An Independent Public RecordWednesday, June 17, 2026

MACEOPEDIA

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Epstein & the Files Vote

Mace's multi-year push to force release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, from the discharge petition through the 427-1 House vote, her in-person DOJ reviews, the Bondi subpoena, and the collision with Trump that ended her 2026 SC governor bid.

Mace on the House floor as the chamber passed the Epstein files release bill, Nov. 18, 2025. (ABC News 4 / WCIV, via YouTube.)

The Bill and the Discharge Petition

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, on July 15, 2025, kicking off a bipartisan push to force the Justice Department to release records related to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who died in federal custody in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) filed a discharge petition, a procedural tool that forces a floor vote over leadership's objection, on September 2, 2025. Mace was one of only four Republicans to sign it, alongside Massie himself, Lauren Boebert, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. The petition reached the 218-signature threshold needed to force a floor vote on November 12, 2025. Trump publicly pressed signers to back down, posting: "Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap." Mace refused, saying:

"I signed the discharge petition. I was one of four Republicans to do so."

"I stand with all survivors. When it seems like the world is against you. When the press hates your guts. When your friends desert you. Your pain is my pain."

The 427-1 Vote (November 18, 2025)

On November 18, 2025, the House passed H.R. 4405 427-1 (Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana cast the lone "no" vote, citing due-process and witness concerns). Mace took the floor and declared:

"Today is a historic day for every survivor across the country."

"Real men protect women. President Trump understands justice delayed is justice denied, and he's not afraid to stand with survivors when we need it most."

In-Person DOJ Reviews (February 2026)

On February 11, 2026, Mace traveled to the Justice Department to review unredacted Epstein files. Afterward she said:

"The days of cover-up are over. I want the princes, the former presidents, the billionaires to know: your days are numbered."

"I have more names today than I had yesterday. A lot of the information and documents related to co-conspirators were redacted or couldn't be found in the database. That's deeply concerning."

"The American people deserve every page. Every name. And every truth the government is holding onto."

She also disclosed that DOJ systems logged which files congressional members opened and when:

"It's creepy. I'm pretty tech savvy. I've played around with the system. They're tracking every file that we open, and when we open it. They're tracking everything."

On February 12, Mace pressed the DOJ to explain why files had been pulled from its public website, saying:

"My greatest concern is that nothing is going to happen from this. You can't have thousands of victims and only one accomplice."

Rejecting Bondi, "Terabytes", CIA and SDNY Letters

When AG Pam Bondi claimed all files had been released, Mace pushed back sharply on X (February 15, 2026):

"Despite the memo released by DOJ last night, not all the Epstein files have been released. And the excuses provided for not releasing all the files will not hold up in a court of law. This isn't going away until people go to jail."

"So poorly managed, heads should roll. And what they did to the victims. SHAME ON THE DOJ."

On February 24, on NewsNation, she put a number on what she said remained withheld:

"I'll be the first one to tell you, the DOJ hasn't released all the files. We're talking about terabytes of data. I think millions of more files."

"This is much bigger than a prostitution and sex trafficking ring."

In separate letters, Mace demanded the unredacted co-conspirator memorandum from SDNY U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton III (February 16, 2026) and pressed CIA Director John Ratcliffe for any relationship the agency had with Epstein and Maxwell (February 17, 2026), citing a 2015 Epstein email and a 2011 Glomar non-response to a FOIA request. No relationship between the CIA and Epstein has been established; this records Mace's records demand.

Bill Gates Demand

On February 4, 2026, Mace announced she would demand that Bill Gates testify before the House Oversight Committee under oath:

"One of the richest men in the world doesn't get to dodge questions about Epstein."

Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein; this records Mace's demand for testimony.

The Clinton Depositions (Feb. 26, Mar. 2, 2026)

Hillary Clinton was deposed on February 26, 2026, at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, in a session that ran approximately four hours and thirty-five minutes. Bill Clinton was deposed the following day, February 27. Both had been subpoenaed on August 5, 2025; after refusing to comply and being held in bipartisan contempt, they agreed to testify. The GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee released video of both depositions on March 2, 2026.

The flashpoint of the released footage was Mace's questioning of Clinton about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO), whom Mace alleged had emailed Epstein about a Clinton fundraising event. The alleged email is Mace's characterization and is unproven; Lutnick has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. Clinton connected Lutnick to the September 11 attacks, noting that Cantor Fitzgerald lost roughly 650 employees that day. When Mace said "I know that," Clinton slammed the table: "You asked the question, I'm going to answer your question!" and "I was trying to take care of the people who lost three thousand lives at the World Trade Center!" Mace acknowledged on the record that she did not possess emails showing Clinton personally solicited Epstein. Mace said during the exchange: "I'm a survivor trying to look out for other survivors." Clinton replied: "And I was trying to take care of the people who lost three thousand lives at the World Trade Center!"

After the deposition, Mace characterized Clinton as having been "screaming. Unhinged and combative every time we brought up Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell," and said she hoped "President Clinton is less unhinged today than his wife was yesterday." Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia called that a "mischaracterization" and demanded the unedited video. Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said Clinton was appalled Mace "wouldn't let her answer a question about her work as a senator after the murder of 3,000 Americans on 9/11."

Coverage split sharply. The Daily Beast headlined its story "Hillary Clinton Destroys Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert in Table-Slamming Epstein Appearance" (attributed framing); Newsweek reported the depositions "fall flat for Republicans" and were "political theater"; PBS noted Republicans "also asked about UFOs and Pizzagate." Fox News, framing the story around Mace's account, reported Clinton had "erupted." Also during the session, Rep. Lauren Boebert asked Clinton about the debunked "Pizzagate" conspiracy, Clinton: "Pizzagate was totally made up… I can't believe you're even referencing it", and Boebert photographed the closed proceeding and shared it with commentator Benny Johnson, briefly pausing the deposition.

Neither Hillary Clinton nor Bill Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein. Both deny any knowledge of his crimes.

See the full dispatch: Mace questions Hillary Clinton in released Oversight deposition video.

The Bondi Subpoena, "Greatest Cover-Up" (March 4, 2026)

On March 4, 2026, the House Oversight Committee voted 24-19 to subpoena AG Pam Bondi on Mace's motion. Mace said:

"The Jeffrey Epstein case will go down as one of the greatest cover-ups in American history."

"If the DOJ is not going to do their job, I will do their job for them."

"We want to know where all the audio and video footage is from ALL of the pinhole cameras at every Epstein property. What about the 'Lolita Express'? Where is the footage?"

The same day, Oversight passed a second Mace subpoena targeting congressional sexual-harassment settlement records, the so-called "slush fund." The full House later voted 357-65 to refer that second subpoena back to the Ethics Committee, effectively killing it.

Bondi Fired (April 2, 2026)

When Trump fired Bondi on April 2, 2026, Mace issued a statement:

"Bondi handled the Epstein Files in a terrible manner and seriously undermined President Trump. She has stonewalled every effort to hold the guilty accountable."

Trump Collision, Endorsement Snub, and Fifth-Place Loss

On May 29, 2026, Trump endorsed Mace's primary rival Pam Evette for the SC gubernatorial race instead of Mace. Mace posted on X:

"I voted to release the Epstein files. NO REGRETS."

"I know I put the likelihood of an endorsement on the line when I demanded transparency on the Epstein files… If sacrificing my values is the price of an endorsement, I will never pay it."

On CNN on June 7, 2026, days before the primary:

"If the price of an endorsement was to not vote to release the Epstein files, that is a price I am unwilling to pay."

On June 9, 2026, Mace finished fifth (~12.1%) in the SC Republican gubernatorial primary. In her concession she said:

"I voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that. As a survivor, I chose to stand on principle and stand against the Epstein cover-up."

"I chose to expose DEI judges. I chose to expose the abusers of children."

"That's not a political opinion. That's a moral emergency."

To Politico she added: "That's the sole reason I didn't get the endorsement, because I voted to release the Epstein files, and I'm okay with that."

Mace was not alone: Massie lost his 2026 Kentucky primary, and Boebert and Greene also faced political pressure. Massie said: "Boebert, Greene and Mace have paid an enormous price for doing the right thing."

Whether the Epstein files vote was the dispositive factor in Mace's fifth-place finish is a matter of interpretation; other observers pointed to additional factors, and the question is disputed.

Documents on the record

Sources & related coverage

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