As U.S. lawmakers push to release Epstein files, here’s what could happen next

A protester holds a sign related to the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Nov. 12.

The House is heading toward a vote on a bill to force the Justice Department to release the case files it has collected on the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, pushing past a monthslong effort by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders to stymie the effort.

The push for more disclosure in the years-old sex trafficking investigation into Epstein has come roaring back since the House returned to Washington after a nearly two-month absence during the government shutdown. As lawmakers returned last week, they were greeted by new details from a tranche of Epstein’s e-mails, including claims that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a sex traffick