The words “Epstein files” have been hanging over the Trump administration for months as it faces mounting scrutiny over the sex crimes of the late convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Pressure has grown from within the president’s own party, with supporters and Republican lawmakers calling for more transparency about what investigators uncovered.

That pressure intensified on Wednesday, when the House Oversight Committee released thousands of documents from the Epstein estate, mostly emails, shedding new light on Epstein’s communications and relationships.

The move reignited demands for broader disclosure. Just hours later, the House of Representatives announced it would hold a vote next week on releasing a far wider tranche of material held by the Department of Justice, the so-called “Epstein files.”

The BBC asked poeple in Washington DC what they make of the unfolding developments and how much these disclosures matter to them.

Video by Meiying Wu and Blanca Estrada