India, Nov. 19 -- Rep. Clay Higgins, representing Louisiana's 3rd congressional district, has opposed a House vote to fully release Jeffrey Epstein's case files.

On an X post after the vote, Higgins defended his decision, writing, "I have been a principled 'NO' on this bill from the beginning. What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today. It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America."

In light of his vote against the release, his past controversies call into question his judgment and integrity as a lawmaker entrusted with accountability.

Higgins's history includes controversies circling racism, the holocaust and, according to a Mother Jones investigation, association with former "law enforcement ...