A hotly debated House vote is expected next week following the bombshell release of Jeffrey Epstein's emails alleging the president knew about the convicted sex offender's alleged sex trafficking.

After months of pushback, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said on Nov. 12 that a vote will be held next week on a bill that could require the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files.

Johnson offered up his rough timeline after a group of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle used an obscure petition to bypass House leadership opposition amid ongoing House investigations into the disgraced financier. Epstein died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Johnson said on Nov. 12, after the petition appeared headed toward success, that the House would hold a vote addressing the release of the files next week, teeing up a floor battle on an issue Johnson has for months tried to avoid.

The Epstein files have become a stubborn thorn in the side of President Donald Trump and Republicans, causing leading MAGA voices and commentators to splinter over the administration's handling of related investigations of the participants in Epstein's alleged trafficking ring. If the bill passes the House next week, it would be sent to the Senate for a round of debate and votes − likely extending the spotlight on Epstein and Trump.

The bipartisan petition itself laid bare the party's divisions when four House Republicans ‒ Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Thomas Massie of Kentucky ‒ chose to keep their names on the document, breaking with the party to push for the release of the files.

Amid the vote that ended the shutdown on Nov. 12, House Democrats released three Epstein emails written between 2011 and 2019 in which Epstein mentioned Trump by name. In one of the emails, Epstein wrote that Trump "spent hours at my house" with one of Epstein's victims. In another, Epstein said Trump "knew about the girls." The allegations against Epstein include charges that he conspired to transport minors across state lines to have sex.

The White House called the email release a "smear," and Trump said on social media that Democrats are trying to "deflect" from other issues.

In a social media post, Trump warned Republicans not to vote for a bill requiring the full release of the government's records on Epstein, saying “Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap," and calling the issue a "hoax."

Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY.

This story has been updated to clarify that Epstein was accused of transporting minors to have sex with him.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When could the House vote on releasing Epstein files? What we know.

Reporting by Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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