The Records Room — Epstein Files, Transparency Sold Late
U.S. Department of Justice · Washington, D.C. · viewing by appointment only
Transparency, available once it was unanimous
Some properties sell themselves. This one had to be dragged onto the market. In 2025, a bipartisan discharge petition led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) sought to force a House vote on releasing the Justice Department’s Epstein files over the objections of leadership. It needed 218 signatures. Four Republicans signed. Listing agent Pete Stauber was not one of them.
The petition reached 218 anyway. On November 16, 2025, the President reversed course and told House Republicans to vote yes. On November 18, the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed 427–1. Agent Stauber voted with the 427. We would describe his position as “firmly in favor of transparency, beginning two days after it became unanimous.”
The Justice Department then missed the law’s December 19 deadline, released files in batches, redacted pages the law said could not be redacted for embarrassment, and at one point declared its obligations fulfilled. As of September 2026, Rep. Massie says the government “continues to withhold over three million files,” and he has opened a second discharge petition to let survivors and state officials take the Justice Department to court.
Tenants interested in the property may wish to ask the agent a simple question: will he sign this one?
How the records room was opened (partly)
| Date | Event | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2025 | Listing blocked | House leadership avoids votes on releasing the files and starts the August recess early; the Massie–Khanna discharge petition gathers signatures.Wikipedia | — |
| Fall 2025 | Petition | The petition reaches 218 with four Republican signatures, led by Massie — none from Minnesota.Wikipedia | 4 Republicans |
| Nov 16, 2025 | Seller reverses | The President tells House Republicans to vote to release the files.CBS News | — |
| Nov 18, 2025 | Closed | Epstein Files Transparency Act passes 427–1. Agent Stauber votes YEA.Wikipedia; House Clerk | 427–1 |
| Dec 19, 2025 | Deadline missed | DOJ begins releasing files after the 30-day deadline; heavy redactions; some redactions can be defeated with copy-and-paste.Wikipedia | — |
| Jan 30, 2026 | “Fulfilled” | DOJ says releases of 3.5 million documents satisfy the law; Rep. Khanna says 6 million-plus pages were potentially responsive.Wikipedia | — |
| July 2026 | Re-listed | Massie introduces the Epstein Files Transparency Act II to allow court enforcement.Spectrum News | — |
| Sept 1, 2026 | Petition | Second discharge petition has “more than three dozen” signatures; it needs 218.Spectrum News | 36+ |
Items the agent would prefer you skip
Seller’s Disclosure Statement
- Did the agent vote to release the files?Yes, on November 18, 2025, along with every other member but one.
- Did the agent help force that vote?No. The vote happened because 218 members signed a discharge petition over leadership’s objections. Four Republicans signed. He was not among them.
- Were the files actually released?Partly, late, and with redactions critics say the law did not allow. Members gained access to unredacted files in secure reading rooms in February 2026. Rep. Massie says more than three million files are still withheld.
- Is there anything the agent can do now?Yes. A second discharge petition, for the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, is open. Its signers are public.
Similar properties in this neighborhood
Public records cited in this listing
- Wikipedia, “Epstein Files Transparency Act” (vote, petition signers, DOJ releases)
- NPR, “House votes to approve release of the Epstein files” (Nov. 18, 2025)
- CBS News, “Epstein files bill wins approval in House and Senate”
- ABC News, “Epstein files bill passes resoundingly in House with only 1 no vote”
- Spectrum News, “Massie seeks signatures to force vote on second Epstein files bill” (Sept. 1, 2026)
- House Clerk, discharge petitions (signers are public)