Republican Rep. Clay Higgins was the sole lawmaker to vote against a House bill forcing the release of Jeffrey Epstein's case files, despite widespread support from both parties and even initial objectors like Speaker Mike Johnson and former President Donald Trump. Higgins cited concerns that the bill, in its current form, would harm thousands of innocent individuals by revealing their identities to the media.
Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, stood as the only member of Congress to vote against a bill aimed at forcing the release of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's case files. Higgins, a fervent Trump supporter and member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, stated he was "a principled 'NO'" due to fears that the legislation would "reveal and injure thousands of innocent people — witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc." He expressed openness to supporting the bill if the Senate amended it to protect the privacy of those not criminally implicated, but the Senate passed it unanimously hours later, leaving him isolated. Even House Speaker Mike Johnson, who shared some of Higgins's concerns, ultimately voted for the bill to avoid accusations of lacking transparency. Higgins is no stranger to controversy; as a former law enforcement officer, he faced misconduct allegations and gained viral fame for his "brash Crime Stoppers videos," earning him the nickname "Cajun John Wayne." His past includes social media posts removed by Facebook for violating violence policies and challenging people to fights. In Congress, despite chairing a subcommittee that initiated a subpoena for the Epstein files, Higgins was among the few who opposed issuing it. He also pressed to subpoena former President Bill Clinton. Last year, he faced an attempt at censure from Democrats for racist comments about Haitian immigrants, which he later deleted and partially walked back, claiming they were aimed at gang members. Speaker Johnson has defended Higgins as "a very frank and outspoken person" and "a very principled man."
