The only lawmaker to vote against releasing the Epstein files shares his controversial reasoning

The only lawmaker who voted against the release of the Epstein files has revealed his reasoning, and it might not be as out-there as you suspect.

Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins was the lone voice speaking out against publication of the controversial files, while 216 Republicans voted for the release.

Clay Higgins was the one dissenting voice against the Epstein files bill

Higgins was the only ‘no’ vote in an almost unanimous House decision, voting against the release of files pertaining to the late billionaire and sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.

Those files - we are led to believe - contain some serious allegations against some seriously powerful figures, not least potential claims against President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton - although some bizarre claims have already been made - and many others.

Jeffrey Epstein’s brother Mark has questioned whether the decision to release the files is hiding something else entirely, though, stating that he believes the files are being ‘sanitized’ somewhere in Virginia.

Still, the vote passed, and some form of the files will be released.

After hitting the press for his dissent on the bill, Higgins took to his X account to explain his reasoning.

Why Clay Higgins decided to vote against the Epstein files release

Speaking to his followers, Higgins wrote: “It [the release] abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America,

“As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people — witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc. If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt.”

Despite those concerns, 427 House lawmakers - 216 of them Republicans - voted for the release.

That comes after Trump performed a screeching U-turn and decided that the files were no longer - as he had previously claimed - a ‘hoax’ or a ‘distraction’ but instead should be made public.

He even urged the rest of his party - but not former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene - to get behind the legislation.

Higgins, despite being a Trump loyalist - did not support this.

However, he did add: “If the Senate amends the bill to properly address privacy of victims and other Americans, who are named but not criminally implicated, then I will vote for that bill when it comes back to the House.”

The bill should has also now cleared the Senate, passing by a near-unanimous verdict later on Tuesday.