WASHINGTON — After it received a 218th signature Wednesday night, a bipartisan effort to force the House to vote on a measure that would compel the Justice Department to release the Epstein files advanced to the next stage.

With President Donald Trump and House Republican leaders opposed, proponents had turned to an arcane procedural tactic, known as a discharge petition, which allows them to circumvent House leadership and bring bills onto the floor if a majority of members — 218 of them — sign on.

When it became clear that they had succeeded, Speaker Mike Johnson, who had gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid a vote on such a measure, relented Wednesday night and said he would bring it to a vote next week. The measure now appears likely to pass, though it is unlikely to survive to ena

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