Washington DC - A Republican-led congressional committee recently voted to subpoena the Department of Justice to release the files on notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

According to Axios, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement voted 8-2 on Wednesday in favor of the motion introduced by Democrat Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

Republican Reps. Brian Jack of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania voted alongside all five Democratic members.

The committee's Republican Chair Clay Higgins of Louisiana and Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona were the only two to vote against the measure, while Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who recently called for a special counsel to investigate the matter, and Paul Gosar of Arizona were absent.

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Per committee rules, Republican House Oversight Chair James Comer, who recently filed a subpoena for Epstein's convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell to testify next month, will now have to sign the subpoena before it can be sent.

The vote comes as President Donald Trump and his administration have been facing heavy backlash for refusing to fulfill their repeated promise to release the files to the public. Trump, who was once associated with Epstein, has faced allegations of being named in the files.

The measure also blind sided House Republicans, as House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier that day to sent lawmakers home early for a six-week summer break to avoid a vote on the files.