeling it a “non-issue.” The ongoing debate highlights a deep partisan and intra-party divide over the handling of the sensitive documents.

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